Oct. 7, 2023; Columbus, Oh., USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) is attended to on the field during the second half of Saturday's NCAA Division I football game against the Maryland Terrapins at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka learned from his injury, ready to play for the Buckeyes
The Buckeye receiver missed the first three games of his career but is back and ready to go.
If it were up to Emeka Egbuka, the Ohio State wide receiver would have returned from his injury earlier than he did. Egbuka suffered the lower leg injury early last month against Maryland and even then, he fought to stay on the field.
“I’m sure you guys saw, I got hurt and then I was limping over to the sideline,” Egbuka said this week. “And I realized I couldn’t run, and I didn’t know why. And my coach was just like, ‘Go down. Go down.’ So I laid down for a second, I went in the tent, I was trying to warm it back up. And, I mean, I was trying to get back out there. I wasn’t able to at the time.”
Egbuka limped off the field after the game but told teammates he would be okay as he walked up the tunnel at Ohio Stadium. Yet the next week, Egbuka was not available, which was unfortunate timing
“It kind of sucked, I’m not gonna lie,” Egbuka said. “My birthday was the Purdue game also. So there’s a lot of stuff going on.”
Had he been able, Egbuka would have returned against Maryland but that was not in the cards. The receiver had to watch his teammates play from the sideline for the first time in his career at any level.
Egbuka did not make the trip to West Lafayette, having to watch that game from home. He turned his goal to return the following week when Penn State came to the Horseshoe. Egbuka desperately wanted to play in a top-10 game against the Nittany Lions
“Ultimately, I’m going to want to play every Saturday and I’m sure you got something out there (for) Penn State,” the receiver said.
Egbuka spent the week before the game doing everything he could to get ready to play. He was at the oody Hayes Athletic Center from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. getting treatment and doing rehab. He spent the week doing exercises and being in the float pool. He watched a lot of film to make sure it was ready.
Before the rest of his teammates arrived, Egbuka did some exercises on the turf at Ohio Stadium. He had to prove he could run at full speed and stop at full speed. It was not in the stars, however. Egbuka did not play against the Nittany Lions.
Egbuka spent the Penn State game on the sideline – although he wanted to make clear that he was available if the Buckeyes needed him – wanting to be a good teammate. He made sure to bring energy and help coach the other receivers to the best of his abilities.
Against the Nittany Lions, Marvin Harrison Jr. picked up the slack. Egbuka’s receiver classmate caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown and there was faith in the Scarlet and Gray’s other wide receivers to step up in what was an important 20-12 win
“Ultimately, coach (Brian Hartline) felt like Carnell (Tate) and Xavier Johnson are nothing short of amazing players who are more than capable of stepping in and having a huge impact,” Egbuka said, “and they’ve done a great job over this last month and they’re gonna continue to do a great job. They’re a special part of this offense and we’re gonna get them involved in any ways that we can.”
A week later, Ohio State played at Wisconsin. Egbuka again was available for the game but did not play. Once again, Harrison stepped up, catching six passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Egbuka finally made his return last week against Rutgers. It was a modest statistical day for Egbuka, who caught four passes for 29 yards.
The receiver has high expectations for himself and believes if he’s on the field, he should play at his well – as he did over the second half of last season. While not making excuses, Egbuka didn’t want to say he was ramping back up, as all of Ohio State’s receives were held in check at SHI Stadium.
“I mean, there’s a lot of components that go into that,” Egbuka said of his performance. “For one, Rutgers was sitting in Cover-2 all day. I was one of the leading receivers with 29 yards. There’s that component of it. But I felt, even though we may have not got the production per se, I felt that my routes were there. I felt capable and able to play the game that I know I’m capable of.”
After three games out, Egbuka was just happy to be back to be back on the field last weekend.
“That was the first time he’s been back in and that was good,” head coach Ryan Day said of Egbuka. “Now he’s gotta have another full week of practice and now we’ve gotta get back to where we were before when he was an impactful player in the offense.”
Last season, Egbuka showed his value. While he was overshadowed some by Harrison’s breakout season, Egbuka had over 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Egbuka has flashed that potential again this season, particularly against Notre Dame when he helped set up the game-winning touchdown in a 94-yard, one-touchdown performance.
Over the next few weeks, the Buckeyes need Egbuka to find his footing again. After Michigan State on Saturday and Minnesota at home next week, the Scarlet and Gray head to Ann Arbor for the rivalry game at Michigan. Ohio State will need Egbuka, and the rest of the offense, to be at its best against the Wolverines.
Egbuka believes he will be, and this injury experience, despite being frustrating, has helped make him better.
“I’m grateful to be where I’m at right now,” the receiver said. “I learned a lot through this experience and I was able to support my team in a way that I hadn’t before because you have a different role. You have a role in supporting and coaching the younger dudes so that they’re ready for when that moment comes. So, like I said, I’ve learned a lot. I’m super grateful for this moment. I’m grateful to be here and I’m grateful to be playing again. Football is one of my passions, probably my biggest passion. So it really puts a lot of stuff into perspective.
