The Buckeyes took care of Illinois, 34-16. But they almost lost their best player in the process. That’s right, their star WR Jeremiah Smith had to leave the field for a short time in the third quarter after getting hit and directly landing on his back. This is where the concerns began. And it’s clearly visible from Ryan Day’s postgame update.

What exactly happened? It was first down with 10 yards to go in Illinois’s end zone. Buckeyes did a simple trick play. A reverse handoff, where Jeremiah Smith got the ball and ran with blockers ahead of him. Now, in that moment, ideally two of his defenders should have blocked against the defense, but they couldn’t do it, and Illinois’s Torrie Cox Jr. got in between and tackled him. Smith’s whole body was flipped due to the hit and he landed on

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