When Ohio State takes the field for its “toughest” test of the young season this weekend, they’ll do so without a starting member of its backfield.
Carlos Hyde suffered a knee injury late in the first half of Saturday’s win over UCF and didn’t return. The injury was subsequently diagnosed as a sprained MCL, with head coach Urban Meyer acknowledging Monday that the running back has already been ruled out of this Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium against Cal.
Whether Hyde misses any game beyond this weekend is an unknown at this point.
Hyde is second on the team to quarterback Braxton Miller -- who’s fourth in rushing nationally, incidentally -- with 109 yards rushing and two touchdowns in two games.
Even as Hyde is out, there’s also a chance that the projected starter throughout the offseason could return for the Bears. Jordan Hall, who has missed the first two games of the season as he recovers from a freak offseason foot injury, may be a go for the third game. A decision on that, though, likely won’t be made until later in the week.
If Hall is out as well as Hyde, true freshman Bri’onte Dunn would likely get the start. Dunn is third on the team in rushing with 60 yards.