Ohio State Injury Report: Luke Montgomery Questionable, Brandon Inniss Cleared to Play

Starting left guard Luke Montgomery joined Ohio State’s injury report on Thursday as questionable for Saturday’s game against Northwestern.

Montgomery stands as one of only two offensive linemen who has started every game for the Buckeyes this season. If he cannot play against Northwestern, the team could shift Austin Siereveld to left guard and reinsert Ian Moore at left tackle, or move Jake Cook into the starting lineup at left guard.

On the other side of the roster math, Brandon Inniss was removed from the injury report on Thursday after being listed as questionable on Wednesday. Head coach Ryan Day said Thursday on his radio show that Inniss was “trending toward being available” against Northwestern after missing three of Ohio State’s last four games.

The Thursday availability report lists quarterback Julian Sayin out for his third straight game with the fractured right elbow he suffered against Indiana. Running back Ja’Kobi Jackson remains out for his fourth straight game due to a Lisfranc foot injury sustained against Maryland.

Wide receiver Brock Boyd has missed each of the Buckeyes’ last three games and enters Saturday listed as questionable. Day indicated Wednesday that Boyd is unlikely to play this week, though the coaching staff hopes for a return by season’s end.

Ohio State Injury Report: Luke Montgomery Questionable, Brandon Inniss Cleared to Play

“He’s slowly getting back into it now,” Day said. “I’m hoping we can get him on the field by the end of the season, because he’s somebody that we thought really could make a difference for us this year.”

Day added further context regarding Boyd’s recovery timeline.

“And he’s working his tail off to get back on the field. And he’s somebody that is extremely competitive, so it’s been hard for him to watch from the sidelines. But somebody that we think is going to be a good player here, and somebody that we thought would be a contributor here, and hopefully he will be by the end of the season,” Day said.

Wide receiver Phillip Bell surfaced as a surprise addition to the injury report after playing 45 snaps as the starting slot receiver in each of the last two games. Alongside Boyd and Bell, backups listed as questionable include defensive end Epi Sitanilei, safety Terry Moore, linebacker Eli Lee, and offensive linemen Deontae Armstrong and Max Riley.

Northwestern faces its own major personnel hurdles ahead of the matchup. Starting quarterback Aidan Chiles will miss his second consecutive game due to an upper-body injury that also sidelined him last week against Iowa.

Chiles is one of nine players who are out for Northwestern. Cornerback Josh Fussell represents the other most notable absence for the Wildcats, having not played since their third game of the season against Indiana.

The Big Ten conference will update its official availability report at 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.