ESPN reported he then left the stadium to get more attention at a local hospital.
PREGAME UPDATE
Ohio State will face Alabama without two key members of the defensive line and its top kicker.
Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, end Tyreke Smith and kicker Blake Haubeil are among the 13 players listed by the sports information department as unavailable for the National Championship Game on Monday night.
Ohio State does not release reasons for absences, but Haubeil posted on social media he would miss the game because of COVID-19.
“I’m extremely upset, but at the same time I’m overwhelmingly thankful to be asymptomatic,” he wrote on Instagram. “I have spent the past four months making sacrifices and have not seen family and friends one single time, so to say I’m pissed off is a complete understatement.
“I didn’t go out and do something I knew I wasn’t supposed to be doing and then wake up with a positive test. That is the honest truth.”
Another kicker — Dominic DiMaccio — is also unavailable, but freshman Jake Seibert is. DiMaccio replaced an injured Haubeil at Penn State early in the season, but Seibert handled kicking duties in subsequent games against Rutgers and Indiana.
Togiai had started every game inside this season for the Buckeyes, leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss and has three sacks.
Smith started the past four games and recored a sack in the last game against Clemson.
Gratitude was the first thing both coaches of the teams in the College Football Playoff national championship game talked about in their last press conference previewing the matchup between Ohio State and Alabama https://t.co/v7wiWGXR87
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) January 11, 2021
While missing two top guys up front, Ohio State should be deeper than in recent games when other members of the front had been out.
That includes sophomore Zach Harrison, who missed the Clemson game, and Tyler Friday, who has missed the past three games. They each made a start this season and would be part of the regular rotation even if everyone were available.
On the other side fo the ball, starting left guard Harry Miller, who missed the Clemson game because of a positive COVID-19 test and was replaced capably by Matt Jones, is available.
Ohio State is going for its 18th undefeated season and 9th national championship Monday night. Here's a look at every time the Buckeyes had those opportunities in the past https://t.co/K3CKDc3tLf
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) January 10, 2021
Ohio State will also be without Miyan Williams, a freshman running back who had moved to No. 2 on the depth chart, and Dawand Jones, one of the top reserves on the offensive line.
While Williams is out, Master Teague III is back at running back after missing the last game and most of the Big Ten Championship Game before that with an undisclosed injury.
When he went out of the latter game, Trey Sermon got the bulk of carries and ran for a school record 331 yards against Northwestern.
Also unavailable either because of injury, illness, contact tracing or another reason are defensive linemen Jacolbe Cowan and Ty Hamilton, defensive backs Cam Brown and Kourt Williams, receiver Jaylen Harris and linebackers Cade Kacherski and Mitchell Melton.
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