“He’s had a stomach bug, and we expect him to be at practice today,” head coach Ryan Day said during Peach Bowl Media Day prior to practice. “We’ll just kind of take it as we go.”
An ankle injury limited Williams in Ohio State’s last game, but he said earlier in December he expected to be ready to go when the Buckeyes take on defending national champion Georgia in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
If he weren’t, the cupboard would not be bare.
Junior Arizona State transfer Chip Trayanum, who began the season at linebacker but moved to running back after multiple injuries hit the position, had some flashes in the Michigan game, and true freshman Dallan Hayden had three 100-yard rushing games when pressed into duty at different times during the season.
Hayden’s role was limited against the Wolverines, but Day said not to expect that to be the case Saturday.
“He’s had a great month of preparation,” Day said. “So, yeah, we’re going to need him to win this game.”
He added there would not be a distinct pecking order, but adjusting personnel has been a common practice in a season with many injuries at the skill positions.
“I think one of the things that we’ve had to do all year that is nothing new is we’ve had to adjust as the season has gone on because that’s just kind of the way it’s gone this year,” Day said. “That room, we’ve had some guys in and out. So we’ve had to put some guys into the spots. And the good news is we’ve been able to adjust and we’ve responded in that area. So that’s nothing new, and the good news is we should have everybody available for the game.”
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