‘I want to win the game for him’: Ohio State’s X-factor playmaker set up for an emotional game vs. Northwestern
Saturday will mark game No. 10 on the season for the Ohio State Buckeyes when they travel to Chicago to play Northwestern at Wrigley Field. It will be an emotional game for one Ohio State starter. Carnell Tate will return to Chicago on Saturday, a place where he is from and lived before he went […]
Saturday will mark game No. 10 on the season for the Ohio State Buckeyes when they travel to Chicago to play Northwestern at Wrigley Field. It will be an emotional game for one Ohio State starter.
Carnell Tate will return to Chicago on Saturday, a place where he is from and lived before he went to IMG Academy prior to committing to the Buckeyes. Tate’s mother, Ashley Griggs, was shot and killed in July of 2023 in Chicago. It was right before the Buckeyes began their fall camp and it had to be an unbelievably tough moment for Tate heading into his freshman season.
Now, he gets to go to Chicago and play in a game at a historic MLB stadium. Tate is set to have a bunch of supporters in attendance. The Buckeyes are on a mission to win the game for Tate against Northwestern, according to head coach Ryan Day, and they are heavily favored to do just that.
"I just cannot say enough about Carnell Tate. I'm not gonna get into it right now, but I just have so much respect for who he is as a person, what he's been through, and the fact that he's going back to Chicago," Day said on Thursday. "I want to win this game personally for him, and I know the team respects the fact that he's going home, and it means a lot to him.
He's not a guy who speaks a lot or says a lot or tries to bring a lot of attention to himself. He's a team player. I know the team loves who he is. I know Buckeye Nation appreciates him."
Tate has been a bit overshadowed this season because he shares wide receiver roughed with star freshman Jeremiah Smith and soon-to-be NFL draft selection Emeka Egbuka. Still, Tate is a next-level talent himself and has shown that this season.
Outside of Smith, you don’t often see freshman wideouts contribute much at Ohio State. Tate had 18 catches for 264 yards as a freshman in 13 total games played. So far this season, the sophomore wideout has caught 27 passes for 405 yards and two touchdowns.
Tate is a fluid route runner who has deep-threat ability. We could really see him break out more down the stretch run of the season when good teams are keyed in on slowing down Smith and Egbuka. Tate has a legitimate ability to be an X-factor for this team.
Don’t be surprised if the 6-foot-3 Tate scores at Wrigley Field on Saturday. It would make an emotional day a bit special for him and Buckeye Nation will be rooting for him to find the end zone surely.
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