COLUMBUS, Ohio — Coach Ryan Day knew Ohio State's secondary was thin on experience when the season began last month.
Day's knowledge turned to concern when junior Cameron Brown was carted off the field late in the Buckeyes' win at Penn State last Saturday.
Brown, a junior, had injured his Achilles tendon, sidelining one of the Buckeyes' top reserve cornerbacks for the remainder of the season.
"Cam came with experience this season and in a position that we couldn't afford to lose anyone," Day said. "It's a significant hit."
Among the seven cornerbacks on scholarship, Brown was one of five returners and had appeared in every game last fall. In two games this season he was a backup behind Sevyn Banks, who was starting at cornerback opposite Shaun Wade, the lone returning starter in the secondary.
Day circled a handful of potential candidates who could see more snaps in response to Brown's absence.
They are younger options, including Tyreke Johnson, a third-year sophomore who made his college debut a year ago, and Ryan Watts, a freshman who enrolled early last winter. Fellow freshman Lejond Cavazos could also see more playing time, but he was listed as unable to play for OSU's first two games.
"Those guys are going to have to step up in a big way," Day said.
Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said the Buckeyes already had been bracing for the potential hits to depth this season, which is being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Positive cases could sideline players for weeks, in addition to the injuries that can pile up in a typical fall.
"The whole next-man-up thing is no joke," Coombs said, "and especially this year. I think we've been training our guys from June for the possibility of having to be able to play in a game suddenly. I think that's really important, to try to prepare them for that."
