Northwestern’s chances against No. 12 Ohio State on Saturday just got a whole lot gloomier after the team suffered yet another devastating injury: The Wildcats’ injury report confirms that senior running back Omar Conteh will be out against the Buckeyes after injuring his knee during practice on Wednesday. Conteh, who has 235 rushing yards with three touchdowns this year, started last week against Minnesota after NU lost star running back Tyrell Sutton to a season-ending wrist injury in the game against Indiana.
With both Sutton and Conteh injured, it is likely that sophomore Stephen Simmons will get the start. Simmons had three carries in the opening game against Syracuse and ran for a total of 17 yards.
On the bright side, Simmons does have a history of performing well against Ohio State: In last year’s game in Columbus, the Missouri native ran back a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Simmons’s score provided the lone points for NU in a 58-7 loss.
In other injury news, quarterback CJ Bacher will probably be able to play this Saturday.