Senior safety Christian Bryant (2) is helped off the field after breaking his ankle during a game against Wisconsin Sept. 28 at Ohio Stadium. OSU won, 31-24.
Credit: Shelby Lum / Photo editor
The Ohio State football team won their game against Wisconsin Saturday, 31-24, but lost one of its leaders when senior safety Christian Bryant suffered a broken ankle.
OSU coach Urban Meyer did not hide his emotional reaction to the injury during his postgame press conference. He slammed the podium with his hand at one point during his opening statement, and called Bryant’s injury the “hard part of the game.”
“That’s the hardest part of this whole job,” Meyer said. “That darn kid has done so much for our program, he’s come so far. Incredible leadership skills, and he’s going to be even more valuable outside of football. I love that guy.”
Bryant’s injury occurred on the Buckeyes’ second-to-last defensive play of the game, with less than a minute remaining in the game. He had to be helped off the field by two OSU trainers and was unable to place any weight on his injured ankle.
Bryant, who is in his third season as a starter on OSU’s defense, is one of the Buckeyes’ eight captains. He had 22 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups in OSU’s first five games.
Bryant was a second-team all-Big Ten selection in 2012. He was named to preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski and Jim Thorpe awards.
