Ohio State junior wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) makes the catch to score a touchdown during the Ohio State-Purdue game Saturday. Ohio State won 59-31. Credit: Gabe Haferman | Assistant Photo Editor
When the Buckeyes traveled to Nebraska and narrowly defeated the Cornhuskers, there were moments when Garrett Wilson had to turn the television off.
Wilson missed the first game of his Ohio State career with an undisclosed injury Nov. 6. While sophomore wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba stepped into the spotlight with a record-breaking performance, Wilson said it was hard not being on the football field.
“I literally had to not watch the game for a little bit because I was just tripping too much. I just didn’t feel good,” Wilson said. “I was watching the game, stressing myself out too much.”
Stress didn’t seem to gloss Wilson’s face in his return against No. 19 Purdue Saturday, as he became the first Buckeye with three receiving touchdowns and one rushing score.
Amid his season-bests of 11 catches and 126 receiving yards, Wilson took a rare handoff on a jet sweep in the second quarter. Tight ends senior Jeremy Ruckert and sophomore Cade Stover set blocks, and Wilson burst through the gaps for a 51-yard touchdown, the first rushing score of his career.
“I feel very confident with the ball in my hands,” Wilson said. “I’m just doing what I love and doing what’s fun. It was fun being out there today.”
No. 4 Ohio State made sure to make Wilson’s presence known, as redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with Wilson on a six-yard pass on the Buckeyes’ very first offensive play.
Wilson averaged 12.6 yards per catch, helping Stroud and the Ohio State offense roll to 624 yards of total offense, their most of the season. Stroud completed a season-best 82 percent of his passes, and he said Wilson helped make his job easy.
“You want to have a guy like Garrett out there,” Stroud said. “He’s a great player. His routes speak for himself, I mean, he gets open time in and time out.”
Early in the second quarter, Wilson caught his second touchdown on a 12-yard leaping grab against Purdue fifth-year cornerback Dedrick Mackey at the edge of the end zone.
Head coach Ryan Day said that Wilson’s score was “an amazing catch,” praising his “tremendous ball skills.” Day complimented Wilson’s versatility and said his route-running has improved the most this season.
“His God-given ability is off the charts,” Day said. “It’s the football IQ, it’s the techniques, it’s the fundamentals and route running that’s really improved.”
Wilson said he doesn’t credit anything specific in his performance against the Boilermakers, saying he just “did what I love doing.”
Ohio State’s offense received a huge boost from Wilson’s return. He said it felt good making plays on the field with the rest of the Buckeyes — instead of at home and watching his teammates from a distance.
“It’s something I would never like to do again,” Wilson said. “I don’t plan on that happening again.”
