Ohio State sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) greets fans and family gathered to see him after the Buckeyes defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 31-7 at Wrigley Field Saturday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
Saturday’s win against Northwestern was more than just another game for Carnell Tate.
It also marked a homecoming to his native city of Chicago, where he played in front of 30 to 40 loved ones.
“It was definitely a sense of high emotions, being able to see all the smiles on my family’s faces,” Tate said.
But one person was missing out of the roughly three dozen relatives cheering him on at Wrigley Field: Tate’s mother, Ashley Griggs.
The past year has been difficult for Tate, as Griggs was killed during a Chicago drive-by shooting in July 2023.
“We all know that he lost his mom, and he does not show that every day when he’s here,” head coach Ryan Day said. “We say it all the time, that the game doesn’t care about what you’ve been through. When you cross that line, you go onto the field. The game doesn’t really care.”
Though the game may not care, those closest to Tate certainly do.
“We do, his teammates do, his coaches do; the people that know [Tate] care a lot about him,” Day said. “The way that he’s handled himself has been an example to everybody.”
For Tate, putting forth an impressive performance was all that mattered.
“They expected a lot coming back home, so they wanted me to put on a show,” Tate said.
Late in the second quarter, Tate hauled in a diving 25-yard touchdown to put the Buckeyes up 21-7.
“I pretty much knew the ball was coming my way on the first touchdown. I had to go out there and make a play,” Tate said. “Will [Howard] put the ball out there for me to go get.”
On Ohio State’s ensuing drive, Tate found the end zone once more, achieving the first multi-touchdown game in his collegiate career.
“The ball was really supposed to go to Emeka [Egbuka], but the ball somehow came to me again,” Tate said. “When the ball is in your hands, you got to make the best of the opportunity.”
Howard said watching Tate excel in his hometown felt amazing, especially considering everything he’s been through.
“I don’t say it a lot to him, but he’s one of my favorite guys on the team,” Howard said. “Just seeing him every single day, he just lifts my mood. For him to have the game that he had here in his home city, in this stadium, I couldn’t be happier.”
Tate said he wasn’t expecting to have one of the best performances in his young career going in, but is definitely glad he did.
“Really, we don’t know where the ball is gonna go unless the defense gives us a different coverage,” Tate said. “I’m grateful the ball found my way quite a few times.”
