Buckeyes’ Smith-Njigba, Williams back vs. Iowa
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Pete ThamelESPN
Ohio State star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba returned Saturday and started against Iowa.
Smith-Njigba, who broke the Big Ten record for yards in a season in 2021, has been recovering from a hamstring injury that has limited him to parts of just two games this season. He is expected to play significant snaps against Iowa on Saturday.
He hasn’t played since Sept. 17 against Toledo, as the Ohio State staff has handled his injury with an abundance of caution, wanting Smith-Njigba to be fully healthy before coming back on the field.
Ohio State’s offense will also be boosted by the return of tailback Miyan Williams, who didn’t play two weeks ago against Michigan State because of a knee injury. He leads the nation with 7.77 average yards per carry (60 attempts or more) and has eight TDs on just 64 carries.
With the Buckeyes coming off a bye, the return of Smith-Njigba and Williams is expected to add an adrenaline jolt to a dynamic Ohio State offense that’s No. 1 in the nation in scoring offense (48.8) and No. 2 in total offense (543.7).
Smith-Njigba had 1,606 receiving yards last season, breaking the Big Ten receiving record set by Lee Evans in 2001. Smith-Njigba’s 347 receiving yards in the Rose Bowl broke both the all-time bowl and the fifth-highest single-game total in NCAA Division I history.
NEW YORK — Dan Iassogna will be the umpire crew chief and work the plate during Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Atlanta’s Truist Park.
His crew will include Marvin Hudson at first, Chris Segal at second, Jansen Visconti at third, Jeremie Rehak in left and Erich Bacchus in right, Major League Baseball said Thursday.
Iassogna, 56, will work his second All-Star Game. He was at third base for the 2011 game at Arizona.
He worked his first big league game in 1999, was hired to the major league staff in 2004 and appointed a crew chief ahead of the 2020 season. Iassogna umpired the World Series in 2012, ’17 and ’22 along with eight League Championship Series and seven Division Series.
Segal, Visconti, Rehak and Bacchus will work their first All-Star Games and Hudson his second after being in left field in 2004 at Houston.
Tony Randazzo will be the replay umpire in New York.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Athletics slugger Brent Rooker is adding his name to the list of Home Run Derby participants.
Rooker announced Thursday that he’s participating in the event, which takes place Monday in Atlanta. He will become the first Athletics player in the Home Run Derby since Matt Olson in 2021.
“Competing in the Home Run Derby has always been a dream of mine,” Rooker said in an Instagram post. “Can’t wait to make it happen next week in Atlanta! See ya there!”
Rooker, 30, entered Thursday with a .270 batting average, 19 homers and 50 RBIs, putting him on pace for a third straight season of at least 30 homers. He went deep 30 times in 2023 and had 39 homers in 2024.
His 58 homers since the start of the 2024 season rank him third among all American League players.
The only A’s to win the Derby were Mark McGwire in 1992 and Yoenis Céspedes in 2013 and 2014.
Other announced participants include Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr., Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Washington’s James Wood.
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