Though his shoulder injury may be worse than previously thought, Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett expects to play Saturday at Illinois.
Clarett has been plagued by a nerve injury for most of the season. But he said he also has a bruise on the shoulder.
“My [anterior cruciate] joint is messed up,” Clarett said Saturday after Ohio State’s 10-6 victory over Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium. “It just hurts. The win evens up everything.
“It’s bittersweet. It’s sweet that we won, but I’m bitter because I couldn’t contribute the way I wanted.”
Wearing special padding on his left shoulder, Clarett did not run with his usual authority against the Boilermakers.
“It was weird because I was trying to control the way I fell,” Clarett said. “I was not playing as aggressively.”
After gaining 39 yards on 12 carries in the first half, Clarett ran only twice after intermission.
He removed his shoulder pads after being buried in a pileup on OSU’s first second-half possession and wound up with 52 yards on 14 carries, giving him 1,071 rushing yards for the season.
“He’s trying to play and trying to help us in games, but at the same time if he gets that nerve banged a little bit, the strength gives out and he’s got to come out,” said coach Jim Tressel, whose Buckeyes moved up to No. 2 in both the media and coaches polls Sunday.
Clarett has battled injuries all season.
Arthroscopic knee surgery sidelined him for the Cincinnati game, and the shoulder injury limited his action against Wisconsin and Penn State and kept him out of the Minnesota game.
If Clarett can’t play against Illinois, the Buckeyes are likely to call on 6-foot sophomore Lydell Ross, who gained 25 yards on 11 carries at Purdue.
Ross is averaging 3.9 yards per carry.
AP Top 25
First-place votes in parentheses
RANK, TEAM REC PTS PRV
1. Miami (74) 9-0 1,850 2
2. Ohio State 11-0 1,771 3
3. Washington St. 9-1 1,592 5
4t. Oklahoma 8-1 1,590 1
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4t. Texas 9-1 1,590 4
6. Iowa 10-1 1,560 6
7. Georgia 9-1 1,403 7
8. Southern Cal 7-2 1,275 10
9. Notre Dame 9-1 1,256 9
10. Alabama 8-2 1,175 11
11. Kansas State 8-2 1,114 12
12. Michigan 8-2 1,021 13
13. Virginia Tech 8-2 818 8
14. Louisiana State 7-2 816 16
15. Florida State 7-3 725 17
16. Penn State 7-3 649 19
17. Colorado 7-3 628 18
18. Pittsburgh 8-2 561 22
19. Maryland 8-2 527 —
20. Florida 7-3 437 23
21. Colorado State 8-2 391 24
22. N.C. State 9-2 382 14
23. Oregon 7-3 344 15
24. Auburn 7-3 138 —
25. Texas Christian 8-1 118 —
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Other votes: Boise State 105, Bowling Green 50, UCLA 50, Texas A&M 35, Iowa State 26, West Virginia 13, Arkansas 10, Marshall 9, Tennessee 5, Texas Tech 5, Nebraska 4, Arizona St. 3, California 3, Minnesota 1.
USA Today/ESPN Top 25
First-place votes in parentheses
RANK, TEAM REC PTS PRV
1. Miami (61) 9-0 1,525 1
2. Ohio State 11-0 1,462 3
3. Texas 9-1 1,363 4
4. Washington St. 9-1 1,310 5
5. Iowa 10-1 1,275 6
6. Oklahoma 8-1 1,222 2
7. Georgia 9-1 1,142 8
8. Southern Cal 7-2 1,066 9
9. Notre Dame 9-1 1,019 10
10. Michigan 8-2 967 11
11. Kansas State 8-2 948 12
12. Louisiana State 7-2 786 14
13. Virginia Tech 8-2 754 7
14. Florida 7-3 642 17
15. Florida State 7-3 609 18
16. Penn State 7-3 539 19
17. Colorado State 8-2 508 20
18. Colorado 7-3 442 21
19. Maryland 8-2 433 25
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20. N.C. State 9-2 419 13
21. Pittsburgh 8-2 407 23
22. Oregon 7-3 284 15
23. Boise State 9-1 171 —
24. Texas Chrisitan 8-1 120 —
25. Bowling Green 8-1 113 16
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Other votes: Auburn 62, UCLA 45, Hawaii 34, West Virginia 30, Iowa State 24, Arizona State 23, Texas A&M 23, Nebraska 14, Marshall 10, Texas Tech 7, Air Force 4, Boston College 4, Northern Illinois 4, Tennessee 4, Arkansas 3, Clemson 3, Southern Mississippi 3, Oregon State 2.
Andrew Bagnato’s AP ballot
1. Miami
2. Ohio State
3. Oklahoma
4. Washington State
5. Texas
6. Iowa
7. Georgia
8. Alabama
9. Kansas State
10. Southern California
11. Notre Dame
12. Michigan
13. Pittsburgh
14. Colorado
15. Penn State
16. Maryland
17. Virginia Tech
18. Auburn
19. Colorado State
20. Louisiana State
21. Florida State
22. Texas Christian
23. Oregon
24. Florida
25. California