Ohio State: CB Bradley Roby and RB Rod Smith suspended for opener

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer announced that corner back Bradley Roby and running back Rod Smith will serve one-game suspensions. Roby and Smith mark the third and fourth players, joining running back Carlos Hyde and tight end Marcus Baugh, that will be suspended for the opener due to off-the-field incidents.

Smith was suspended for violating team rules over the winter. Roby’s suspension stems from a altercation at a Bloomington, ID bar in which he had to be subdued by bar security. Originally charged with a criminal misdemeanor, Roby’s charges have been downgraded to disorderly conduct. Roby’s suspension could grow pending his legal case.

Roby, who opted to return for his junior season rather than going to the NFL, has been listed on several preseason lists for various national awards (including the Thorpe Award) as well as being projected as an All-American. He recorded 62 tackles in 2012, intercepting two passes and defending 16 others. Smith, also a junior, scored two touchdowns and ran for 215 yards on 32 attempts in 2012.

With Carlos Hyde suspended for the first three games and Smith out for the opener, Meyer said that Jordan Hall will start at running back when No. 2 Ohio State takes the field for the August 31st season opener against Buffalo.

[Related: WFNY Roundtable: OSU off the field incidents]