Ohio State football tight end Cade Stover leaves with injury against Georgia

ATLANTA — Ohio State tight end Cade Stover left with an apparent injury late in the first quarter of Saturday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia.

Stover was injured after hurdling a defender following a catch on the Buckeyes’ third drive. Trainers examined him in a medical tent on the sideline for several minutes before he went to the locker room at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

ESPN’s broadcast reported Stover had suffered a lower back injury and was taken to the hospital with back spasms. No official update was given to reporters in the press box.

As one of the top pass catchers for Ohio State this fall, Stover pulled in 35 receptions for 399 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season.

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His exit against the Bulldogs thinned the Buckeyes’ depth at tight end as Gee Scott had also been considered questionable to play before kickoff.

Sam Hart, Mitch Rossi and Joe Royer were among the tight ends who rotated during the second quarter.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cade Stover leaves Ohio State game vs. Georgia with injury