Snap Counts: 59 Buckeyes See Playing Time in Ohio State's 26-6 Win over Michigan State

For the sixth week in a row, Ohio State needed its core players on the field for four quarters in its 26-6 win at Michigan State on Saturday.

A total of 59 players saw the field for the Buckeyes in East Lansing, one more than Ohio State played one week earlier against Nebraska, but still the third-fewest out of the Buckeyes' 10 games this season.

That said, the Buckeyes’ rotations did include a few players who weren’t on the field against the Cornhuskers, including one particularly notable addition to the game plan: Tate Martell, who saw his first playing time at quarterback since the fourth game of the season against Tulane.

Cornerback Jeffrey Okudah and defensive end Tyler Friday also returned to action against Sparty after missing the Nebraska game with injuries, but linebacker Baron Browning missed the Michigan State game with an undisclosed injury while wide receiver L’Christian “Blue” Smith also did not play against the Spartans after seeing playing time on special teams against Nebraska.

All five starting offensive linemen played all 86 offensive snaps against Michigan State, while linebacker Malik Harrison and safety Jordan Fuller each played all 68 of Ohio State’s defensive snaps against the Spartans.

Wide receiver Johnnie Dixon, tight end Luke Farrell and safety Brendon White all played career-high snaps totals in Saturday’s game.

Let’s now take a look at each player who played against Michigan State, in what roles and how much in this week’s edition of Snap Counts.

All snap counts listed were compiled by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge and should be considered unofficial, as Ohio State does not make its official snap counts public. It is not always possible to see all 11 players on the field from TV broadcast angles, particularly on special teams plays, so exact special teams snap counts are not included and offensive and defensive snap counts could potentially differ from those tracked by Ohio State’s coaches.

Quarterbacks

Dwayne Haskins: 80
Tate Martell: 6

After months of teasing the possibility, Ohio State finally added a Martell package to its offense.

He checked in for one snap in the red zone in the second quarter, running for a 5-yard gain on 1st-and-goal from the 6-yard line, then returned for five snaps in Michigan State territory in the fourth quarter. (He also checked in for a 4th-and-1 play late in the third quarter, but didn’t have the opportunity to run a play due to a false start penalty). Martell’s playing time came to an end when he was unable to handle an off-target snap from Michael Jordan in the red zone, resulting in a Michigan State fumble recovery.

Martell has now played in four games this season.

Running Backs

Mike Weber: 51
J.K. Dobbins: 37
Demario McCall: Special teams only

After Dobbins took center stage in the Nebraska game, playing nearly twice as many snaps and the entirety of Ohio State’s final two drives against the Cornhuskers, the roles were reversed in East Lansing. On Saturday at Michigan State, it was Weber who started the game at running back and played the entirety of Ohio State’s final two drives, having what Urban Meyer said was “probably his best game” in the process.

Wide Receivers

Johnnie Dixon: 59
Terry McLaurin: 54
Parris Campbell: 51
K.J. Hill: 41
Binjimen Victor: 26
Chris Olave: 9
Ellijah Gardiner: Special teams only

After Victor started one game at X receiver in place of Austin Mack against Nebraska, McLaurin started at X receiver against Michigan State, with Dixon starting in place of McLaurin at Z receiver and Campbell in the slot. Victor went on to play the same number of snaps against the Spartans as he did against the Cornhuskers, but McLaurin played exclusively at X against Michigan State while Olave – who caught two passes for 41 yards against the Spartans – mixed in for some playing time at Z.

Campbell and Hill were on the field simultaneously as slot receivers for eight plays when the Buckeyes went into four-receiver sets, a change from previous weeks, when Ohio State had used C.J. Saunders in four-receiver sets as a second slot receiver opposite either Campbell or Hill.

Tight Ends

Luke Farrell: 74
Rashod Berry: 23
Jeremy Ruckert: 4
Jake Hausmann: Special teams only

Now the Buckeyes’ clear-cut No. 1 tight end, Farrell played a career-high 74 snaps on Saturday, and more than three times as many snaps as Berry for the third week in a row. He was only out of the game for 12 total offensive plays, though he was on the field with Berry simultaneously for 17 two-tight end sets and with Ruckert for one two-tight end package.

All three tight ends were on the field simultaneously for a pair of plays, and those two plays were Ohio State’s only two offensive touchdowns of the game: a 1-yard shovel pass touchdown scored by Campbell, and a 2-yard touchdown run by Weber.

Rashod Berry (13) and Luke Farrell (89) were on the field simultaneously for 19 total offensive snaps against Michigan State.

Offensive Linemen

Thayer Munford: 86
Malcolm Pridgeon: 86
Michael Jordan: 86
Demetrius Knox: 86
Isaiah Prince: 86
Wyatt Davis: 1
Joshua Alabi: Special teams only
Gavin Cupp: Special teams only
Josh Myers: Special teams only
Kevin Woidke: Special teams only

From left to right, Munford, Pridgeon, Jordan, Knox and Prince all played every one of Ohio State’s offensive snaps in Saturday’s game. Davis saw playing time as a sixth offensive lineman for the second straight week, but came into the game for just one offensive snap, a goal-line rushing attempt in the second quarter, after playing three offensive snaps against Nebraska.

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Defensive Ends

Chase Young: 56
Jonathon Cooper: 37
Jashon Cornell: 17
Tyreke Smith: 13
Tyler Friday: 7

Young and Cooper started and played the majority of Ohio State’s defensive snaps at defensive end against Michigan State, per usual, with Cornell, Smith and Friday each rotating in for occasional playing time. Cornell and Smith, who have seen some snaps at defensive tackle in nickel packages in previous games, both played exclusively at defensive end against the Spartans, while Friday returned to the rotation after being sidelined with an undisclosed injury against Nebraska.

Defensive Tackles

Dre’Mont Jones: 52
Robert Landers: 32
Davon Hamilton: 20
Haskell Garrett: 14
Tommy Togiai: 10
Taron Vincent: 8

Ohio State used a similar defensive tackle rotation against Michigan State to that which it used against Nebraska. Jones played the majority of snaps at 3-technique tackle, with Garrett rotating in. Landers started and played just under half of Ohio State’s defensive snaps at nose tackle, while Hamilton and Togiai both rotated in at that spot. Vincent played a pair of snaps at 3-technique in the base defense while also playing in between Young and Jones as the nose tackle in the Buckeyes’ 3-3-5 defense.

Linebackers

Malik Harrison: 68
Pete Werner: 61
Tuf Borland: 31
Dante Booker: 7
Justin Hilliard: 6
Dallas Gant: Special teams only
Keandre Jones: Special teams only
Teradja Mitchell: Special teams only
K’Vaughan Pope: Special teams only

Harrison played every one of Ohio State’s defensive snaps at outside linebacker for the second week in a row. Werner, meanwhile, played all but seven snaps, as Booker subbed in for him on a few occasions in the Buckeyes’ base defense for the second week in a row.

With Browning sidelined, Borland played all 31 snaps at middle linebacker that Ohio State lined up in its 4-3 base defense, while Hilliard filled in for Browning at middle linebacker in the 3-3-5 defense.

Cornerbacks

Kendall Sheffield: 55
Jeffrey Okudah: 41
Damon Arnette: 40
Shaun Wade: 40
Sevyn Banks: Special teams only

With Okudah back in action after missing the Nebraska game with a groin injury, Ohio State returned to its usual three-man rotation at outside cornerback, as Sheffield and Arnette started the game but all three substituted in and out of the game.

Wade, meanwhile, played all 37 snaps at slot cornerback in the Buckeyes’ nickel packages. He played only three snaps at safety after starting at that position and playing every defensive snap against Nebraska.

Safeties

Jordan Fuller: 68
Brendon White: 65
Josh Proctor: Special teams only
Amir Riep: Special teams only
Jahsen Wint: Special teams only

Fuller played every one of Ohio State’s defensive snaps for the sixth time in 10 games this season, while White – who made his first career start at Michigan State – played all but three snaps alongside Fuller, with Wade subbing in for those three snaps.

Malik Harrison played every defensive snap on Saturday at Michigan State, while Brendon White played all but three snaps.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Blake Haubeil (kicker)
Drue Chrisman (holder)
Liam McCullough (long snapper)
Luke Farrell (blocker)
Joshua Alabi (blocker)
Wyatt Davis (blocker)
Josh Myers (blocker)
Davon Hamilton (blocker)
Gavin Cupp (blocker)
Kevin Woidke (blocker)
Rashod Berry (blocker)

With Sean Nuernberger still sidelined, Haubeil kicked field goals and extra points in his place for a fourth straight game. The Buckeyes made no changes to the rest of their place kicking unit.

Kickoffs

Blake Haubeil (kicker)
Teradja Mitchell (gunner)
Amir Riep (gunner)
K.J. Hill or Chris Olave (gunner)
Sevyn Banks (gunner)
Keandre Jones (gunner)
K'Vaughan Pope (gunner)
Justin Hilliard (gunner)
Jahsen Wint (gunner)
Josh Proctor (gunner)
Ellijah Gardiner (gunner)

Banks made his debut on the kickoff unit at Michigan State, while Proctor and Gardiner were promoted to full-time roles on the unit in place of Dallas Gant and Brendon White.  

Kickoff Returns

Johnnie Dixon (returner)
Demario McCall (returner/blocker)
Teradja Mitchell (blocker)
Justin Hilliard (blocker)
Jake Hausmann (blocker)
Binjimen Victor (blocker)
Brendon White (blocker)
Keandre Jones (blocker)
Dallas Gant (blocker)
Jahsen Wint (blocker)
Josh Proctor (blocker)

The Buckeyes did not actually return any of Michigan State’s four kickoffs on Saturday, but Dixon was deployed as the lead returner on each of them – including the free kick that came after the Spartans snapped the ball out of the end zone for an intentional safety – with McCall as the secondary returner. Victor returned to this unit in East Lansing in place of L’Christian “Blue” Smith, but the rest of the unit remained the same from the Nebraska game.

Punts

Drue Chrisman (punter)
Liam McCullough (long snapper)
Teradja Mitchell (upback)
Tuf Borland (upback)
Pete Werner (upback)
Malik Harrison (guard)
Justin Hilliard (guard)
Dante Booker (tackle)
Jahsen Wint or Parris Campbell (tackle)
Terry McLaurin (gunner)
Johnnie Dixon or Jeffrey Okudah or Chris Olave (gunner)

Wint was on the field for five of Ohio State’s nine punts at Michigan State, while Campbell was in the game for the other four. Dixon, Okudah and Olave all had reps as the second gunner. The rest of the punt team, all consisting of players who were also on the punt team against Nebraska, were on the field for every one of Chrisman’s nine punts on Saturday.

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Punt Blocks/Returners

K.J. Hill (returner)
Damon Arnette (rusher/blocker)
Teradja Mitchell (rusher/blocker)
Amir Riep (rusher/blocker)
Sevyn Banks or Chris Olave (rusher/blocker)
Keandre Jones (rusher/blocker)
Jahsen Wint (rusher/blocker)
Shaun Wade (rusher/blocker)
Josh Proctor (rusher/blocker)
Justin Hilliard (rusher/blocker)
Dante Booker (rusher/blocker)

Arnette, Proctor and Booker were added to the punt return team against Michigan State after not playing on that unit against Nebraska, while Dallas Gant and Brendon White did not play on the punt return team against the Spartans after lining up with that unit against the Cornhuskers.