Snap Counts: Ohio State Utilizes 67 Players in 48-7 Blowout Win over Nebraska

For the fifth game in a row to start its 2019 season, Ohio State was able to take its starters out early.

In what was supposed to be their first competitive game of the year, the Buckeyes tightened up their rotations and played Justin Fields and most of the rest of their starters into the early fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. By the end of the 48-7 blowout win at Nebraska, though, Ohio State had backups in on both sides of the ball and played 67 total players – all but 10 players on its travel roster for Saturday’s game, and more players than they played in nearly all of their Big Ten games last season.

We take a look at how much each of them played and in what roles in this week’s edition of Snap Counts, Eleven Warriors’ exclusive weekly look at how the Buckeyes split up their playing time in each game.

All snap counts were compiled by Eleven Warriors and should be considered unofficial. 

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields: 67
Chris Chugunov: 9

Even though the Buckeyes took a 41-point lead early in the third quarter, Fields played every snap through the final possession of the third quarter, which extended into the fourth quarter. They finally turned to Chugunov and the rest of their second-team offense to run out the clock on their final possession of the game.

Running Backs

J.K. Dobbins: 51
Master Teague: 21
Marcus Crowley: 4
Steele Chambers: Special teams only

The Buckeyes leaned heavily on Dobbins as their workhorse running back in Saturday’s game, in which he had a season-high 24 carries (for 177 yards, his second-highest total of the season) on a season-high 51 snaps, all of which came in the first three quarters.

Teague, who has now firmly established himself as the Buckeyes’ No. 2 running back, mixed in for 11 first-half snaps – and took advantage by scoring two second-quarter touchdowns – and saw additional playing time in the late third quarter and fourth quarter after Dobbins’ day was done.

Crowley was on the field for four snaps on the Buckeyes’ final possession and ran the ball on all four of them for a combined 45 yards, highlighted by a 36-yard run.

Marcus Crowley played four snaps and received carries on all four of them in Saturday's game at Nebraska.

Wide Receivers

K.J. Hill: 42
Binjimen Victor: 40
Austin Mack: 35
Chris Olave: 29
Garrett Wilson: 27
Jaylen Harris: 9 
Jaelen Gill: 8
Jameson Williams: 8 
Demario McCall: 1
Xavier Johnson: Special teams only

Ohio State appears to have settled on a five-man rotation at wide receiver, with Victor and Wilson rotating at X receiver, Mack and Olave rotating at the Z spot and Hill playing the vast majority of snaps at slot receiver in three-receiver packages. With the exception of McCall – who has only played at H-back in the past two games after playing at running back in the first three games – checking in for one snap in the first quarter, the Buckeyes’ top five receivers were the only ones who saw playing time on offense until the final possession of the game.

The Buckeyes finished out the game with a wide receiver lineup of Harris at X, Williams at Z and Gill in the slot.

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Tight Ends

Luke Farrell: 33
Jeremy Ruckert: 26
Rashod Berry: 23
Jake Hausmann: 16
Mitch Rossi: 7

The Buckeyes continued to play four tight ends regularly and had multiple tight ends on the field for 26 of its 76 offensive snaps in Saturday’s game. Farrell and Ruckert both started the game in a two-tight end set and played the most snaps at the position against Nebraska, but Berry and Hausmann also saw their share of playing time throughout the night. Rossi, a walk-on, was in the game for all but two snaps of Ohio State’s final offensive possession.

Offensive Linemen

Joshua Alabi: 73
Thayer Munford: 67
Jonah Jackson: 67
Josh Myers: 67
Wyatt Davis: 67
Matthew Jones: 9
Harry Miller: 9
Gavin Cupp: 9
Nicholas Petit-Frere: 9 
Kevin Woidke: 3

With Branden Bowen sidelined by an undisclosed injury, Alabi took his place in the lineup at right tackle and played every snap with the first-team offense. He also played six snaps as the second-team left tackle, which was his role in the first four games of the season, on the Buckeyes’ final possession of the game before Kevin Woidke took his place in the lineup for the game’s final three snaps.

The rest of the offensive line was unchanged from the first four games of the year, with Munford, Jackson, Myers and Davis from left tackle to right guard on the first-team offensive line and Jones, Miller, Cupp and Petit-Frere from left guard to right tackle on the second-team offensive line.

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Defensive Ends

Chase Young: 29
Zach Harrison: 25
Jonathon Cooper: 22
Tyler Friday: 22
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 14

With Cooper back in the starting lineup for the first time this season after he missed the first four games of the year with an injury, but Tyreke Smith still sidelined by an injury of his own, the Buckeyes utilized a five-man defensive end rotation at Nebraska. 

Young, who played all but five of Ohio State’s first 34 defensive snaps before checking out of the game, led the Buckeyes in defensive end snaps for the fifth game in a row to start the season. Cooper started opposite Young, but Friday, Jean-Baptiste and Harrison also all worked into the lineup for regular playing time, with Harrison seeing his highest snap count of his true freshman season to date.

Defensive Tackles

Jashon Cornell: 24
Haskell Garrett: 24
Tommy Togiai: 23
Davon Hamilton: 17
Robert Landers: 15
Antwuan Jackson: 9
Jerron Cage: Special teams only

Cornell and Garrett tied for the team lead in defensive tackle snaps at Nebraska as they were the only two players to rotate in regularly at the 3-technique tackle position in Saturday’s game; Jackson, who also saw playing time at that position on the Buckeyes’ final defensive series, did not play in the first three quarters of the game.

Hamilton started his fifth game in a row to start the season as the Buckeyes’ top nose tackle while Landers also rotated in for several series in the first three quarters, but Togiai ended up playing the most snaps at that spot after seeing extended playing time with the second-team defense in the fourth quarter.

Linebackers

Malik Harrison: 39 
Tuf Borland: 30
Baron Browning: 29
Pete Werner: 28
Brendon White: 18
Dallas Gant: 14
Jahsen Wint: 10
Justin Hilliard: 6
K’Vaughan Pope: Special teams only
Craig Young: Special teams only

Harrison was on the field at Will linebacker for every one of Ohio State’s first 39 defensive snaps in Saturday’s game before checking out for the fourth quarter. Werner was on the field for 28 of Ohio State’s first 39 defensive snaps at Sam linebacker/bullet, with White also checking in for some playing time with the first-team defense at that spot.

As has been the case all season, Borland started at middle linebacker but Browning also rotated in for regular playing time at that position. With Teradja Mitchell sidelined by an undisclosed injury, both of them continued to see playing time into the Buckeyes’ final defensive possession, with Borland started alongside members of the second-team defense before Browning finished out the game at that spot.

Hilliard saw playing time with the first-team defense for the second week in a row as the fourth linebacker in the Buckeyes’ four-linebacker packages.

Gant saw playing time at weakside linebacker and Wint saw playing time at Sam linebacker on the Buckeyes’ final defensive series.

Cornerbacks

Jeff Okudah: 39
Damon Arnette: 38
Shaun Wade: 36
Cameron Brown: 18
Sevyn Banks: 17
Amir Riep: 14
Tyreke Johnson: Special teams only
Marcus Williamson: Special teams only
Marcus Hooker: Special teams only

Okudah was on the field for all 39 of Ohio State’s defensive snaps in the first three quarters of Saturday’s game, while Arnette was on the field for all but one snap, in which Brown briefly checked into the game in his place. Wade was in the lineup for all but three of those 39 snaps on which the Buckeyes put Hilliard in the game as a fourth linebacker.

Brown and Banks finished out the game as the Buckeyes’ outside cornerbacks for their final defensive series – a 17-play series that was their lone defensive series of the fourth quarter – with Riep at slot cornerback.

Safeties

Jordan Fuller: 50
Josh Proctor: 6

Fuller was on the field for each of Ohio State’s first 34 defensive snaps in Saturday’s game before being replaced by Proctor late in the third quarter. Proctor was likely slated to finish out the game at deep safety at that point, but after suffering an apparent shoulder injury on the first play of the Buckeyes’ final defensive series, Fuller checked back into the lineup for the rest of the game – an indicator of Ohio State’s lacking depth at the safety position following Isaiah Pryor’s decision to enter the transfer portal last week.

Jordan Fuller played 50 defensive snaps, the most snaps of any Ohio State defender in Saturday's game, in part because of an injury to Josh Proctor.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Blake Haubeil (kicker)
Drue Chrisman (holder)
Liam McCullough (long snapper)
Luke Farrell (blocker)
Joshua Alabi (blocker)
Wyatt Davis (blocker)
Gavin Cupp (blocker)
Jerron Cage (blocker)
Nicholas Petit-Frere (blocker)
Kevin Woidke (blocker)
Jake Hausmann (blocker)

Ohio State did not make any changes to the lineup for its place-kicking unit, which went 2-for-2 on field goals and 6-for-6 on extra points at Nebraska, from its first four games of the season.

Kickoffs

Blake Haubeil (kicker)
Josh Proctor or Xavier Johnson (gunner)
Justin Hilliard or Craig Young (gunner)
Amir Riep (gunner)
K’Vaughan Pope (gunner)
Sevyn Banks or Jameson Williams (gunner)
Marcus Hooker (gunner)
Dallas Gant (gunner)
Cameron Brown or Sevyn Banks or Tyreke Johnson (gunner)
Marcus Williamson (gunner)
Jahsen Wint (gunner)

Proctor, Pope and Brown returned to the starting lineup on the kickoff coverage unit for Saturday’s game in place of Teradja Mitchell, Isaiah Pryor and Ellijah Gardiner, who also did not see playing time at Nebraska. With the exception of Proctor, who did not play against Miami (Ohio) due to injury, everyone who saw playing time on the kickoff unit in Lincoln also did one week earlier.

Kickoff Returns

Demario McCall or Jameson Williams (returner)
Steele Chambers (blocker)
Xavier Johnson (blocker)
Jake Hausmann (blocker)
Rashod Berry (blocker)
Jaylen Harris (blocker)
Justin Hilliard (blocker)
Amir Riep (blocker)
Dallas Gant (blocker)
Cameron Brown (blocker)
Jeremy Ruckert (blocker)

Williams had one opportunity to return a kickoff in place of McCall in the third quarter and fumbled the ball, which led the Buckeyes to put McCall back on the field in his place after forcing Nebraska to re-kick the ball due to a penalty.

Brown, Hilliard and Ruckert were added to the blocking unit for kickoff return unit for Saturday’s game in place of Jahsen Wint, Brendon White and Master Teague, who filled those roles in the previous game against Miami (Ohio).

Punts

Drue Chrisman (punter)
Liam McCullough (long snapper)
Baron Browning (upback)
Jake Hausmann (upback)
Luke Farrell (wing)
Malik Harrison (guard)
Dallas Gant (guard)
Justin Hilliard (tackle)
Jordan Fuller (tackle)
Jeff Okudah (gunner)
Jameson Williams (gunner)

Browning and Hausmann replaced regular upbacks Tuf Borland and Teradja Mitchell while Williams joined Okudah as a gunner for Ohio State’s only punt of Saturday’s game, which came in the fourth quarter. The rest of the punting unit that took the field at Nebraska was the same as previous games.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Demario McCall or Garrett Wilson (returner)
Damon Arnette or Marcus Williamson (rusher/blocker)
Cameron Brown (rusher/blocker)
Chris Olave or Jameson Williams (rusher/blocker)
Xavier Johnson (rusher/blocker)
Austin Mack or Amir Riep (rusher/blocker)
Baron Browning (rusher/blocker)
Sevyn Banks (rusher/blocker)
Rashod Berry (rusher/blocker)
Dallas Gant (rusher/blocker)
Jahsen Wint (rusher/blocker)

McCall was sent deep as the punt returner for Nebraska’s first two punts of Saturday’s game while Wilson took over those duties for the final three. Berry, Browning and Wint were new additions to the punt block unit on Saturday, but the rest of the Buckeyes who took the field for Nebraska punts had played on that unit in previous weeks.

Extra Point Block

Jeff Okudah (blocker)
Damon Arnette (blocker)
Baron Browning (blocker)
Javontae Jean-Baptiste (blocker)
Shaun Wade (blocker)
Brendon White (blocker)
Zach Harrison (blocker)
Malik Harrison (blocker)
Josh Proctor (blocker)
Tommy Togiai (blocker)
Haskell Garrett (blocker)

Nebraska’s only attempted kick of the day was an extra point in the third quarter after Ohio State had scored the first 41 points of the game, so the Buckeyes didn’t need a specialized kick-blocking unit on Saturday. For that extra point, they simply kept their regular defensive players on the field.