Freshman Tracker: Zach Harrison, Dawand Jones And Garrett Wilson Try To Shine In The Rain

With No. 13 Wisconsin coming to town, it was expected that the 2019 freshmen would have limited playing time. That expectation came true as the Badgers made it a game into the second half before Ohio State pulled away. Only five youngsters saw action in the 38-7 victory. 

Defensive end Zach Harrison and wide receiver Garrett Wilson etched their names in the stat sheet. Harrison's two tackles increased his season total to 10. Through eight games played, the Olentangy Orange alum also has three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Harrison was one of four defensive ends that played for the Buckeyes on Saturday. His 21 snaps trailed only Chase Young (42) and Tyreke Smith (28). When Harrison was on the field he was paired with Young for 17 plays and Javontae Jean-Baptiste for four. 

Wisconsin did not score with Harrison on the field.  

Wisconsin's defense and the rain limited Wilson from being Garrett the Great on offense. He finished the contest with only one catch for five yards. Wilson did have a nice out-and-up route that could have resulted in a touchdown had he not been mugged by a Badgers linebacker.

Wilson was on the sideline for every snap of Ohio State's first three possessions. He did not miss much because the Buckeyes ran the ball 12 of their first 16 plays, including 11 straight times to start the game. 

With 11:27 remaining in the second quarter, Wilson entered the game for the first time. He played all 12 snaps of the drive that ended with Blake Haubeil's field goal. Perhaps it's a coincidence, but Fields threw the ball nine times during that drive with Wilson on the field.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Garrett the Great did show up for the punt return below. Is it time for him to get the punt return gig full-time? He has my vote.

Your weekly reminder that Garrett Wilson is a true freshman.@GarrettWilson_V | @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/w6uPqzxMIL

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) October 26, 2019

With Austin Mack sitting out on Saturday, Wilson now has as many snaps (223) as the senior receiver from Fort Wayne this season.   

Wide receiver Jameson Williams and offensive linemen Harry Miller and Dawand Jones were the other freshmen to play against Wisconsin. Williams had 14 offensive snaps but was not targeted. 

Miller and Jones entered the game with the rest of the second-team offensive line at 5:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. The duo helped clear the way for Master Teague as the Buckeyes were able to salt away the remaining time in the game. If you're keeping track at home, Jones has now played in four games. He will lose his redshirt eligibility the next time he plays for the Scarlet and Gray. 

Under the NCAA's redshirt rules, a player can appear in up to four games at any point throughout the season and still count it as his redshirt year. In all, 13 freshmen have seen playing time this season, with six – Crowley, Harrison, Miller, Williams, Wilson and Young –  now ineligible for redshirts as they've appeared in more than four games.