Snap Counts: 67 Ohio State Players See The Field in Lopsided Regular-Season Finale Against Michigan

The Buckeyes had their backups on the field at the end of the fourth quarter yet again on Saturday as they rolled to a 56-27 win over Michigan, their second straight lopsided win over the Wolverines and eighth straight overall win in the rivalry game.

Ohio State didn’t need anyone to play every snap on either offense or defense this week – though the starting offensive linemen and several defensive players came close – and the Buckeyes played eight more total players than they did against Penn State. The only available players who made the trip to Michigan that didn’t see any playing time were third-string quarterback Gunnar Hoak, a trio of redshirting freshmen (Steele Chambers, Bryson Shaw and Tommy Eichenberg), reserve specialists Zach Hoover and Bradley Robinson and slot cornerback Shaun Wade, who was held out of the game due to an undisclosed injury after making the trip as a game-time decision.

As for the 67 Buckeyes who did get into Saturday’s game, we take a look at how much all of them played now in Snap Counts, Eleven Warriors’ exclusive weekly look of how Ohio State splits up its playing time on offense, defense and special teams.

All snap counts were compiled by Eleven Warriors and should be considered unofficial. It is not always possible to see all players on special teams units from TV camera angles for special teams units, so exact snap counts for those units are not listed.

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields: 64
Chris Chugunov: 14

Chugunov played his most important snaps of the season to date in the third quarter of Saturday’s game when Fields aggravated his sprained MCL and was forced to leave the game. Fields was ultimately able to return to the game seven plays later, and delivered a “magical moment” in his first play back in by throwing a spectacular 30-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson, but Chugunov helped keep that drive alive – completing an 11-yard pass to K.J. Hill to convert a 3rd-and-5 – to set up the touchdown when Fields returned to the field.

Upon his return to the lineup, Fields played the rest of the game until the Buckeyes’ last two offensive series, at which point Chugunov came in to finish out the day with the rest of the second-team offense.

Running Backs

J.K. Dobbins: 59
Master Teague: 18

As has been the case in all of their biggest games this year, Ohio State rode Dobbins heavily while the game was still on the line. Dobbins played every snap of the first half and 59 of the Buckeyes’ 78 total snaps, and he carried the ball on more than half of those snaps, running for 211 yards and four touchdowns on 31 rushing attempts.

Teague ran the ball on 12 of his 18 snaps, all in the second half, gaining 29 yards on his dozen carries. Demario McCall, who plays primarily as an H-back, also played one snap at running back on a third-down passing play in the fourth quarter.

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Wide Receivers

K.J. Hill: 56
Chris Olave: 38
Binjimen Victor: 36
Garrett Wilson: 33
Austin Mack: 32
Jaylen Harris: 7
Demario McCall: 7
Jameson Williams: 7
Xavier Johnson: Special teams only

Hill led Ohio State’s wide receivers in snaps played for the second game in a row as the only slot receiver in the Buckeyes’ first-team rotation. Olave and Mack continued to rotate at Z receiver while Victor and Wilson rotated at X receiver, but both younger receivers saw a greater share of the snaps than they did against Penn State, as Olave started ahead of Mack while Wilson came off the bench to lead the Buckeyes with three receptions for 118 yards, including the aforementioned touchdown.

Harris, Williams and McCall checked into the game for Ohio State’s final two offensive possessions.

Tight Ends

Luke Farrell: 28
Jeremy Ruckert: 25
Rashod Berry: 21
Jake Hausmann: 16
Mitch Rossi: 7

Ohio State rotated its top four tight ends heavily against the Wolverines. Farrell and Ruckert were the first tight ends into the game and led the way in snaps, as they have in most of the Buckeyes’ more competitive games this season, but did not see nearly as big of a share of the tight end snaps as they did against Penn State, when Farrell played 48 snaps and Ruckert played 36.

The Buckeyes had two or more tight ends on the field for 17 of their 78 offensive snaps in Ann Arbor.

Rossi, a walk-on, saw playing time on offense for the 10th time in 11 games this season as he came in for the Buckeyes’ final two offensive series of the game.

Offensive Linemen

Thayer Munford: 71
Jonah Jackson: 71
Josh Myers: 71
Wyatt Davis: 71
Branden Bowen: 71
Joshua Alabi: 7
Enokk Vimahi: 7
Harry Miller: 7
Kevin Woidke: 7
Nicholas Petit-Frere: 7
Dawand Jones: Special teams only

Ohio State’s five starting offensive linemen all played every snap until the final two offensive series of the game and dominated the Wolverines, leading the way for the Buckeyes to run for 264 yards while allowing just one sack. 

Alabi, who had not played since the Buckeyes’ sixth game of the season against Michigan State, returned to action against his home-state Wolverines as the second-team left tackle. He finished out the game along with Vimahi at left guard, Miller at center, Woidke at right guard and Petit-Frere at right tackle.

Defensive Ends

Chase Young: 67
Jonathon Cooper: 51
Tyreke Smith: 13
Tyler Friday: 7
Zach Harrison: 6
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 4
Rashod Berry: 2

Young played a season-high 67 snaps, including every snap of the first three quarters, against Michigan. After playing every snap but one in the Buckeyes’ previous game against Penn State, Ohio State’s star pass-rusher played every snap except for five fourth-quarter plays in Ann Arbor.

Cooper, who played what will be his fourth and final game of the season as he plans to take a redshirt year, played the majority of snaps opposite Young for a season-high 51 snaps.

Smith and Friday also rotated in for occasional snaps at defensive end. Harrison played two snaps as a nose tackle in three-man fronts, two fourth-quarter snaps as a defensive tackle in the four-defensive end “Rushmen” package and two defensive snaps on Michigan’s final offensive series of the game. Jean-Baptiste played the final four defensive snaps of the game on the edge while Berry, who played on both sides of the ball for the fourth game in a row, lined up alongside Harrison and Young on the two plays that the Buckeyes used three-man defensive lines.

Jonathon Cooper played a season-high 51 snaps in his final game of the year against Michigan.

Defensive Tackles

Jashon Cornell: 44
Davon Hamilton: 39
Robert Landers: 23
Antwuan Jackson: 15
Tommy Togiai: 12
Jerron Cage: 3
Haskell Garrett: Special teams only

Cornell and Hamilton both played their highest snap counts of the season against Michigan, as the Buckeyes leaned on their first-team defensive tackles more than they had in any previous game this year.

Landers rotated in as the second nose tackle behind Hamilton while Jackson rotated in as the second 3-technique behind Cornell. Third-team tackles Togiai and Cage played only in the second half, with all three of Cage’s snaps coming on Ohio State’s final defensive series.

Linebackers

Malik Harrison: 69
Pete Werner: 47
Baron Browning: 40
Tuf Borland: 29
Justin Hilliard: 16
Dallas Gant: 3
Teradja Mitchell: 3
Cade Kacherski: Special teams only
K’Vaughan Pope: Special teams only
Craig Young: Special teams only
Jahsen Wint: Special teams only

Harrison played all of Ohio State’s first 69 defensive snaps against Michigan to hit his season-high in playing time.

Werner played 47 of Ohio State’s first 69 defensive snaps, but came out of the game in nickel packages when the Buckeyes had only two linebackers on the field, which they used more heavily against the Wolverines than they had all season.

Browning joined Harrison as the second linebacker on the field in those packages while also rotating with Borland at middle linebacker. As a result, Browning played more snaps than Borland for the second game in a row as Borland played only five snaps in the second half.

Hilliard played 16 snaps with the first-team defense as an outside linebacker when the Buckeyes put their four-linebacker packages on the field.

Gant and Mitchell finished out the game as the only two linebackers on the field on Ohio State’s last defensive series.

Cornerbacks

Jeff Okudah: 64
Amir Riep: 44
Damon Arnette: 39
Sevyn Banks: 33
Cameron Brown: 29
Tyreke Johnson: Special teams only
Marcus Williamson: Special teams only

With Shaun Wade sidelined, Ohio State was forced to do some shuffling in its secondary against Michigan. Arnette started opposite Okudah at outside cornerback but shifted inside to slot cornerback, with Banks taking his place outside in three-cornerback lineups, for the first quarter of Saturday’s game.

From the second quarter onward, Riep took over at slot cornerback and played a career-high 44 snaps; he made two big plays in the process, breaking up a fourth-down pass attempt in the fourth quarter and intercepting a pass one series later.

Arnette left the game after suffering an injury of his own in the third quarter, leading to increased playing time at outside cornerback for both Banks and Brown. The Buckeyes also mixed in four-cornerback packages for nine snaps over the course of the game that put Banks and Brown on the field together along with Okudah and either Arnette or Riep.

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Safeties

Jordan Fuller: 69
Marcus Hooker: 18
Brendon White: 3

Like Malik Harrison, Fuller played all but the final three defensive plays in Ann Arbor for a season-high 69 snaps. The Buckeyes also mixed in some two-safety packages during the second half of Saturday’s game – one of their halftime adjustments after giving up 285 yards in the first half against the Wolverines – which resulted in Hooker, with Josh Proctor unavailable due to injury for a second consecutive game, playing his second-highest snap total of the year.

White, who has played primarily as a backup strongside linebacker this year, lined up alongside Hooker in a two-safety look for the Buckeyes’ final three defensive plays of the game.

Extra Points

Blake Haubeil (kicker)
Drue Chrisman (holder)
Liam McCullough (long snapper)
Luke Farrell (wing)
Harry Miller (rocker)
Wyatt Davis (tackle)
Josh Myers (guard)
Jerron Cage (guard)
Dawand Jones (tackle)
Kevin Woidke (rocker)
Jeremy Ruckert (wing)

Ohio State did not make any changes to its place-kicking lineup from the Penn State game. Haubeil converted all eight of his extra point attempts against Michigan.

Blake Haubeil is now 79-of-79 this season in extra points made.

Kickoffs

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

Kacherski, a walk-on, made Ohio State’s travel roster for the first time in his career and started on the kickoff coverage team for the second game in a row. Gant, replaced by Williamson, was the only player who started on the kickoff coverage team against Penn State that did not start against Michigan, but he replaced Pope in the lineup for the Buckeyes’ two fourth-quarter kickoffs.

Kickoff Returns

Demario McCall (returner)
K.J. Hill (blocker)
Xavier Johnson (blocker)
Mitch Rossi (blocker)
Teradja Mitchell (blocker)
Dallas Gant (blocker)
Jeremy Ruckert (blocker)
Marcus Hooker (blocker)
Jaylen Harris (blocker)
Jahsen Wint (blocker)
Binjimen Victor (blocker)

Mitchell replaced Jake Hausmann on the kickoff return unit from Ohio State’s previous game against Penn State. McCall did not attempt to return any kickoffs against Michigan.

Punts

Drue Chrisman (punter)
Liam McCullough (long snapper)
Jake Hausmann (upback)
Tuf Borland (upback)
Austin Mack (wing)
Justin Hilliard (tackle)
Malik Harrison (guard)
Dallas Gant (guard)
Jordan Fuller (tackle)
Luke Farrell (wing)
Chris Olave (gunner)

Ohio State opted to maximize protection on its punting unit against Michigan, adding Mack to the lineup as an extra blocker while playing only one gunner (Olave). Even without an extra man running full-speed down the field, the Buckeyes had excellent punt coverage against the Wolverines, allowing just one return for two yards on four punts.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Garrett Wilson (returner)
Sevyn Banks (rusher/blocker)
Jahsen Wint (rusher/blocker)
Chris Olave (rusher/blocker)
Cade Kacherski (rusher/blocker)
Pete Werner (rusher/blocker)
Baron Browning (rusher/blocker)
Rashod Berry (rusher/blocker)
Xavier Johnson (rusher/blocker)
Jameson Williams (rusher/blocker)
Cameron Brown (rusher/blocker)

Wilson, who wore No. 18 instead of his usual No. 5 on punt returns against Michigan to avoid wearing the same number as Browning, made one big mistake when he attempted to chase down a punt and muffed it – the second time he has done that in three weeks – allowing Michigan to recover the ball at Ohio State’s 26-yard line. Ryan Day indicated this week, though, that he expects Wilson to continue in the punt returner role because of how talented he is.

“The more and more he’s back there in those situations, I think every punt he’s back there for and catches is an investment, and I think that’s a very good investment with him because he has such a high ceiling back there,” Day said.

Browning joined the Buckeyes’ starting punt block unit against Michigan along with Werner, Kacherski, Williams and Johnson, who replaced Marcus Hooker, Justin Hilliard, Teradja Mitchell, Amir Riep and Shaun Wade from the previous game against Penn State.

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Field Goal/Extra Point Block

Jordan Fuller (blocker)
Jeff Okudah (blocker)
Malik Harrison (blocker)
Tuf Borland or Baron Browning (blocker)
Robert Landers or Jashon Cornell (blocker)
Chase Young (blocker)
Davon Hamilton (blocker)
Tommy Togiai or Haskell Garrett (blocker)
Pete Werner (blocker)
Sevyn Banks (blocker)
Amir Riep or Damon Arnette (blocker)

Garrett, who was a regular in the Buckeyes’ defensive tackle rotation for their first 10 games of the season but missed the Penn State game with a foot injury, was eased back into game action against Michigan as he played his only snaps of the day on the field goal block team.