Freshman Tracker: Six Freshmen See The Field Against Penn State

A big game early in the season does not translate well to freshmen getting playing time. An away tilt at Penn State? In the second contest of the season? That precious time is limited even more for the youngsters. Six of the Buckeyes' 25 scholarship freshmen saw action in Ohio State's comfortable 38-25 victory. Only one made it on the stat sheet.

Last week, Jaxon Smith-Njigba introduced himself to the fan base with his spectacular touchdown grab. The Nittany Lions also noticed his athleticism and limited him to 1 catch for 6 yards. Smith-Njigba was on the field for 30 offensive snaps, but Justin Fields officially only targeted him once. JSN and Fields did connect on a 12-yard stick route late in the third quarter, but it was negated due to an illegal formation penalty.

Julian Fleming was parked on the sidelines for the majority of the game. His number was finally called to join the foray with 2:52 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was a run play on 2nd and 7 that resulted in a loss of 4 yards. Fleming was replaced and remained a spectator for the duration.

On the defensive side of the ball, Lathan Ransom was called upon at the 3:49 mark of the 4th quarter. His first snap of the game was Marcus Hooker's 31-yard interception return that put the game to bed. Ransom then stayed on for the final eight defensive snaps of the night. His textbook, solo tackle of KeAndre Lambert-Smith ended the game.

The other freshmen to see playing time were Paris Johnson Jr., Gee Scott Jr. and Cody Simon. You will find Johnson Jr. (No. 77) as an interior lineman on the FG/PAT unit and FG Block team. He was a protector on all seven of Ohio State's FG/PAT attempts and was called upon twice on FG block.

To find Scott Jr. and Simon look for them on the kickoff return and kickoff coverage teams. Scott Jr. wears No. 13 and is a blocker on the kickoff return unit. Simon dons No. 39 on the kickoff coverage unit. The linebacker from Jersey City, NJ, was a gunner for every kickoff against the Nittany Lions. Saturday, Simon will take on a familiar foe...Rutgers. 

With Rutgers on tap, the freshmen should be prepared for coveted playing time. It will interesting to see how much time Day gives to the young pups considering Ohio State is already 25 percent through their regular season schedule.

The NCAA gave all players a free year of eligibility this season, so Ohio State does not have to worry about preserving redshirts for its freshmen this year.