Snap Counts: 58 Ohio State Players See Game Action in Buckeyes’ 2021 Season Opener at Minnesota

Ohio State kept things simple at quarterback, playing starter C.J. Stroud for all 50 of its offensive plays in the season opener, but rotated heavily at running back and all over its defense. 

The Buckeyes never pulled away from the Gophers, so they didn’t get to play everyone on their travel roster, and their depth at several positions was tested by the absence of numerous key players, including projected starting center Harry Miller and cornerbacks Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown.

Nonetheless, 58 total players saw the field for snaps in at least one phase of the game in Ohio State’s first game of the year, including 21 different players on offense, 24 different players on defense and 46 players on special teams. And we’ve rounded up every snap they played below.

After compiling these snap counts on our own for the past four years – special shoutout to Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge for doing most of the legwork for the past three years – we’ve partnered with Pro Football Focus to use its premium statistics this season, which will enable us to bring you this article faster and with additional details, including exact snap counts for special teams.

Therefore, all of the snap numbers below are courtesy of PFF and its research team, though the analysis of how the snaps were divided up at each position is our own.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud: 50

Ryan Day said Monday that there were no plans to play any quarterbacks other than Stroud with the game on the line in the season opener, and he stuck with that plan even as Stroud struggled in the first half against Minnesota. In a game where the Buckeyes snapped the ball just 50 times – their lowest offensive snap count in any game since the infamous 2015 loss to Michigan State – Stroud took every one of those snaps at quarterback.

Thanks to Chris Olave, TreVeyon Henderson and Garrett Wilson making big plays on the receiving end, Stroud finished his first game as Ohio State’s starting quarterback with 294 passing yards and four touchdowns with one interception on just 13 completions and 22 attempts. He also had 13 rushing yards on three carries.

Running Backs

Miyan Williams: 22
Master Teague: 12
Marcus Crowley: 9
TreVeyon Henderson: 7

Williams made his first career start, ran for a 71-yard touchdown on the Buckeyes’ opening possession and played the most snaps of any Ohio State running back against Minnesota, finishing the game with 125 yards on just nine carries.

After his touchdown run, Williams didn’t return to the game until late in the second quarter, as Teague, Crowley and Henderson all saw snaps before Williams checked back in. Teague was the second running back to enter the game, but saw all of his 12 snaps on the Buckeyes’ second possession of the night and was the only running back on the travel roster to play no snaps in the second half.

Henderson was the fourth running back to enter the game in the first half, but the second running back to play in the second half, and he made that decision pay off when he turned a third-down swing pass into a 70-yard touchdown.

Ohio State will likely need to shorten its running back rotation to maximize the effectiveness of its running game going forward, but Tony Alford and the Buckeyes decided Williams, Teague, Crowley and Henderson all deserved snaps in the season opener. 

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Wide Receivers

Garrett Wilson: 43
Chris Olave: 42
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 29
Julian Fleming: 8
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 7
Emeka Egbuka: 5
Chris Booker: Special teams only
Xavier Johnson: Special teams only

Ohio State relied primarily on its starting receivers against Minnesota, as Wilson played all of the Buckeyes’ first 43 snaps while Olave played all but one. Smith-Njigba, another first-time starter on Thursday, played every snap in three-receiver formations until Ohio State’s final possession of the game, when Fleming (who also played one snap in place of Olave earlier in the game), Harrison and Egbuka entered the game as the second-string receivers.

While Fleming, Harrison and Egbuka all drew plenty of praise in the offseason, the season opener suggested that Wilson, Olave and Smith-Njigba – especially Olave and Wilson – probably won’t be coming off the field very often in big games. 

Tight Ends

Jeremy Ruckert: 45
Cade Stover: 15
Mitch Rossi: 4
Gee Scott Jr.: 1

As Ohio State’s new clear-cut starter at tight end, Ruckert was on the field for all but five of the Buckeyes’ offensive snaps against Minnesota. Stover joined Ruckert on the field for some of those plays, getting in for a total of 15 offensive snaps in his first game as Ohio State’s No. 2 tight end.

Rossi, the only walk-on who played on either offense or defense against the Gophers, mixed into the rotation for four snaps. Scott, who was playing his first game at tight end after starting his Ohio State career at wide receiver, played his only snap of the night early in the second quarter.

Offensive Linemen

Nicholas Petit-Frere: 50
Thayer Munford: 50
Luke Wypler: 50
Paris Johnson Jr.: 50
Dawand Jones: 50
Donovan Jackson: 1
Josh Fryar: Special teams only
Matthew Jones: Special teams only
Enokk Vimahi: Special teams only

Ohio State debuted its new-look offensive line on Thursday night with Petit-Frere playing every snap at left tackle, Munford playing every snap at left guard, Johnson playing every snap at right guard and Jones playing every snap at right tackle. With Harry Miller unavailable, Wypler started at center and also played all of Ohio State’s offensive snaps.

Jackson, wearing No. 41 to designate him as an eligible receiver, also played one snap as a sixth offensive lineman on the first play of the Buckeyes’ second possession of the night.

Defensive Ends

Zach Harrison: 65
Tyreke Smith: 48
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 28
J.T. Tuimoloau: 13
Jack Sawyer: 4
Jacolbe Cowan: 2

Harrison rarely left the field for the Buckeyes against Minnesota, playing all but 13 of their 78 defensive snaps against the Gophers. Smith, who started opposite Harrison, also played a majority of Ohio State’s defensive snaps against Minnesota while Jean-Baptiste also saw regular work in the rotation.

Tuimoloau was the fourth defensive end in the rotation, getting in for 13 snaps – the second-most of any true freshman in the season opener – in his first game as a Buckeye. Sawyer, Ohio State’s other five-star freshman defensive end, didn’t make an appearance until the third quarter and played as many snaps as he had sacks in the spring game.

Cowan also played his first snaps as a Buckeye after making the travel roster over Cormontae Hamilton and Darrion Henry-Young as Ohio State’s sixth defensive end.

Defensive Tackles

Antwuan Jackson: 49
Taron Vincent: 49
Haskell Garrett: 47
Ty Hamilton: 20

Garrett surprisingly didn’t start Thursday’s game, but played only two fewer snaps than Vincent and Jackson, the two defensive tackles who did start. 

With Jerron Cage unavailable, those three defensive tackles played the majority of snaps – with Garrett and Vincent, who primarily rotated with each other at 3-technique last year, on the field together at times – while Hamilton was the only other player to take snaps at defensive tackle in the Buckeyes’ base defense on Thursday.

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Linebackers

Teradja Mitchell: 70
Tommy Eichenberg: 49
Dallas Gant: 41
Cody Simon: 37
Steele Chambers: 9
Cade Kacherski: Special teams only
K’Vaughan Pope: Special teams only

Mitchell played the most snaps of any Ohio State player on Thursday as he was on the field for all but eight of the Buckeyes’ defensive snaps as their starting Will linebacker. Eichenberg started the game at Mike linebacker and was also on the field for more than half of Ohio State’s defensive plays in the season opener.

While the Buckeyes started the game with only two traditional linebackers on the field, the Buckeyes also regularly utilized three-linebacker packages in Thursday’s game, enabling Gant and Simon to combine for a full game’s worth of snaps even though they didn’t start the game.

Chambers also got on the field for nine defensive snaps, all in the second half, in his first game at linebacker after starting his Ohio State career at running back.

Cornerbacks

Denzel Burke: 63
Ryan Watts: 49
Demario McCall: 15
Lejond Cavazos: 14

Because Cameron Brown was unavailable and Sevyn Banks was also held out of Thursday’s game with an injury, Burke and Watts were Ohio State’s starting cornerbacks against Minnesota. In his first game as a Buckeye, Burke played the most snaps of any Ohio State cornerback and by far the most snaps of any true freshman in the season opener.

McCall, who moved to defense this offseason after playing running back and wide receiver for the first five years of his Ohio State career, and Cavazos, who was sidelined by an injury for his freshman year, also rotated in off the bench and made their debuts at cornerback for the Buckeyes on Thursday.

Safeties

Josh Proctor: 63
Ronnie Hickman: 62
Lathan Ransom: 39
Bryson Shaw: 15
Craig Young: 6
Marcus Hooker: Special teams only
Cameron Martinez: Special teams only
Marcus Williamson: Special teams only

Proctor, the only player in Ohio State’s back seven on Thursday night who had previously started a game for the Buckeyes, was on the field for all but seven defensive plays until he suffered an injury in the middle of the fourth quarter. Shaw took his place in the lineup at free safety for the 15 snaps Proctor did not play against Minnesota, including Ohio State’s final eight defensive plays of the game.

Hickman started and played all but 16 of Ohio State’s defensive snaps at the bullet position, which has finally become a very real part of the Buckeyes’ defense. As a bullet, Hickman spent most of the game lining up in the box as a strong safety but also occasionally dropped back to deep safety or moved outside to cornerback. Young, who competed with Hickman all offseason to be the starting bullet, ended up playing just six snaps in the first game.

Ransom made his first career start at cover safety and was on the field for exactly half of Ohio State’s defensive plays against Minnesota. As the cover safeties have for the past two years, Ransom lined up primarily as a slot cornerback against the Gophers, though he came off the field in favor of the bullet on most plays where the Buckeyes had a third linebacker in the lineup.

Williamson did not play any defensive snaps against Minnesota even though he was the Buckeyes’ starting cover safety last year.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 7
Jesse Mirco (holder): 7
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 7
Mitch Rossi (wing): 7
Matthew Jones (end): 7
Josh Fryar (tackle): 7
Dawand Jones (guard): 7
Donovan Jackson (guard): 7
Paris Johnson Jr. (tackle): 7
Enokk Vimahi (end): 7
Cade Stover (wing): 7

Ruggles made his debut as Ohio State’s new kicker on Thursday, converting a 35-yard field goal attempt and extra points after all six of the Buckeyes’ touchdowns after beating out Jake Seibert for the starting job. Other newcomers on the place-kicking unit from last year include Mirco, Rossi, Fryar, Jackson, Vimahi and Stover. Robinson is in his second year as Ohio State’s starting long snapper, while Johnson and Dawand Jones remained on the field goal unit for at least the season opener even though they’re now starting offensive linemen.

Kickoffs

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 8
Chris Booker: 8
Marcus Crowley: 8
Julian Fleming: 8
Marcus Hooker: 8
Cade Kacherski: 8
K’Vaughan Pope: 6
Cade Stover: 6
Ryan Watts: 6
Ronnie Hickman: 5
Cameron Martinez: 4
Marcus Williamson: 4
Bryson Shaw: 3
Xavier Johnson: 2
Teradja Mitchell: 2
Craig Young: 2

Ruggles also handled all of the kickoffs for the Buckeyes in Thursday’s season opener, while Booker, Crowley, Fleming, Hooker and Kacherski were each part of the coverage team for all eight kickoffs. Booker, Hooker and Kacherski have all been regulars on kickoff coverage in the past – as have Pope, Williamson and Mitchell, among others – but Fleming and Crowley look like new staples on the unit.

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Kickoff Returns

TreVeyon Henderson (returner): 6
Chris Booker: 6
Steele Chambers: 6
Julian Fleming: 6
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 6
Xavier Johnson: 6
Mitch Rossi: 6
Cade Stover: 6
Craig Young: 6
Marcus Williamson: 6
Cade Kacherski: 3
Gee Scott Jr.: 3

Looking for more home runs in the kickoff return game, the Buckeyes handed return duties to their five-star freshman running back for the season opener, though Henderson’s only actual return was stopped at the 19-yard line. The Buckeyes kept their kickoff return unit consistent for Thursday’s game; Scott and Kacherski were each on the field as blockers for three kickoff returns each, but the other 10 players on the unit were the same for every Minnesota kickoff. Chambers, Johnson and Rossi are all holdovers from last year’s battery of blockers on the kickoff return team.

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 2
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 2
Tommy Eichenberg (upback): 2
Mitch Rossi (upback): 2
Xavier Johnson (guard): 2
Steele Chambers (guard): 2
Dallas Gant (tackle): 2
Lathan Ransom (tackle): 2
Jeremy Ruckert (wing): 2
Chris Olave (gunner): 2
Josh Proctor (gunner): 2

Ohio State only needed Mirco to punt twice in his debut, in which he averaged 43 yards per punt. The unit around him stayed the same for both punts, with Olave continuing to serve as Ohio State’s top gunner and Robinson and Gant also returning from last year’s punting unit.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Garrett Wilson (returner): 3
Lathan Ransom: 3
Ryan Watts: 3
Denzel Burke: 2
Tommy Eichenberg: 2
Ronnie Hickman: 2
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 2
Teradja Mitchell: 2
Steele Chambers: 1
Julian Fleming: 1
Haskell Garrett: 1
Ty Hamilton: 1
Zach Harrison: 1
Marcus Hooker: 1
Antwuan Jackson: 1
Xavier Johnson: 1
Cameron Martinez: 1
Demario McCall: 1
Bryson Shaw: 1
Tyreke Smith: 1
Taron Vincent: 1
Craig Young: 1

Wilson reprised his role as Ohio State’s primary punt returner, lining up deep for all three of Minnesota’s punts on Thursday night, though he returned just one punt for one yard. Ransom and Watts were the only other Buckeyes on the field for all three of Minnesota’s punts, as Ohio State kept the rest of its defense on the field to play in punt safe formation on two of the Gophers’ three punts.

Field Goal/Extra Point Block

Denzel Burke: 5
Zach Harrison: 5
Ronnie Hickman: 5
Teradja Mitchell: 5
Lathan Ransom: 5
Haskell Garrett: 4
Antwuan Jackson: 4
Josh Proctor: 4
Tyreke Smith: 4
Ryan Watts: 4
Tommy Eichenberg: 3
Cody Simon: 2
Taron Vincent: 2
Demario McCall: 1
Bryson Shaw: 1

Ohio State didn’t do anything unconventional with its kick-blocking unit on Friday, keeping players who were also in the game on defense on the field for Minnesota’s lone field goal and its four extra points.