Snap Counts: 67 Ohio State Players Get In the Game As Buckeyes Rout Indiana in Fourth Straight Blowout Win

On Saturday night in Bloomington, 67 Ohio State players – just slightly fewer than the previous three games against Akron, Rutgers and Maryland – got on the field as the Buckeyes rolled to a 54-7 win over Indiana.

Among the 75 players who made the trip to Indiana, only eight saw no action against the Hoosiers: Wide receivers Kamryn Babb, who’s been unavailable all season due to injury; wide receiver Julian Fleming, who was available but had missed the previous three games due to injury; wide receiver Jayden Ballard, cornerback Jordan Hancock and safety Andre Turrentine, all true freshmen who remain redshirt-eligible; and reserve quarterback J.P. Andrade, kicker Dominic DiMaccio and long snapper Mason Arnold, all walk-ons.

Everyone else who was with the Buckeyes in Bloomington played at least five snaps against the Hoosiers between offense, defense and special teams, and we’ve documented all of the snaps they played below.

Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics were used to compile Ohio State’s offensive and defensive snap counts, while special teams snap counts were compiled by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud: 52
Kyle McCord: 10
Jack Miller: 8

Three Ohio State quarterbacks saw playing time for the third game in a row. For the second game in a row, McCord and Miller both got in the game for exactly one possession. Both of their drives came in the fourth quarter after Stroud played all of Ohio State’s offensive snaps in the first three quarters, in which he passed the ball on just over half of his snaps (28 of 52) and completed 21 passes for 266 yards to lead the Buckeyes to seven touchdowns in eight possessions, including four touchdowns he threw for himself.

Running Backs

Evan Pryor: 27
Miyan Williams: 22
TreVeyon Henderson: 21

Henderson started his fifth consecutive game at running back for Ohio State but ended up playing the fewest snaps of the three running backs who traveled to Indiana as he did not play at all in the second half for precautionary reasons. Ten touches on 21 snaps were all he needed to gain 95 yards from scrimmage and score three touchdowns.

Williams returned to action after missing Ohio State’s previous two games and played as the No. 2 running back behind Henderson, scoring a touchdown on the Buckeyes’ opening drive. But it was Pryor, who did not play at all in Ohio State’s first three games of the season and played in just 18 total snaps in the Buckeyes’ next three games, who played the most snaps of any Buckeye running back against Indiana. After replacing Williams on Ohio State’s second possession of the third quarter, Pryor played every snap at running back for the rest of the game and gained 56 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches.

Master Teague and Marcus Crowley were both unavailable to play against Indiana.

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Wide Receivers

Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 50
Garrett Wilson: 42
Chris Olave: 41
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 28
Emeka Egbuka: 23
Chris Booker: 16
Xavier Johnson: Special teams only
Sam Wiglusz: Special teams only

Olave, Wilson and Smith-Njigba played the vast majority of wide receiver snaps with the first-team offense for a seventh game in a row to begin the season. Like Henderson, Olave and Wilson did not play any snaps in the second half, but Smith-Njigba stayed in the game for the Buckeyes’ two third-quarter possessions.

Wilson and Olave checking out of the game at halftime opened the door for Harrison to play his largest snap count of his young Ohio State career to date, while fellow true freshman Egbuka also saw extensive playing time in the second half. Booker, a walk-on, joined them in the game for Ohio State’s final two offensive possessions, getting the nod over Julian Fleming and Jayden Ballard even though Fleming was available to play after missing the previous three games with an injury.

Tight Ends

Jeremy Ruckert: 39
Cade Stover: 23
Joe Royer: 11
Mitch Rossi: 7

Per usual, Ruckert started and played the most snaps among tight ends while Stover played the second-most snaps among tight ends against Indiana. Royer, who played his first career snaps in Ohio State’s previous game against Maryland, made the travel roster for the first time for the trip to Bloomington and played 11 snaps in the fourth quarter. Rossi continued to mix in for occasional action with both the starters and backups.

Gee Scott Jr., who saw playing time in five of Ohio State’s first six games as a backup tight end, was unavailable for the Indiana game.

Joe Royer played double-digit snaps for the first time against Indiana.

Offensive Linemen

Nicholas Petit-Frere: 52
Luke Wypler: 52
Dawand Jones: 52
Thayer Munford: 47
Paris Johnson Jr.: 46
Matt Jones: 31
Josh Fryar: 18
Toby Wilson: 18
Donovan Jackson: 18
Jakob James: 8
Trey Leroux: 8

Ohio State continued to play six offensive linemen with the first-team offense for a sixth game in a row, as Matt Jones came off the bench to play snaps with the starters at both guard spots.

Wypler, who has played every snap at center while Stroud has been on the field this season, was the only offensive lineman who played all 52 snaps with the first-team offense in the position he started in. Petit-Frere also played all 52 snaps with the first-team offense, but shifted over to right tackle for his final 10 plays in the game in the third quarter when Munford moved to left tackle. Dawand Jones left the game when Petit-Frere moved to right tackle, but returned to the game for Ohio State’s opening possession of the fourth quarter to play on the second-team offensive line with Fryar at left tackle, Matt Jones at left guard, Wilson at center and Jackson at right guard.

James and Leroux played the first offensive snaps of their Ohio State careers on the Buckeyes’ final possession of the game, on which James lined up at left guard and Leroux lined up at right guard while Jackson moved to right tackle as the two linemen named Jones exited the game.

Defensive Ends

Zach Harrison: 28
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 25
Tyreke Smith: 20
Jack Sawyer: 15
J.T. Tuimoloau: 12
Jacolbe Cowan: 7
Cormontae Hamilton: 5

Jean-Baptiste made his second consecutive start opposite Harrison and those two played the most snaps at defensive end against Indiana. Smith, who was a starting defensive end for Ohio State’s first three games of the season, returned to the rotation and played the third-most snaps among defensive ends after missing the Buckeyes’ previous three games.

With Harrison, Jean-Baptiste and Smith all healthy for the first time since the Oregon game, Sawyer and Tuimoloau each played their fewest snaps since the Buckeyes’ loss to the Ducks, though Sawyer played more snaps than Tuimoloau for just the second time. Cowan and Hamilton made their fifth game appearances of the season as both of them rotated in for late-game snaps at defensive end.

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Defensive Tackles

Haskell Garrett: 20
Jerron Cage: 18
Taron Vincent: 17
Ty Hamilton: 16
Tyleik Williams: 15
Antwuan Jackson: 14
Mike Hall: 10

No defensive tackle played more than 20 snaps against Indiana as Garrett, Vincent and Williams all saw a share of the playing time with the first-team defense at 3-technique while Cage – who made his first start of the season – split snaps with Jackson and Hamilton at nose tackle. Hall, the only other defensive tackle who made the trip to Indiana, played 10 second-half snaps in his third game appearance as a Buckeye.

Linebackers

Cody Simon: 27
Teradja Mitchell: 26
Steele Chambers: 22
Tommy Eichenberg: 19
Palaie Gaoteote: 8
Cade Kacherski: 5
Ryan Batsch: 3

Ohio State continued to utilize a four-man linebacker rotation against Indiana as Simon started his fifth consecutive game alongside Mitchell while Chambers and Eichenberg also rotated in for regular snaps with the first-team defense.

Gaoteote, who returned to action after not playing in either of Ohio State’s previous two games, played all of his snaps on the Buckeyes’ final two defensive series of the night alongside Batsch for one series and Kacherski for another.

Cornerbacks

Sevyn Banks: 38
Cameron Brown: 28
Denzel Burke: 25
Demario McCall: 8
Ryan Watts: 8
Lejond Cavazos: 5

For the first time all season, someone other than Burke played the most snaps at cornerback for the Buckeyes against Indiana. While Burke made his seventh consecutive start to begin his Ohio State career, he did not play any snaps in the second half while Banks and Brown, who both missed two games due to injuries in the first half of the season, played for most of the third quarter. Banks made his fourth consecutive start in Saturday’s game, but Brown also rotated in with the first-team defense for his highest snap count since the Tulsa game.

McCall was the fourth cornerback to enter the game for the Buckeyes in the third quarter, while Watts and Cavazos played all of their snaps in the fourth quarter.

Safeties

Bryson Shaw: 45
Ronnie Hickman: 30
Kourt Williams: 26
Marcus Williamson: 25
Lathan Ransom: 23
Craig Young: 10
Marcus Hooker: 7
Cameron Martinez: 6

Shaw played the most snaps of any Ohio State defender against Indiana as he played every snap at free safety until the Buckeyes’ final three defensive series of the game. Hooker and Martinez finished out the game at free safety, with Martinez also playing two snaps with the first-team defense as a slot cornerback in dime packages.

Williamson made his second consecutive start at cover safety while Ransom, who had rotated with Shaw at free safety for the last three games, moved back to cover safety to rotate with Williamson against the Hoosiers. Young, who was also used as a dime package specialist with the first-team defense along with Martinez and Ransom, finished out the game at cover safety.

Hickman played the entire first half at bullet but played his lowest snap count of the season as Williams replaced him for the entire second half.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 8
Jesse Mirco (holder): 8
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 8
Mitch Rossi (wing): 8
Matt Jones (end): 8
Josh Fryar (tackle): 8
Dawand Jones (guard): 8
Donovan Jackson (guard): 8
Jakob James (end): 8
Cade Stover (wing): 7
Paris Johnson Jr. (tackle): 5
Trey Leroux (tackle): 3
Cormontae Hamilton (wing): 1

James, in his first game as a Buckeye, made his debut on the field goal unit in place of Enokk Vimahi, who was unavailable for the Indiana game. Leroux and Hamilton also saw action on the placekicking unit for the second game in a row as Leroux replaced Johnson for the Buckeyes’ final two extra points and Ruggles’ lone field goal of the day, while Hamilton took Stover’s place in the lineup for Ruggles’ 26-yard field goal, which came in the fourth quarter.

Kickoffs

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 9
Chris Booker: 9
Xavier Johnson: 9
Cade Kacherski: 9
Demario McCall: 9
Cade Stover: 9
Ryan Watts: 9
Marcus Hooker: 7
Cameron Martinez: 7
Teradja Mitchell: 7
Kourt Williams: 5
Marcus Williamson: 4
Ryan Batsch: 2
Craig Young: 2
Palaie Gaoteote: 1
Sam Wiglusz: 1

McCall joined Ohio State’s primary kickoff coverage unit against Indiana, taking the place of Ronnie Hickman, and played well enough to earn special teams player of the game honors in the process. Everyone else who played snaps on the kickoff coverage unit against Indiana also played at least one snap on kickoff coverage against Maryland with the exception of Gaoteote.

Kickoff Returns

Emeka Egbuka (returner): 3
Chris Booker: 3
Steele Chambers: 3
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 3
Xavier Johnson: 3
Cade Kacherski: 3
Mitch Rossi: 3
Cade Stover: 3
Ryan Watts: 3
Marcus Williamson: 3
Craig Young: 3

Ohio State’s kickoff return unit remained unchanged for a fourth game in a row. Egbuka’s only kickoff return came on Indiana’s free kick following a safety, which he returned past midfield for 42 yards.

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 2
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 2
Tommy Eichenberg (upback): 2
Mitch Rossi (upback): 2
Steele Chambers (guard): 2
Cade Kacherski (guard): 2
Xavier Johnson (tackle): 2
Lathan Ransom (tackle): 2
Cade Stover (wing): 2
Chris Booker (gunner): 2
Chris Olave (gunner): 1
Sam Wiglusz (gunner): 1

After not punting once against Maryland, Mirco and the punting unit returned to the field for two punts against Indiana, which he hit 45 and 35 yards. All players on the punting unit returned from previous games.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Kourt Williams: 6
Demario McCall: 5
Lathan Ransom: 5
Garrett Wilson (returner): 4
Denzel Burke: 4
Craig Young: 4
Chris Booker: 3
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 3
Xavier Johnson: 3
Cade Kacherski: 3
Teradja Mitchell: 3
Emeka Egbuka (returner): 2
Cameron Brown: 2
Tommy Eichenberg: 2
Mike Hall: 2
Zach Harrison: 2
Marcus Hooker: 2
Antwuan Jackson: 2
Jack Sawyer: 2
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (returner): 1
Sevyn Banks: 1
Ryan Batsch: 1
Jerron Cage: 1
Lejond Cavazos: 1
Steele Chambers: 1
Jacolbe Cowan: 1
Palaie Gaoteote: 1
Cormontae Hamilton: 1
Ty Hamilton: 1
Ronnie Hickman: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
Cody Simon: 1
J.T. Tuimoloau: 1
Taron Vincent: 1
Ryan Watts: 1
Tyleik Williams: 1

Ohio State only utilized its standard punt block/return unit – which consisted of Kourt Williams, McCall, Ransom, Booker, Burke, Harrison Jr., Johnson, Kacherski and two of Hooker, Mitchell and Young, with Wilson returning – for Indiana’s first three punts of the game. Harrison Jr. forced a safety on Indiana’s second punt of the night when Hoosier punter James Evans bobbled a snap in the end zone and Harrison tackled him.

The Buckeyes kept their defense on the field to play punt safe on each of Indiana’s final four punts, and since three of those came in the second half when Ohio State had many of its backups in the game, 36 different Ohio State players ended up getting snaps on punt returns on Saturday night. Ohio State also used three different punt returners for the first time this year, as Smith-Njigba fielded one punt while Egbuka fielded both of the Hoosiers’ fourth-quarter punts.

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Extra Point Block

Sevyn Banks: 1
Denzel Burke: 1
Ty Hamilton: 1
Zach Harrison: 1
Ronnie Hickman: 1
Antwuan Jackson: 1
Teradja Mitchell: 1
Bryson Shaw: 1
Cody Simon: 1
J.T. Tuimoloau: 1
Marcus Williamson: 1

Indiana did not attempt any field goals against Ohio State, and the Hoosiers’ only touchdown came on their opening drive of the night, so this unit – consisting entirely of defensive starters except for a few defensive linemen who substituted into the game – saw the field just once in Bloomington.