Snap Counts: 74 Different Buckeyes See Playing Time As Ohio State Begins Pulling Starters at Halftime of Blowout Win over Michigan State

Ohio State thoroughly dominated Michigan State for the first 30 minutes of Saturday’s game, building a 49-0 lead that allowed the Buckeyes to give their starters some extra rest in the second half and keep them fresh for next weekend’s rivalry game against Michigan.

“Full disclosure, at one point, we wanted to get guys some rest in the second half,” Ryan Day said after the game. “We just thought it was the right thing to do, we were up seven touchdowns and I felt like it was smart to do going into next week.

“The guys wanted to keep playing. I had to talk some guys off the ledge a little bit because they were upset about not getting back in the game. But it was the right thing to do. If it was even a thought at all, we took them out of the game.”

As a result, 33 different players saw game action on offense and 32 different players entered the game on defense while nine others played on special teams only as just about all of the Buckeyes’ starters were done for the day by the time the fourth quarter started. In the final home game of the year at Ohio Stadium, 21 of the Buckeyes’ 24 Senior Day honorees got on the field for at least one snap – all except walk-on quarterback Jagger LaRoe, walk-on offensive lineman Jack Jamieson and cornerback Sevyn Banks, who was unavailable to play in the game due to injury.

In total, 74 Ohio State players saw the field for the Buckeyes against the Spartans, and below we break down how much playing time each of them got. Offensive and defensive snap counts were provided by Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics, while special teams snap counts were compiled by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud: 59
Kyle McCord: 25
Quinn Ewers: 2

Stroud played every snap of the first half and the opening series of the third quarter against Michigan State, which was enough time for him to complete 32 passes on 35 attempts for 432 yards and tie the school record with six passing touchdowns.

Despite saying Tuesday that Ohio State was considering preserving McCord’s redshirt, Day opted to put McCord in for his fifth game appearance of the season on the Buckeyes’ second possession of the third quarter. Day stuck with McCord until the Buckeyes’ final possession of the game, when Ewers made his long-anticipated debut but did not throw a pass, instead handing the ball off twice to run out the clock.

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Running Backs

Master Teague: 39
TreVeyon Henderson: 29
Miyan Williams: 16
Robert Cope: 2

Henderson made his ninth consecutive start for the Buckeyes at running back but saw a reduced workload against Michigan State as he played only in the first half and touched the ball on just 11 of his 29 snaps in the game. Williams split first-team running back snaps with Henderson for the second week in a row, though he also played only before halftime.

In what could be his final home game as a Buckeye after he opted to participate in Saturday’s Senior Day festivities, Teague played nearly the entire second half and carried the ball 21 times for 95 yards on 39 snaps, all season-highs. Cope, a senior walk-on, played his first snaps of the season and carried the ball two times for four yards on the final two plays of the game.

Wide Receivers

Julian Fleming: 42
Garrett Wilson: 42
Chris Olave: 42
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 40
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 39
Sam Wiglusz: 14
Chris Booker: 2
Xavier Johnson: 2
Austin Kutscher: 2

Like Henderson, Olave and Wilson did not play any snaps in the second half, but one half was enough time for each of them to catch seven passes for more than 100 yards (140 yards for Olave, 126 yards for Wilson) and two touchdowns each. Smith-Njigba, who finished with a team-high 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, stayed in the game for Ohio State’s first drive of the third quarter before checking out for the day.

Fleming and Harrison saw extensive playing time for the second time in three weeks, with Harrison playing a new career-high in snaps, as both of them mixed in for some first-half snaps before playing nearly the entire second half as the two outside receivers. Wiglusz, a senior walk-on, saw playing time on offense for just the third time this season and played 14 snaps with McCord as the second-team slot receiver in place of Emeka Egbuka, who was unavailable for the Michigan State game.

Booker, Johnson and Kutscher, also all walk-ons, were the wide receivers for the final two plays of the game.

Julian Fleming scored the first touchdown of his Ohio State career and tied for the most snaps played among wide receivers against Michigan State.

Tight Ends

Jeremy Ruckert: 48
Joe Royer: 20
Mitch Rossi: 19
Cade Stover: 19
Gee Scott Jr.: 9
Corey Rau: 3

Ruckert played the majority of Ohio State’s first-half offensive snaps and remained in the game for the opening drive of the third quarter before checking out for the day. Stover and Rossi played an identical number of snaps for the second game in a row and Rossi made his second consecutive start as the Buckeyes started the game in a two-tight end formation with Rossi and Ruckert – both seniors – on the field together.

Royer, who had played only 14 career snaps before Saturday, played 20 snaps in the second half for the most extensive playing time of his Ohio State career to date. Scott, who played some snaps in the tight end rotation during the first half of the season but had not played in any of the Buckeyes’ last four games, also mixed in for nine second-half snaps. Rau, another senior walk-on, got on the field for three snaps in the fourth quarter.

Offensive Linemen

Paris Johnson Jr.: 61
Nicholas Petit-Frere: 59
Thayer Munford: 59
Luke Wypler: 59
Dawand Jones: 59
Matt Jones: 48
Donovan Jackson: 28
Enokk Vimahi: 27
Josh Fryar: 27
Zen Michalski: 2
Jakob James: 2

Ohio State didn’t rotate as much on the offensive line against Michigan State as it had in some recent games, as Petit-Frere, Munford, Wypler and Dawand Jones all played every snap of the first half and the first series of the third quarter. Matt Jones rotated in with Johnson with the first-team offensive line at right guard, but Johnson ended up playing the most snaps among all offensive linemen – and among all players on either offense or defense against Michigan State – as he stayed in to play right guard with the second-team offensive line.

Matt Jones also played his first snaps at center this season with the second-team offensive line, which also consisted of Vimahi at left tackle, Jackson at right guard and Fryar at right tackle. For the final two plays of the game, Michalski played the first two snaps of his Ohio State career at left tackle and James entered the game at center while Vimahi shifted to left guard and Jackson – who also played one snap with the first-team offense as a sixth offensive lineman, a role he’s played from time to time all season – shifted to right guard to conclude the game.

Defensive Ends

Zach Harrison: 35
Tyreke Smith: 31
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 22
Jack Sawyer: 14
J.T. Tuimoloau: 12
Jacolbe Cowan: 3
Cormontae Hamilton: 2
Aaron Cox: 1

Harrison and Smith continued to play the majority of defensive end snaps with the first-team defense against Michigan State while Jean-Baptiste played the third-most snaps behind them for the second game in a row.

The three veteran defensive ends all continued to play into the third quarter, leaving only 14 snaps for Sawyer and 12 snaps for Tuimoloau as the fourth and fifth defensive ends in the rotation. Cowan, Hamilton and Cox were the defensive ends for Ohio State’s final defensive series of the game, on which Cox – a senior walk-on – made his third game appearance of the season.

Defensive Tackles

Taron Vincent: 24
Ty Hamilton: 23
Haskell Garrett: 19
Antwuan Jackson: 17
Tyleik Williams: 17
Jerron Cage: 16
Mike Hall: 3

Ohio State maintained a three-deep rotation at both defensive tackle spots against Michigan State. Garrett and Jackson started the game, yet Vincent and Hamilton ended up playing the most snaps while Williams and Cage also rotated in for playing time in both halves.

Hall, a true freshman who remains eligible to redshirt this season, checked in at nose tackle for his fourth and likely final game appearance of the year on the Buckeyes’ final defensive series.

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Linebackers

Steele Chambers: 53
Tommy Eichenberg: 50
Ryan Batsch: 7
Reid Carrico: 7
Cody Simon: 2
Cade Kacherski: Special teams only
Teradja Mitchell: Special teams only

Simon made his ninth consecutive start against Michigan State, but left the game after taking a hit to his shoulder on the Buckeyes’ second defensive play and did not return. Eichenberg replaced Simon at middle linebacker and played every defensive snap but one until the Buckeyes’ final two defensive series of the game, at which point he was replaced by Carrico.

Chambers played the most snaps of any defender against Michigan State as he played every single snap at Will linebacker until Batsch replaced him for the final two defensive series.

Mitchell, who was Ohio State’s starting Will linebacker for eight of the first nine games of the season, played only on special teams against Michigan State while Palaie Gaoteote, who had rotated in for double-digit snaps at Will linebacker in each of the previous two games, was unavailable. Kacherski likely would have seen some late-game playing time at linebacker along with Batsch and Carrico, but had to be helped off the field and did not return after suffering a leg injury on the opening kickoff of the second half.

Cornerbacks

Cameron Brown: 38
Denzel Burke: 25
Lejond Cavazos: 23
Ryan Watts: 19
Demario McCall: 15
Jordan Hancock: Special teams only
Lloyd McFarquhar: Special teams only

With Banks sidelined by injury, Brown made his fourth start of the season at cornerback and played every snap of the first half. Burke started his 11th consecutive game to start his Ohio State career but was sidelined for part of the second quarter and did not play at all in the second half after suffering an apparent shoulder injury on a pass breakup, though he was able to return to the game before halftime.

Cavazos was the third cornerback into the game when Burke had to check out. He played 23 defensive snaps, the most of his Ohio State career to date, as he also split playing time with Watts and McCall in the second half.

Safeties

Kourt Williams: 35
Bryson Shaw: 32
Cameron Martinez: 28
Ronnie Hickman: 25
Craig Young: 24
Marcus Williamson: 21
Lathan Ransom: 17
Andre Turrentine: Special teams only

Although he started as he has every game this year, Hickman played his lowest snap count of the season to date as he was replaced at bullet in the second quarter by Williams, who stayed in for the rest of the game to play a career-high 35 defensive snaps and tie for the team lead with seven total tackles, including two tackles for loss, to go along with a pass breakup.

Shaw made his 10th consecutive start and played just over half of the Buckeyes’ defensive snaps at free safety. The rest were played by Martinez, who played his highest snap count since the fifth game of the season against Rutgers, when he was still the starting cover safety.

Young made his first career start at cover safety against Michigan State and played his most substantial role yet on the defense as the Buckeyes rotated him into the game regularly to play a hybrid linebacker/safety role. Williamson and Ransom also rotated in at cover safety, but Williamson played his lowest snap total of the second half of the season while Ransom played his fewest snaps of the entire season as a result of Young’s expanded role.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 9
Jesse Mirco (holder): 9
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 9
Mitch Rossi (wing): 9
Matthew Jones (end): 9
Josh Fryar (tackle): 9
Dawand Jones (guard): 9
Donovan Jackson (guard): 9
Paris Johnson Jr. (tackle): 9
Jakob James (end): 9
Cade Stover (wing): 8
Cormontae Hamilton (wing): 1

Ohio State used the same field goal unit from previous games with the exception of Ruggles’ final extra point attempt of the day in the fourth quarter, on which Hamilton replaced Stover. Ruggles missed his only field goal attempt of the game against Michigan State – his first miss of the entire season – but made all eight of his extra point attempts.

Kickoffs

Chris Booker: 9
Xavier Johnson: 9
Ryan Watts: 9
Cade Kacherski: 8
Demario McCall: 8
Teradja Mitchell: 8
Lathan Ransom: 8
Craig Young: 8
Cade Stover: 7
Cameron Martinez: 6
Noah Ruggles (kicker): 5
Dominic DiMaccio (kicker): 4
Marcus Williamson: 3
Jordan Hancock: 2
Ryan Batsch: 1
Reid Carrico: 1
Lloyd McFarquhar: 1
Andre Turrentine: 1
Kourt Williams: 1

Young replaced Gaoteote, but the rest of Ohio State’s core kickoff coverage unit remained the same from the Purdue game. DiMaccio took over kicking duties for Ohio State’s final four kickoffs of the day. McFarquhar and Turrentine played their only snaps of the game on the Buckeyes’ final kickoff.

Kickoff Returns

Julian Fleming (returner): 2
Chris Booker: 2
Steele Chambers: 2
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 2
Xavier Johnson: 2
Mitch Rossi: 2
Cade Stover: 2
Ryan Watts: 2
Marcus Williamson: 2
Craig Young: 2
Ryan Batsch: 1
Cade Kacherski: 1

With Egbuka unavailable, Fleming made his debut as a kickoff returner against Michigan State. He gained 11 yards on his lone return of the day, though that came after he struggled to field the ball in the sunlight. The rest of the starting kickoff return unit remained unchanged from previous games, though Batsch replaced Kacherski for Michigan State’s second kickoff after Kacherski suffered his injury.

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 1
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 1
Tommy Eichenberg (upback): 1
Mitch Rossi (upback): 1
Steele Chambers (guard): 1
Kourt Williams (guard): 1
Xavier Johnson (tackle): 1
Lathan Ransom (tackle): 1
Cade Stover (wing): 1
Chris Booker (gunner): 1
Julian Fleming (gunner): 1

Mirco was called on to punt just once for the second week in a row, with his lone punt – which he booted 50 yards – coming in the fourth quarter of the game. Since Olave and Ruckert were already done for the day at that point, Fleming took Olave’s usual place on the punt team as a gunner while Stover took Ruckert’s place as a protector. Williams lined up in the guard spot typically occupied by Kacherski.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (returner): 9
Lejond Cavazos: 8
Demario McCall: 7
Chris Booker: 5
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 5
Xavier Johnson: 5
Cade Kacherski: 5
Cameron Martinez: 5
Sam Wiglusz: 5
Craig Young: 5
Jordan Hancock: 4
Kourt Williams: 4
Lathan Ransom: 3
Ryan Watts: 3
Ryan Batsch: 2
Reid Carrico: 2
Steele Chambers: 2
Tommy Eichenberg: 2
Cormontae Hamilton: 2
J.T. Tuimoloau: 2
Tyleik Williams: 2
Denzel Burke: 1
Jerron Cage: 1
Jacolbe Cowan: 1
Haskell Garrett: 1
Mike Hall: 1
Ty Hamilton: 1
Zach Harrison: 1
Antwuan Jackson: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
Jack Sawyer: 1
Taron Vincent: 1
Marcus Williamson: 1

Michigan State punted on nine of its 12 possessions against Ohio State, and Smith-Njigba was back deep to field all of them, even after he was done for the day on offense.

The Buckeyes’ starting punt block unit, which was on the field for all of Michigan State’s five first-half punts, consisted of Booker, Burke, Cavazos, Marvin Harrison, Johnson, Kacherski, Martinez, McCall, Wiglusz and Young, with Hancock replacing Burke after the Spartans’ first punt. Johnson and Wiglusz were new additions to the punt block unit from last week, replacing Batsch and Gaoteote.

Ohio State kept its defensive players on the field to play punt safe on each of Michigan State’s four second-half punts.

Field Goal/Extra Point Block

Tommy Eichenberg: 2
Bryson Shaw: 2
J.T. Tuimoloau: 2
Cameron Brown: 1
Denzel Burke: 1
Steele Chambers: 1
Haskell Garrett: 1
Zach Harrison: 1
Ronnie Hickman: 1
Antwuan Jackson: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
Demario McCall: 1
Lathan Ransom: 1
Tyreke Smith: 1
Ryan Watts: 1
Kourt Williams: 1
Tyleik Williams: 1

Michigan State attempted just one field goal, a 46-yard attempt in the first quarter that Matt Coghlin missed, and one extra point after its lone touchdown of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter. Tuimoloau, who’s been a staple of the kick-blocking unit, was one of just three Ohio State players on the field for both kicks along with Eichenberg and Shaw.