Snap Counts: Nine Buckeyes Top 60 Snaps on Offense, Nine Buckeyes Surpass 50 Snaps on Defense As Ohio State Needs Four Quarters to Beat Northwestern

While Ohio State was projected to blow out Northwestern, the Buckeyes needed to play their starters for four full quarters to grind out a 21-7 victory. The Buckeyes didn’t take a two-score lead until there was just 4:21 remaining in the game. It turned out to be another busy day of work for OSU’s top players – particularly on defense, as Northwestern snapped the ball 77 times compared to 63 offensive snaps for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State utilized 51 total players against Northwestern, just one more than the previous game against Penn State and tying the season opener against Notre Dame for the second-fewest Buckeyes to see action in a game this season. The only Buckeyes who played against Northwestern that didn’t play against Penn State were fifth-year senior defenders Teradja Mitchell and Tyler Friday, redshirt freshman linebacker Reid Carrico and freshman cornerback Jyaire Brown; the only Buckeyes who played against Penn State that didn’t play against Northwestern were running back TreVeyon Henderson, cornerback Jordan Hancock and safety Jantzen Dunn.

A total of 17 Buckeyes saw the field on offense, including nine different players who were on the field for at least 61 of Ohio State’s 63 offensive plays. 24 Buckeyes saw playing time on defense, including nine defenders who played upward of 50 defensive snaps. Ten Buckeyes, including specialists Noah Ruggles, Jayden Fielding, Jesse Mirco and Mason Arnold, played only on special teams.

Our full report on Ohio State’s snap counts against Northwestern is below. Data from Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics was used to compile offensive and defensive snap counts, while special teams snap counts were collected by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge. All snap counts should be considered unofficial as they were not provided by Ohio State.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud: 63

Stroud played every snap of the game at quarterback for the second week in a row. He completed just 10 of his 26 passing attempts for 76 yards – by far the worst numbers of his 22 games as Ohio State’s starting quarterback dating back to last season – but ran for a career-high 79 yards on six carries.

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Running Backs

Miyan Williams: 61
Chip Trayanum: 1

With Henderson unavailable for the second time this season, Williams was on the field for all but two offensive plays at running back, carrying the ball on 26 of those plays for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Trayanum entered the game for one play at running back, while Mitch Rossi also lined up at running back for one play, though neither of them carried the ball on those plays.

Wide Receivers

Marvin Harrison Jr.: 61
Emeka Egbuka: 52
Julian Fleming: 42
Xavier Johnson: 2
Jayden Ballard: Special teams only

Harrison played his second-highest snap count of the season as he was on the field for all but two of Ohio State’s offensive plays against Northwestern. Egbuka and Fleming also both played a majority of snaps as the Buckeyes’ other starting receivers. In a game where the Buckeyes often utilized heavier personnel as part of their run-heavy game plan, the only other wide receiver to play any offensive snaps was Johnson, who got in on offense for only two plays.

Tight Ends

Cade Stover: 62
Gee Scott Jr.: 13
Mitch Rossi: 12

Stover played 62 snaps for the second week in a row, as he was on the field for all but one of the Buckeyes’ offensive plays in Evanston. Scott, who played only one snap against Penn State, joined Stover on the field for 13 plays in multi-tight end formations against Northwestern. Rossi was in the game for 12 total plays, lining up on the line as a tight end for six of them and lining up in the backfield for the other six.

Offensive Linemen

Paris Johnson Jr.: 63
Donovan Jackson: 63
Luke Wypler: 63
Dawand Jones: 63
Matt Jones: 61
Josh Fryar: 9
Enokk Vimahi: 2
Jakob James: Special teams only
Zen Michalski: Special teams only

Vimahi replaced Matt Jones for two snaps at right guard on the Buckeyes’ opening possession of the game. The other four starting offensive linemen were on the field for all 63 of Ohio State’s offensive snaps. Fryar joined them on the field for nine plays as a sixth offensive lineman.

Defensive Ends

Zach Harrison: 56
J.T. Tuimoloau: 52
Jack Sawyer: 34
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 18
Tyler Friday: 3
Caden Curry: 1

Harrison and Tuimoloau both played over 50 snaps for the second week in a row as Ohio State’s starting defensive ends. Sawyer played his highest snap count of the season to date as the No. 3 defensive end in the rotation, and all three of them were on the field together for occasional plays where Sawyer lined up as a Jack linebacker.

Jean-Baptiste played his lowest snap count since the season opener against Notre Dame as the fourth defensive end in the rotation. Friday returned to action for the first time in five games but mixed in for only three plays. Curry played his only defensive snap of the game on Northwestern’s final play before time expired.

Defensive Tackles

Taron Vincent: 54
Ty Hamilton: 36
Tyleik Williams: 21
Mike Hall Jr.: 19
Jerron Cage: 12

Like Harrison and Tuimoloau, Vincent played over 50 snaps for a second game in a row as the Buckeyes’ top defensive tackle. Hamilton joined Vincent in the starting lineup and played a career-high 36 snaps against Northwestern, reflecting his run-stopping ability as the Wildcats ran the ball 59 times and attempted only 17 passes.

Hall, who has started five games for the Buckeyes this season, played his second-lowest snap count of the year (excluding the Toledo game in which he did not play due to a shoulder injury) against Northwestern. Williams played the most snaps among backup defensive tackles for the second week in a row, while Cage played the fewest snaps among the five defensive tackles in the rotation.

Linebackers

Steele Chambers: 76
Tommy Eichenberg: 76
Cody Simon: 15
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 4
Teradja Mitchell: 1
Reid Carrico: Special teams only
C.J. Hicks: Special teams only

Eichenberg and Chambers were both on the field for every play except one as Ohio State’s starting linebackers. Eichenberg had to leave the game for one play after his helmet came off on a third-down run stop, while Chambers was not in the lineup for the lone snap on Northwestern’s final possession.

Simon joined them on the field in three-linebacker packages as a Sam linebacker, while Gaoteote also played four snaps as an outside linebacker in four-linebacker formations. Mitchell played his first defensive snap of the season on the one play Simon replaced Eichenberg at middle linebacker, as he and Gaoteote were both on the field in a four-linebacker package for a 4th-and-1 run stop.

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Cornerbacks

Denzel Burke: 71
JK Johnson: 51
Jyaire Brown: 28

Burke played over 70 snaps for the second game in a row, as he checked out for only six plays against Northwestern. Johnson crossed the 50-snap threshold for the fifth time this season as he made his fifth start in Ohio State’s last six games in place of Cameron Brown, who remained unavailable this past weekend.

Jordan Hancock, who missed the first six games of the season with a hamstring injury, also did not play against Northwestern despite making the trip and participating in pregame warmups. Jyaire Brown played his second-highest snap count of the season as he mixed in for regular playing time throughout the game as Ohio State’s No. 3 cornerback.

Safeties

Ronnie Hickman: 76
Lathan Ransom: 60
Tanner McCalister: 49
Josh Proctor: 19
Cameron Martinez: 15
Sonny Styles: Special teams only

Like Chambers, Hickman was on the field for every Ohio State defensive snap against Northwestern except the game’s final play.

Ransom and McCalister started alongside Hickman and played most of the Buckeyes’ defensive snaps. However, Proctor and Martinez also mixed in for playing time at the bandit and nickel safety spots. Proctor, who lined up as an extra defender in the box for most of his snaps, saw his first action on defense in three games. Martinez played double-digit defensive plays for just the fourth time in 2022.

Extra Points

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 3
Jesse Mirco (holder): 3
Mason Arnold (long snapper): 3
Caden Curry (wing): 3
Zen Michalski (end): 3
Paris Johnson Jr. (tackle): 3
Donovan Jackson (guard): 3
Enokk Vimahi (guard): 3
Dawand Jones (tackle): 3
Jakob James (end): 3
Cade Stover (wing): 3

Ohio State made no changes to its place-kicking unit, which took the field for just three extra points as the Buckeyes did not attempt to kick any field goals in the windy conditions. Arnold continued to handle long-snapping duties with Bradley Robinson sidelined by a knee injury that Ryan Day indicated last week will likely keep Robinson out for the remainder of the season.

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 4
Caden Curry: 4
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 4
C.J. Hicks: 4
JK Johnson: 4
Xavier Johnson: 4
Tanner McCalister: 4
Josh Proctor: 4
Cody Simon: 4
Sonny Styles: 4
Chip Trayanum: 4

Ohio State’s kickoff unit maintained the same 11-man lineup it used against Penn State. In an impressive feat for a defensive end, Curry made two tackles in kickoff coverage against Northwestern, including one at the 18-yard line and another on a squib kick.

Caden Curry made two tackles in kickoff coverage against Northwestern.

Kickoff Returns

Xavier Johnson (returner): 2
Jayden Ballard: 2
Steele Chambers: 2
Caden Curry: 2
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 2
C.J. Hicks: 2
Cameron Martinez: 2
Gee Scott Jr.: 2
Cody Simon: 2
Sonny Styles: 2
Chip Trayanum: 2

Ohio State’s kickoff return unit also remained unchanged against Northwestern. Johnson returned Northwestern’s opening kickoff 21 yards to the 30-yard line on his only return of the game.

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 7
Mason Arnold (long snapper): 7
Tommy Eichenberg (upback): 7
Mitch Rossi (upback): 7
Steele Chambers (guard): 7
Chip Trayanum (guard): 7
Emeka Egbuka (tackle): 7
Xavier Johnson (tackle): 7
Cade Stover (wing): 7
Jayden Ballard (gunner): 7
Josh Proctor (gunner): 7

Sticking with the theme of this week’s special teams section, Ohio State’s punting unit also looked the same against Northwestern as it did against Penn State. Mirco punted the ball seven times – more than he ever has in any game in his Ohio State career – and did an excellent job of handling the adverse weather conditions, averaging 50.3 yards per punt.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Emeka Egbuka (returner): 6
Jyaire Brown: 5
Reid Carrico: 5
Caden Curry: 5
C.J. Hicks: 5
JK Johnson: 5
Xavier Johnson: 5
Lathan Ransom: 5
Gee Scott Jr.: 5
Sonny Styles: 5
Chip Trayanum: 5
Denzel Burke: 1
Steele Chambers: 1
Tommy Eichenberg: 1
Mike Hall Jr.: 1
Zach Harrison: 1
Ronnie Hickman: 1
Cameron Martinez: 1
Josh Proctor: 1
J.T. Tuimoloau: 1
Tyleik Williams: 1

Brown, Carrico and Scott returned to Ohio State’s primary punt block/return unit against Northwestern, replacing Jantzen Dunn, Palaie Gaoteote IV and Cody Simon from the Penn State game. Egbuka, who had a season-long punt return of 18 yards on his only return of the game, was the only Buckeye on the field for all six of Northwestern’s punts as OSU kept its defense on the field to play punt safe on the Wildcats’ third punt of the day after they attempted to draw OSU offsides.

Extra Point Block

Denzel Burke: 1
Jerron Cage: 1
Steele Chambers: 1
Tommy Eichenberg: 1
Ronnie Hickman: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
JK Johnson: 1
Lathan Ransom: 1
Jack Sawyer: 1
Sonny Styles: 1
Tyleik Williams: 1

The Buckeyes on the field for Northwestern’s only extra point of the game consisted of the defenders who were in the game for the Wildcats’ lone touchdown, with the exception of Cody Simon, who Styles replaced.