Snap Counts: Devin Sanchez, Tywone Malone Jr. and Lincoln Kienholz Among Buckeyes Who Play Bigger Roles vs. Ohio

The Buckeyes never got to play their full second unit on offense, as the Bobcats ran the final 6:36 off the clock to secure a cover after Jeremiah Smith ran for a 17-yard touchdown on Ohio State’s final possession. But they still played 10 backups on offense, including Lincoln Kienholz for one snap at quarterback and Ethan Onianwa for 14 snaps at right guard while mixing in three total running backs, five total wide receivers and four total tight ends.

Defensively, Ohio State played 30 players as the Buckeyes took their starters out for Ohio’s final possession after Smith’s second touchdown of the night gave the home team a 37-9 lead. Even before that, multiple players who had been backups played their biggest roles of the season against the Bobcats. Tywone Malone Jr. started the game in place of Eddrick Houston and played his season-high snap count at defensive tackle, though both ended up playing the same number of snaps by game’s end (18). Devin Sanchez played most of the second half with the first-team defense at cornerback and played 27 snaps – a high so far for his young career – after Lorenzo Styles Jr. left the game with an apparent upper-body injury.

Below, we have the full breakdown of how many snaps all 60 Buckeyes who saw action against Ohio played vs. the Bobcats, courtesy of Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics.

Quarterbacks

Julian Sayin: 62
Lincoln Kienholz: 1

Ryan Day had hinted at the possibility of using Kienholz in a situational package since he named Sayin the starting quarterback in August. That package was unveiled against Ohio, albeit for just one play, as the Buckeyes brought their better running quarterback in for a 3rd-and-2 at the 27-yard line – which he converted with an 8-yard run.

Sayin played all the rest of Ohio State’s quarterback snaps for a total of 62 plays, the most he’s played so far in a game for the Buckeyes. He threw the ball on just over half of those snaps, completing 25 of 32 passing attempts for 347 yards – all his highest marks so far through three games as OSU’s starting quarterback – and three touchdowns with two interceptions.

Running Backs

CJ Donaldson: 28
James Peoples: 20
Bo Jackson: 16

Peoples started at running back for a second straight game while Donaldson played the most snaps among Ohio State running backs for the second time in three games. But it was the third running back into the game who stole the show for the second week in a row.

While Jackson played one fewer snap against Grambling State than he did against Ohio, all of his snaps against the Bobcats came with the starting offense. He ran the ball on just over half of those snaps and rushed for 109 yards on just nine carries, good for his second straight 100-yard outing on nine carries in just his second game as a Buckeye.

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Peoples ran for 47 yards on seven carries and Donaldson ran for 39 yards on nine carries. Each of them also had two catches, on which Jackson gained 21 yards, Donaldson gained 13 and Peoples went for 11.

Wide Receivers

Jeremiah Smith: 57
Carnell Tate: 54
Brandon Inniss: 33
David Adolph: 2
Mylan Graham: 1

Smith was on the field for all but six of Ohio State’s offensive snaps while Tate was in the game for all but nine of Ohio State’s offensive plays against Ohio. Both of Ohio State’s top two receivers had huge games; Smith caught nine passes for 153 yards and a touchdown and ran for a 17-yard touchdown, while Tate caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown and had an 8-yard run.

Inniss played a career-high 33 snaps as he was on the field for just over half of the Buckeyes’ offensive snaps against Ohio as their No. 3 receiver, but he did not catch any passes against the Bobcats.

Somewhat surprisingly, Adolph – a former walk-on – was the first wide receiver off the bench against the Bobcats. Graham, who has been viewed as No. 4 wide receiver, played just one snap against the Bobcats and was the only other backup wideout to see playing time.

Tight Ends

Will Kacmarek: 51
Max Klare: 40
Nate Roberts: 8
Jelani Thurman: 5

Just as he did against Texas, Kacmarek played the most snaps of any tight end against Ohio. His 51 offensive snaps were the most he’s played in any game as a Buckeye since he transferred to Ohio State from Ohio after the 2023 season.

Klare started the game along with Kacmarek and played his most snaps so far as a Buckeye. He caught two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown on 40 plays, just three fewer than the Purdue transfer played in Ohio State’s first two games of the season combined.

With Bennett Christian sidelined by injury, no other tight end played double-digit snaps against the Bobcats. Roberts was the first tight end to enter the game off the bench ahead of Thurman, though the Buckeyes used at least four tight ends with the first-team offense for the third game in a row as they continued to utilize multi-tight end sets frequently.

Offensive Linemen

Austin Siereveld: 63
Luke Montgomery: 63
Carson Hinzman: 63
Phillip Daniels: 62
Tegra Tshabola: 49
Ethan Onianwa: 14
Ian Moore: 1
Joshua Padilla: Special teams only
Justin Terry: Special teams only
Gabe VanSickle: Special teams only

Onianwa rotated in at right guard with the first-team offense for the third game in a row to start the season. This time, Onianwa entered the game in the second quarter after Tshabola committed a late hit penalty – his second penalty of the game – that cost the Buckeyes 15 yards. Onianwa remained in the game for the rest of that drive and the next drive, but Tshabola returned to the lineup for the rest of the game.

Siereveld, Montgomery and Hinzman each played every snap of the game – the only offensive players to do so – as Ohio State’s starting left tackle, left guard and center. Moore replaced Daniels at right tackle for one snap in the first quarter when Daniels had to have his helmet adjusted, but Daniels otherwise played all the rest of the snaps at RT.

Defensive Ends

Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 32
Caden Curry: 30
Beau Atkinson: 22
C.J. Hicks: 18
Logan George: 8
Zion Grady: 6
Epi Sitanilei: 4
Dominic Kirks: 3
Joshua Mickens: 3

Ohio State used plenty of rotation at defensive end against Ohio. Jackson and Curry started the game and played the most snaps at DE as they have all year (except the Texas game, where Jackson played one fewer snap than Atkinson after leaving the game early with an injury), but Atkinson and Hicks also saw regular action with the first-team defense. Atkinson frequently subbed in to join Curry and Jackson on the field in three-man fronts for the Buckeyes’ Rushmen/dime package, and each of Ohio State’s top three defensive ends made their mark against the Bobcats as they combined for eight tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.

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George was the fifth defensive end to enter the game and played his first eight snaps of the season after missing the Buckeyes’ first two games of the year while recovering from an offseason injury. The Idaho State transfer didn’t record any tackles in his Ohio State debut.

With George’s return to action, all nine of Ohio State’s scholarship defensive ends saw playing time against Ohio as Grady, Sitanilei, Kirks and Mickens each got playing time on the game’s final drive.

Defensive Tackles

Will Smith Jr.: 22
Eddrick Houston: 18
Tywone Malone Jr.: 18
Kayden McDonald: 18
Jarquez Carter: 9

Malone replaced Houston – who was viewed as Ohio State’s clear-cut starter at 3-technique entering the season – in the starting lineup alongside McDonald against Ohio. While they ended up playing the same number over the course of the game, Malone recorded three tackles against the Bobcats while Houston had just one.

Both Malone and Smith played their highest snap counts of the season to date as Smith ended playing the most snaps of any DT in the game when he finished out the game at nose tackle in addition to rotating with McDonald earlier in the game. Both McDonald and Smith also made three tackles against Ohio, with McDonald recording three solo tackles and a sack.

Carter saw action at 3-technique as Ohio State’s fifth defensive tackle for a third straight game to begin his Buckeye career. Unlike at defensive end, Ohio State did not play all the way down its depth chart of scholarship defensive tackles, choosing to keep Houston, Smith, Malone and Carter in the game for more reps on Ohio’s final drive.

Linebackers

Sonny Styles: 48
Arvell Reese: 41
Payton Pierce: 20
Riley Pettijohn: 13
Tarvos Alford: 6
Garrett Stover: 2
Joey Velazquez: Special teams only

Styles played the most snaps of any defensive player against Ohio as he played all the way into Ohio’s final possession. Reese and Styles played the vast majority of snaps at linebacker with the game on the line against the Bobcats and both had big games; Reese had seven tackles with a sack and two pass breakups, while Styles had six tackles and a forced fumble.

Pierce rotated in occasionally with Reese and Styles but played most of his snaps on Ohio’s final drive, on which he recorded four tackles. Pettijohn played only on the final drive despite his breakout performance against Grambling State, though he made the most of his limited playing time again with three tackles. Alford and Stover also rotated in on Ohio’s final possession, on which the Buckeyes ran a 4-3 defense, with Alford recording one tackle.

Cornerbacks

Davison Igbinosun: 43
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 43
Devin Sanchez: 27
Aaron Scott Jr.: 13
Bryce West: 7
Miles Lockhart: Special teams only

Igbinosun and Mathews played every defensive snap until Ohio’s final possession of the game. Mathews started the game at outside cornerback but moved to nickelback, with Sanchez taking his place at cornerback, when Lorenzo Styles Jr. left the game with an injury in the third quarter.

Sanchez played the highest snap count of his young career – and the highest snap count any freshman has played this year – as he played the rest of the game at cornerback following Styles’ exit until West replaced him midway through Ohio’s final possession. Sanchez also saw some action in the first half as a sixth defensive back in dime packages, just as he did in the first two games of the year.

Scott and West played all of their snaps on Ohio’s final possession.

Safeties

Jaylen McClain: 47
Caleb Downs: 46
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 25
Malik Hartford: 16
Faheem Delane: 8
Leroy Roker: Special teams only
Ryan Rudzinski: Special teams only

Downs and McClain both played into Ohio’s final possession before Hartford and Delane took over as Ohio State’s primary safeties for the end of the game. Hartford also saw some action before the final drive as the sixth DB in dime packages following Styles’ exit from the game.

Styles made his third consecutive start at nickel to begin the season but did not return after suffering his injury in the third quarter, though his brother Sonny Styles said after the game that Lorenzo was “good.”

Field Goals/Extra Points

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 7
Joe McGuire (holder): 7
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 7
Will Kacmarek: 7
Ethan Onianwa: 7
Ian Moore: 7
Joshua Padilla: 7
Justin Terry: 7
Jelani Thurman: 7
Tegra Tshabola: 7
Gabe VanSickle: 7

After attempting no field goals in Ohio State’s first two games of the season, Fielding made all three of his field goal attempts against Ohio – from 38, 20 and 22 yards – as well as all four of his extra point kicks.

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 8
Faheem Delane: 8
Riley Pettijohn: 8
Leroy Roker III: 8
Aaron Scott Jr.: 8
Garrett Stover: 8
Joey Velazquez: 8
Bryce West: 8
Payton Pierce: 7
C.J. Hicks: 6
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 6
Malik Hartford: 2
Epi Sitanilei: 2
Ryan Rudzinski: 1

Ohio did not return any of Fielding’s eight kickoffs.

Kickoff Returns

Brandon Inniss (returner): 3
David Adolph: 3
Malik Hartford: 3
C.J. Hicks: 3
Payton Pierce: 3
Leroy Roker III: 3
Nate Roberts: 3
Ryan Rudzinski: 3
Jelani Thurman: 3
Joey Velazquez: 3
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 2
James Peoples: 1

Inniss’ only live kickoff return came on a coffin-corner kick by Ohio at the end of the first half, which Inniss allowed to bounce before fielding it at the 8-yard line and returning it to the 11.

Punts

None

Ohio State did not punt on any of its 11 possessions vs. Ohio.

Punt Returns

Caden Curry: 7
Jaylen McClain: 7
Brandon Inniss (returner): 6
David Adolph: 6
Malik Hartford: 6
C.J. Hicks: 6
Miles Lockhart: 6
James Peoples: 6
Payton Pierce: 6
Devin Sanchez: 6
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 4
Bryce West: 3
Jeremiah Smith (returner): 1
Caleb Downs: 1
Eddrick Houston: 1
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 1
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 1
Arvell Reese: 1
Will Smith Jr.: 1
Sonny Styles: 1

After Day described punt returns as a “red flag” coming out of the Grambling State game, largely due to Inniss allowing punts to bounce for negative yardage, Inniss responded to Day’s challenge by consistently fielding Ohio’s punts and returning one of them for a 28-yard gain.

Ohio State put Smith in the game at punt returner in hopes of a big return late in the first half when Ohio had to punt from its own 9-yard line, but Smith muffed the punt; he recovered the loose ball himself, but lost six yards in the process, with an illegal block in the back penalty against Sanchez costing the Buckeyes 10 more yards.

Field Goal/Extra Point Block

Caden Curry: 2
Caleb Downs: 2
Davison Igbinosun: 2
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 2
Jaylen McClain: 2
Kayden McDonald: 2
Arvell Reese: 2
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 2
Sonny Styles: 2
Beau Atkinson: 1
Eddrick Houston: 1
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 1
Tywone Malone Jr.: 1

Ohio kicker Brack Peacock made his only field goal attempt of the game from 44 yards out but missed his lone extra point attempt of the night.