Snap Counts: Bo Jackson, Max Klare, Joshua Padilla Among Buckeyes Whose Roles Increase in Ohio State’s 42-3 Win over Minnesota

On offense, Bo Jackson made his first career start at running back while Max Klare played the most snaps among Ohio State tight ends for the first time and Joshua Padilla mixed in with the first-team offensive line at right guard. On defense, Beau Atkinson played starter snaps at defensive end after Kenyatta Jackson Jr. left the game with an injury in the first quarter while Payton Pierce saw increased playing time at linebacker as the Buckeyes used their 4-3 defense regularly for the first time this season.

Other notable playing time developments from the Buckeyes’ 39-point victory included Mylan Graham seeing increased action at wide receiver, Zion Grady replacing C.J. Hicks as the fourth defensive end into the game and Leroy Roker III replacing Malik Hartford as the Buckeyes’ second-team free safety as Hicks and Hartford did not play to preserve their redshirts.

In total, 27 Buckeyes played on offense and 28 Buckeyes played on defense as Ohio State was able to get its backups some playing time in the fourth quarter after pulling away for a decisive victory over the Golden Gophers.

Ohio State’s full offensive and defensive snap counts from its fifth game of the season, courtesy of Pro Football Focus, can be found below. (Note: Special teams snap counts were not available as of Monday morning.)

Quarterbacks

Julian Sayin: 48
Lincoln Kienholz: 11

For the second time this year, Kienholz mixed in for one play with the first-team offense. His 3rd-and-2 rushing attempt went for a one-yard loss. Kienholz returned to the game for Ohio State’s final two possessions and had more success, leading the Buckeyes’ second-team offense on a touchdown drive that culminated with Kienholz running into the end zone for his first career touchdown run.

Lincoln Kienholz takes it himself to extend the lead @OhioStateFB up, 42-3.

: NBC pic.twitter.com/i9IRVe2lFH

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 5, 2025

Sayin led eight drives against Minnesota and had a stellar performance, completing 23 of 27 passing attempts for 326 yards and three touchdowns.

Running Backs

Bo Jackson: 28
James Peoples: 21
CJ Donaldson: 10
Isaiah West: 2

Jackson’s emergence as Ohio State’s top running back was cemented against Minnesota as he made his first career start, played the most snaps among RBs and led the Buckeyes with 13 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown.

Donaldson was the second running back into the game but played a season-low 10 snaps and had just three carries for three yards and a touchdown against Minnesota.

Peoples saw action with both the first- and second-team offenses and had his best drive of the season with the backups, running for 57 yards on five carries to set up Kienholz’s touchdown.

West mixed in for two snaps with the starters in the third quarter in his second game appearance of the year.

Wide Receivers

Jeremiah Smith: 43
Carnell Tate: 40
Brandon Inniss: 24
Mylan Graham: 16
Quincy Porter: 10
David Adolph: 2

Graham played double-digit snaps for just the second time this season as Ohio State mixed its No. 4 receiver in for some snaps with the starters, though he did not record any catches.

Smith and Tate continued to play most of the snaps with the starters at wide receiver and were the stars of the game along with Sayin as Tate caught nine passes for 183 yards and a touchdown and Smith made seven catches for 67 yards and two scores.

RELATED Carnell Tate Proves Ohio State Has Two Elite Receivers with Spectacular Perfomance vs. Minnesota

Inniss joined Smith and Tate on the field in most three-receiver packages with the first-team offense, catching one pass for two yards.

Porter took second-team reps opposite Graham and made his first career catch, hauling in a Kienholz pass for a 15-yard gain. With Bryson Rodgers sidelined by injury, Adolph rounded out the two-deep at wide receiver, playing two snaps in the slot vs. Minnesota.

Tight Ends

Max Klare: 29
Will Kacmarek: 27
Bennett Christian: 18
Jelani Thurman: 14
Nate Roberts: 11

Klare played the most snaps among tight ends for the first time all season and had his best game so far as a Buckeye, catching five passes for 63 yards.

Five different tight ends played double-digit snaps against the Golden Gophers as Klare and Kacmarek both started the game while Christian, Thurman and Roberts all mixed in to play in multi-tight end packages.

Offensive Linemen

Austin Siereveld: 49
Luke Montgomery: 49
Carson Hinzman: 49
Phillip Daniels: 49
Tegra Tshabola: 40
Joshua Padilla: 19
Ian Moore: 10
Gabe VanSickle: 10
Ethan Onianwa: 10
Justin Terry: 10

After rotating Onianwa in with Tshabola at right guard in the first three games of the season, Ohio State put Padilla in the game for two drives at RG in place of Tshabola in the second quarter.

Otherwise, Ohio State’s lineup along the offensive line was unchanged as Siereveld started at left tackle, Montgomery started at left guard, Hinzman started at center, Tshabola started at right guard and Daniels started at right tackle.

The second-team offensive line, as it did against Grambling State and Ohio, consisted of Moore at left tackle, VanSickle at left guard, Padilla at center, Onianwa at right guard and Terry at right tackle.

Defensive Ends

Caden Curry: 38
Beau Atkinson: 28
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 13
Zion Grady: 10
Logan George: 8
Joshua Mickens: 6
Epi Sitanilei: 2

Jackson started the game at defensive end opposite Curry, but left the game in the first quarter with an injury that was described as a stinger on the NBC broadcast. With Jackson on the sideline for the rest of the game, Atkinson played most of the first-team defensive end snaps in his place, recording two tackles with a shared tackle for loss.

With C.J. Hicks sitting out to preserve his redshirt, Grady was the second defensive end off the bench after Atkinson and played double-digit snaps in a game for the first time in his Buckeye career, recording two tackles with one tackle for loss. George also mixed in for occasional snaps with the first-team defense, recording one tackle.

Mickens and Sitanilei saw their playing time in the fourth quarter after the game was well in hand. Mickens recorded two tackles.

Defensive Tackles

Kayden McDonald: 24
Will Smith Jr.: 22
Tywone Malone Jr.: 19
Eddrick Houston: 17
Jarquez Carter: 7
Trajen Odom: 2

Malone made his third consecutive start at defensive tackle alongside McDonald, but played only two more snaps than Houston, who began the year as Ohio State’s starting 3-technique. Both of them recorded one tackle with Malone adding a pass breakup and Houston adding a quarterback hit.

Carter also mixed in for several first-team snaps at 3-technique.

At nose tackle, Smith rotated in frequently with McDonald against Minnesota to tie his season- and career-high snap count. Both of them made two tackles, with McDonald recording one tackle for loss.

Odom entered the game on Minnesota’s final possession for his second game appearance of the season.

Linebackers

Sonny Styles: 45
Arvell Reese: 41
Payton Pierce: 24
Riley Pettijohn: 5
Tarvos Alford: 4

Ohio State used its 4-3 defense more frequently against Minnesota than it did in any of its first four games, resulting in increased playing time for Pierce. The sophomore linebacker made the most of it, recording a career-high seven tackles with one tackle for loss.

With Styles and Reese playing the vast majority of linebacker snaps in the defense with occasional rotation with Pierce, Pettijohn and Alford played their only defensive snaps in the fourth quarter.

Payton Pierce made seven tackles in 24 snaps vs. Minnesota.

Cornerbacks

Davison Igbinosun: 46
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 46
Devin Sanchez: 15
Aaron Scott Jr.: 5
Bryce West: 4

Igbinosun and Mathews were both on the field for every snap until Ohio State’s final defensive series of the game. Sanchez joined them on the field for 14 plays, mostly in dime packages, though he played one series at outside cornerback with Mathews moving inside to nickel for Minnesota’s second-to-last possession of the game.

Sanchez also played one snap on Minnesota’s last drive before he was replaced by West, with Scott playing the entire final drive in his third defensive appearance of the season.

Safeties

Jaylen McClain: 46
Caleb Downs: 46
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 27
Leroy Roker III: 6
Faheem Delane: 5

Downs and McClain both played every snap on defense until Minnesota’s final possession of the night. Roker and Delane replaced them as the Buckeyes’ deep safeties for their final defensive series. Roker took Malik Hartford’s place as Ohio State’s No. 2 free safety as Hartford did not play to preserve his redshirt.

Styles manned the nickelback position with the starting defense as he has all season, but played fewer snaps than the rest of the Buckeyes’ starting secondary due to Ohio State’s use of three-linebacker packages and leaving the game one series earlier than the rest of the starters when Mathews took his place at nickel.