Half of Ohio State’s starters against Illinois played the highest snap counts of their Buckeye careers in Champaign.
On offense, Julian Sayin played his most snaps yet as a Buckeye as he was behind center for all 65 of Ohio State’s offensive snaps at Illinois. Luke Montgomery and Phillip Daniels also played 65-snap games for the first time as Buckeyes, while Brandon Inniss played his highest offensive snap count so far as a Buckeye as he played 34 snaps as Ohio State’s slot receiver.
Defensively, Devin Sanchez made his first career start at cornerback and played 66 snaps, more than twice as many snaps as he had previously played in a game so far in his freshman year, as Jermaine Mathews Jr. moved inside to nickel and played a season-high 67 snaps. Jaylen McClain played a career-high and Caleb Downs tied his career-high as a Buckeye as both of them played 72 snaps at safety. Caden Curry (60), Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (51), Tywone Malone Jr. (46) and Kayden McDonald (39) – along with No. 3 defensive tackle Will Smith Jr. (31) and No. 4 defensive end Zion Grady (13) – all played career-high snap counts along the defensive line.
Even with all of those starters seeing extensive action, 60 of the 74 Buckeyes who made the trip to Illinois as a part of their travel roster saw playing time on offense, defense and/or special teams against the Fighting Illini, as Ohio State earned a decisive 34-16 win in Champaign to improve to 6-0.
We’ve compiled all the snap counts from Ohio State’s win over Illinois, courtesy of Pro Football Focus, with some additional insight on each offensive and defensive position group and special teams unit below.
Quarterbacks
Julian Sayin: 65
For the third time this season, Sayin took all of Ohio State’s offensive snaps at quarterback. On a career-high 65 snaps, he completed 19 of 27 passing attempts for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Running Backs
CJ Donaldson: 31
Bo Jackson: 20
James Peoples: 13
Isaiah West: 3
Jackson made his second consecutive start at running back, but played only sparingly in the second half as he nursed an ankle injury, though Ryan Day said the freshman could have played more if the game had been closer.
Donaldson played his highest snap count since the season opener as a result and had a game-high 13 carries for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
West made his third game appearance as a Buckeye in the fourth quarter, carrying the ball on three straight plays on four combined yards.
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith: 50
Carnell Tate: 50
Brandon Inniss: 34
Mylan Graham: 8
David Adolph: Special teams only
Quincy Porter: Special teams only
Inniss played a career-high 34 snaps as Ohio State’s No. 3 receiver against Illinois, catching two passes for 14 yards.
With Bryson Rodgers sidelined by injury for a second straight game, Graham was the only backup wide receiver to see action on offense. He did not receive any targets.
Tight Ends
Will Kacmarek: 43
Max Klare: 36
Bennett Christian: 20
Jelani Thurman: 9
Nate Roberts: 8
Kacmarek, who had one catch for seven yards, played the most snaps among tight ends for the fourth time in six games this season. Klare played his second-highest snap count so far as a Buckeye and caught four passes for 38 yards. As they have all season, the Buckeyes played deep into their depth chart at tight end, mixing in five different players at the position.
Offensive Linemen
Phillip Daniels: 65
Carson Hinzman: 65
Luke Montgomery: 65
Austin Siereveld: 65
Tegra Tshabola: 51
Joshua Padilla: 14
Ian Moore: Special teams only
Ethan Onianwa: Special teams only
Justin Terry: Special teams only
Gabe VanSickle: Special teams only
Padilla rotated in with Tshabola at right guard for the second game in a row. Ohio State’s starting offensive line was the same as it’s been all year with Siereveld at left tackle, Montgomery at left guard, Hinzman at center, Tshabola at right guard and Daniels at right tackle.
| Pos | Player | TEXAS | GSU | OHIO | WASH | MINN | ILL | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | JULIAN SAYIN | 59 | 32 | 62 | 64 | 48 | 65 | 330 |
| QB | LINCOLN KIENHOLZ | 0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 34 |
| QB | TAVIEN ST. CLAIR | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| RB | C.J. DONALDSON | 42 | 17 | 28 | 19 | 10 | 31 | 147 |
| RB | BO JACKSON | 0 | 17 | 16 | 30 | 28 | 20 | 111 |
| RB | JAMES PEOPLES | 20 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 13 | 111 |
| RB | ISAIAH WEST | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 15 |
| RB | SAM DIXON | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| WR | JEREMIAH SMITH | 57 | 30 | 57 | 56 | 43 | 50 | 293 |
| WR | CARNELL TATE | 46 | 31 | 54 | 51 | 40 | 50 | 272 |
| WR | BRANDON INNISS | 23 | 16 | 32 | 22 | 24 | 34 | 151 |
| WR | MYLAN GRAHAM | 0 | 34 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 8 | 65 |
| WR | QUINCY PORTER | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 35 |
| WR | BRYSON RODGERS | 0 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| WR | DAVID ADOLPH | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| WR | PHILLIP BELL | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| TE | WILL KACMAREK | 48 | 9 | 50 | 47 | 27 | 43 | 224 |
| TE | MAX KLARE | 23 | 20 | 41 | 35 | 29 | 36 | 184 |
| TE | BENNETT CHRISTIAN | 28 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 89 |
| TE | JELANI THURMAN | 7 | 32 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 73 |
| TE | NATE ROBERTS | 1 | 25 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 65 |
| TE | BRODY LENNON | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| OL | CARSON HINZMAN | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 332 |
| OL | LUKE MONTGOMERY | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 332 |
| OL | AUSTIN SIEREVELD | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 332 |
| OL | PHILLIP DANIELS | 59 | 32 | 62 | 64 | 48 | 65 | 330 |
| OL | TEGRA TSHABOLA | 44 | 26 | 49 | 64 | 40 | 51 | 274 |
| OL | ETHAN ONIANWA | 15 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 65 |
| OL | JOSHUA PADILLA | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 14 | 53 |
| OL | IAN MOORE | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 32 |
| OL | JUSTIN TERRY | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 30 |
| OL | GABE VANSICKLE | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 30 |
| OL | DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | JAKE COOK | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | CARTER LOWE | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | JAYVON McFADDEN | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | ISAIAH KEMA | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| OL | SIMON LORENTZ | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Defensive Ends
Caden Curry: 60
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 51
Beau Atkinson: 24
Zion Grady: 13
Logan George: 3
Joshua Mickens: 2
Epi Sitanilei: 2
Curry and Jackson both played career-high snap counts as Ohio State’s starting defensive ends. Curry was on the field for all but 14 of the Buckeyes’ defensive plays and recorded two tackles with a sack while Jackson recorded 1.5 tackles for loss.
Grady, who was Ohio State’s No. 4 defensive end for the second game in a row as C.J. Hicks didn’t make the trip due to his redshirt plans, also played his highest snap count yet as a Buckeye.
Mickens and Sitanilei made their fourth game appearances of the season while George made his third as each of them saw late-game action.
Defensive Tackles
Tywone Malone Jr.: 46
Kayden McDonald: 39
Will Smith Jr.: 31
Jason Moore: 13
Jarquez Carter: 5
With Eddrick Houston unavailable for the game, Malone, McDonald and Smith all played career-high snap counts against Illinois.
In his fourth consecutive start at 3-technique, Malone recorded four total tackles – his most as a Buckeye – including a crucial tackle on a shovel pass at the 1-yard line as part of a field goal-forcing goal line stand.
This tackle by Tywone Malone Jr. @ohiostatefb pic.twitter.com/40Sf3us5MZ
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 11, 2025
McDonald played 39 defensive snaps – one more than he played in Ohio State’s season opener against Texas – and made three tackles with a forced fumble when he stole the ball out of Illinois running back Ca’Lil Valentine’s hands.
The ball is out and the Buckeyes have it! @OhioStateFB makes another big play on defense pic.twitter.com/laCWFA6hfC
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 11, 2025
Smith rotated with McDonald at nose tackle throughout the game while also playing occasional snaps at 3-technique. He recorded two tackles.
Moore, who was unavailable for four of Ohio State’s first four games of the season due to injuries, played his first 13 snaps of the year as the Buckeyes’ No. 4 DT vs. Illinois. He also recorded two tackles.
Carter, the only other defensive tackle who made the trip to Illinois, saw his only action of the game in the fourth quarter.
Linebackers
Sonny Styles: 69
Arvell Reese: 64
Payton Pierce: 22
Riley Pettijohn: 2
TJ Alford: Special teams only
Garrett Stover: Special teams only
Joey Velazquez: Special teams only
While Styles was on the field for all but five of Ohio State’s defensive snaps and Reese was in the game for all but 10, Pierce played more than 20 snaps for the second game in a row as the Buckeyes used a healthy dose of 4-3 packages once again. Styles led the Buckeyes with 10 tackles, Reese had nine tackles with 1.5 sacks and Pierce made four tackles with his first career interception.
LUKE ALTMYER IS PICKED OFF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 11, 2025
The @OhioStateFB defense forces Luke Altmyer's first INT of the season @ATTBusiness pic.twitter.com/q3hCaa4Pt0
Pettijohn, the only other linebacker to see action on defense against Illinois, played his only two snaps of the game in the fourth quarter after Ohio State had built a 34-10 lead.
Cornerbacks
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 67
Devin Sanchez: 66
Davison Igbinosun: 53
Aaron Scott Jr.: 19
Bryce West: 5
Miles Lockhart: 2
With Lorenzo Styles Jr. unavailable due to injury, Mathews moved inside to nickel for the majority of his 67 snaps – tying his season-high – against Illinois. Despite playing in a different role than usual, Mathews had a standout performance, forcing two turnovers with a tip that set up Pierce’s interception and a forced fumble on a strip sack that Curry recovered.
ANOTHER FUMBLE AND OHIO STATE HAS IT AGAIN@OhioStateFB continues to be unstoppable on defense pic.twitter.com/Fi1hUANGcx
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 11, 2025
With Mathews playing in the slot, Sanchez made his first career start at outside cornerback and was in the game for all but eight of Ohio State’s defensive plays. He recorded five tackles and one pass breakup.
Igbinosun, who made his 34th consecutive start since transferring to Ohio State, was the first starter to check out of the game on defense, as Ohio State gave Scott the opportunity to play most of the fourth quarter in Igbinosun’s place. Igbinosun was dominant for his 53 snaps in the game, allowing just one catch for six yards on seven targets with four pass breakups – prompting a confident quote from the Ohio State CB after the game.
West and Lockhart played their only snaps of the game in the fourth quarter.
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 72
Jaylen McClain: 72
Leroy Roker III: 9
Faheem Delane: 2
Keenan Nelson Jr.: Special teams only
Ryan Rudzinski: Special teams only
Downs and McClain played the most snaps of any Buckeyes against Illinois as both starting safeties were on the field for all but two snaps against the Illini. Downs recorded nine tackles while McClain made three.
Roker joined Downs and McClain on the field for seven snaps as a sixth defensive back in dime packages while he also played two late-game snaps in place of Downs at free safety. Delane played two late-game snaps at strong safety.
| Pos | Player | TEXAS | GSU | OHIO | WASH | MINN | ILL | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | CADEN CURRY | 59 | 25 | 30 | 47 | 38 | 60 | 259 |
| DE | KENYATTA JACKSON JR. | 34 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 13 | 51 | 200 |
| DE | BEAU ATKINSON | 35 | 11 | 22 | 18 | 28 | 24 | 138 |
| DE | C.J. HICKS | 19 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| DE | ZION GRADY | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 13 | 38 |
| DE | JOSHUA MICKENS | 0 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 28 |
| DE | LOGAN GEORGE | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 19 |
| DE | EPI SITANILEI | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
| DE | DOMINIC KIRKS | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| DT | KAYDEN McDONALD | 38 | 18 | 18 | 33 | 24 | 39 | 170 |
| DT | TYWONE MALONE JR. | 14 | 13 | 18 | 30 | 19 | 46 | 140 |
| DT | WILL SMITH JR. | 16 | 18 | 22 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 118 |
| DT | EDDRICK HOUSTON | 39 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 17 | 0 | 96 |
| DT | JARQUEZ CARTER | 3 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 43 |
| DT | JASON MOORE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| DT | ERIC MENSAH | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| DT | TRAJEN ODOM | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| LB | SONNY STYLES | 57 | 20 | 48 | 52 | 45 | 69 | 291 |
| LB | ARVELL REESE | 64 | 22 | 41 | 52 | 41 | 64 | 284 |
| LB | PAYTON PIERCE | 15 | 25 | 20 | 7 | 24 | 22 | 113 |
| LB | RILEY PETTIJOHN | 0 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 35 |
| LB | TARVOS ALFORD | 0 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23 |
| LB | GARRETT STOVER | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| LB | ELI LEE | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| LB | JOEY VELAZQUEZ | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| CB | JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. | 67 | 32 | 43 | 52 | 46 | 67 | 307 |
| CB | DAVISON IGBINOSUN | 67 | 32 | 43 | 52 | 46 | 53 | 293 |
| CB | DEVIN SANCHEZ | 11 | 23 | 27 | 10 | 15 | 66 | 153 |
| CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | 0 | 23 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 60 |
| CB | BRYCE WEST | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 33 |
| CB | MILES LOCKHART | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| S | JAYLEN McCLAIN | 67 | 32 | 48 | 52 | 46 | 72 | 317 |
| S | CALEB DOWNS | 67 | 31 | 46 | 52 | 46 | 72 | 314 |
| S | LORENZO STYLES JR. | 65 | 28 | 24 | 45 | 27 | 0 | 189 |
| S | FAHEEM DELANE | 0 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 38 |
| S | MALIK HARTFORD | 0 | 22 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
| S | LEROY ROKER III | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 22 |
Field Goals/Extra Points
Jayden Fielding (kicker): 6
Joe McGuire (holder): 6
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 6
Will Kacmarek: 6
Ian Moore: 6
Ethan Onianwa: 6
Joshua Padilla: 6
Justin Terry: 6
Jelani Thurman: 6
Tegra Tshabola: 6
Gabe VanSickle: 6
Fielding made both of his field goal attempts and all four of his extra point attempts at Illinois. The Buckeyes made no changes to their field goal team lineup from the Minnesota game.
Kickoffs
Jayden Fielding (kicker): 7
Tarvos Alford: 7
Faheem Delane: 7
Riley Pettijohn: 7
Payton Pierce: 7
Leroy Roker III: 7
Aaron Scott Jr.: 7
Garrett Stover: 7
Joey Velazquez: 7
Bryce West: 7
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 4
Keenan Nelson Jr.: 3
Ohio State used the same 11 players on its primary kickoff coverage unit against Illinois as it did against Minnesota. Stover and West each made tackles inside the 20-yard line on kickoffs and shared Ohio State’s special teams player of the game award as a result.
Special Teams : @bryvonny pic.twitter.com/M2K6nb2tdF
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 12, 2025
Special Teams : @GarrettStover2 pic.twitter.com/A6CivdhITu
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 12, 2025
Kickoff Returns
Brandon Inniss (returner): 4
David Adolph: 4
Bo Jackson: 3
Miles Lockhart: 3
Riley Pettijohn: 3
Payton Pierce: 3
Nate Roberts: 3
Leroy Roker III: 3
Ryan Rudzinski: 3
Jelani Thurman: 3
Joey Velazquez: 3
Bennett Christian: 1
Caden Curry: 1
CJ Donaldson: 1
Caleb Downs: 1
Will Kacmarek: 1
Max Klare: 1
Jeremiah Smith: 1
Sonny Styles: 1
Carnell Tate: 1
Inniss continued to serve as Ohio State’s primary kickoff returner vs. Illinois and had a 37-yard runback for the longest kick return of his career. He also successfully fielded Illinois’ fourth-quarter onside kick attempt as a member of the Buckeyes’ hands team.
Punts
Joe McGuire (punter): 4
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 4
Caden Curry: 4
Jaylen McClain: 4
Payton Pierce: 4
Arvell Reese: 4
Leroy Roker III: 4
Sonny Styles: 4
Jelani Thurman: 4
Devin Sanchez: 3
Bryce West: 3
Brandon Inniss: 1
Aaron Scott Jr.: 1
McGuire’s punting continued to draw scrutiny as just one of his four punts went longer than 40 yards – and that was a punt that actually should have been kicked shorter, as he booted the ball into the end zone from the 41-yard line for a touchback.
Punt Returns
Brandon Inniss (returner): 3
Caden Curry: 3
Jaylen McClain: 3
David Adolph: 2
Riley Pettijohn: 2
Payton Pierce: 2
Quincy Porter: 2
Nate Roberts: 2
Leroy Roker III: 2
Devin Sanchez: 2
Bryce West: 2
Caleb Downs: 1
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 1
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 1
Kayden McDonald: 1
Arvell Reese: 1
Aaron Scott Jr.: 1
Will Smith Jr.: 1
Sonny Styles: 1
Inniss fielded both of Illinois’ punts but lost two yards on his only return attempt of the day. Ohio State had a defensive lineup on the field in front of Inniss for what should have been Illinois’ second of three punts in the game, but ended up being a 14-yard loss for a turnover on downs as Illinois punter Keelan Crimmins accidentally took a knee while catching the snap.
Field Goal/Extra Point Block
| Rank | Pos | Player | Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LB | PAYTON PIERCE | 83 |
| 2 | K | JAYDEN FIELDING | 69 |
| 3 | S | LEROY ROKER III | 67 |
| 4 | TE | JELANI THURMAN | 61 |
| 5 | LB | JOEY VELAZQUEZ | 54 |
| 6 | LB | RILEY PETTIJOHN | 53 |
| 7 | CB | BRYCE WEST | 52 |
| 8 | P | JOE MCGUIRE | 49 |
| 9 | LS | JOHN FERLMANN | 46 |
| 10 | S | JAYLEN MCCLAIN | 45 |
| 10 | CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | 45 |
Caden Curry: 2
Caleb Downs: 2
Eddrick Houston: 2
Davison Igbinosun: 2
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 2
Jaylen McClain: 2
Payton Pierce: 2
Arvell Reese: 2
Devin Sanchez: 2
Sonny Styles: 2
Kayden McDonald: 1
Will Smith Jr.: 1
Illinois kicker David Olano made his only two kicks of the day, a 24-yard field goal and an extra point.
