A significant number of Buckeyes played the highest snap counts of their careers for the second game in a row against Wisconsin.
Julian Sayin played a career-high 70 snaps at quarterback, Bo Jackson and Isaiah West both played their highest snap counts yet at running back and Brandon Inniss played a career-high in snaps for a second straight week. On the offensive line, Joshua Padilla played a career-high 26 snaps off the bench at right guard and Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery and Phillip Daniels all played 70 snaps in a game as Buckeyes for the first time. Defensively, Payton Pierce played his highest snap count yet as he continued to see routine action with the starters at linebacker.
Altogether, 63 of the 74 players who made the travel roster saw at least one snap of action in Ohio State’s 34-0 win at Camp Randall Stadium.
We’ve compiled all the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams from Ohio State’s win over Wisconsin, courtesy of Pro Football Focus, with some additional insight on each offensive and defensive position group and special teams unit below.
Quarterbacks
Julian Sayin: 70
Lincoln Kienholz: 1
Sayin played a career-high in snaps for the second straight week and also set new highs in completions (36), passing attempts (42) and passing yards (393). Kienholz took his only snap of the day on the game’s final play.
Running Backs
Bo Jackson: 32
C.J. Donaldson: 17
Isaiah West: 14
James Peoples: 10
Jackson played his highest snap count yet against Wisconsin as he was on the field for just under half of Ohio State’s 71 offensive snaps. He had 10 carries for 26 yards and five catches for 57 yards.
Fellow true freshman West, who played just 15 total snaps in Ohio State’s first six games of the season, also played his highest snap count yet against the Badgers and finished the game as Ohio State’s leading rusher, gaining 55 yards on nine carries.
Donaldson tied his second-lowest snap count of the season as he had just two carries, though he caught three passes for 26 yards. Peoples played his lowest snap count of the year and had no rushing attempts, though he caught one pass for five yards.
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith: 57
Carnell Tate: 49
Brandon Inniss: 41
Mylan Graham: 18
Quincy Porter: 13
Phillip Bell: 6
David Adolph: Special teams only
Despite battling an ankle injury that caused him to leave the game limping off the field multiple times, Inniss set a new career-high in snaps for the second game in a row. He also caught his first touchdown of the season on a 13-yard fourth-quarter reception, part of a three-catch, 26-yard day.
ANOTHER dot by Julian Sayin. This one goes to Brandon Inniss for the TD. pic.twitter.com/bGvKa0i6C3
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) October 18, 2025
Graham and Porter both played double-digit snaps for the third time this season – and their second-highest snap count of the year – as the Buckeyes mixed each of their top two backup receivers in with the first-team offense more than they had in previous games this year. Porter caught two passes for 30 yards while Graham had one reception for 10 yards.
Smith also tied his season-high with 57 snaps and tied his career-high with nine receptions, which went for 97 yards. Tate played 49 snaps despite leaving the game briefly with an apparent ankle injury of his own and was the Buckeyes’ top playmaker on the day, catching six passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
CARNELL TATEpic.twitter.com/2tdBW0w33O
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 18, 2025
Bell saw playing time on offense for the second time this season as the true freshman from California got in for six snaps in the fourth quarter.
Tight Ends
Max Klare: 35
Will Kacmarek: 33
Bennett Christian: 15
Jelani Thurman: 10
Nate Roberts: 5
Klare played the most snaps among tight ends for the second time in three games and caught five passes for 29 yards. Kacmarek joined Klare in playing more than 30 snaps and caught one pass for a 2-yard touchdown, his second score of the year.
Ohio State used five tight ends on offense as it has in every game this season except the Ohio game, which Christian missed due to injury.
Offensive Linemen
Austin Siereveld: 70
Luke Montgomery: 70
Carson Hinzman: 70
Phillip Daniels: 70
Tegra Tshabola: 44
Joshua Padilla: 26
Ian Moore: 1
Gabe VanSickle: 1
Jake Cook: 1
Ethan Onianwa: 1
Justin Terry: 1
Padilla rotated in at right guard for the second game in a row and played just 18 fewer snaps than Tshabola, who’s started every game at RG dating back to the start of last season but continues to face competition for his job as he’s struggled with penalties and been inconsistent as a blocker.
Ohio State’s other four starters on the offensive line – Siereveld at left tackle, Montgomery at left guard, Hinzman at center and Daniels at right guard – played every snap until the final play of the game, when they were replaced by a second-team offensive line of Moore, VanSickle, Cook, Onianwa and Terry for the Buckeyes’ final kneeldown. Cook, who made his second game appearance as a Buckeye, played his first career snap after seeing action at left guard against Grambling State.
| Pos | Player | TEXAS | GSU | OHIO | WASH | MINN | ILL | WIS | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | JULIAN SAYIN | 59 | 32 | 62 | 64 | 48 | 65 | 70 | 400 |
| QB | LINCOLN KIENHOLZ | 0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 35 |
| QB | TAVIEN ST. CLAIR | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| RB | C.J. DONALDSON | 42 | 17 | 28 | 19 | 10 | 31 | 17 | 164 |
| RB | BO JACKSON | 0 | 17 | 16 | 30 | 28 | 20 | 32 | 143 |
| RB | JAMES PEOPLES | 20 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 121 |
| RB | ISAIAH WEST | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 29 |
| RB | SAM DIXON | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| WR | JEREMIAH SMITH | 57 | 30 | 57 | 56 | 43 | 50 | 57 | 350 |
| WR | CARNELL TATE | 46 | 31 | 54 | 51 | 40 | 50 | 49 | 321 |
| WR | BRANDON INNISS | 23 | 16 | 32 | 22 | 24 | 34 | 41 | 192 |
| WR | MYLAN GRAHAM | 0 | 34 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 83 |
| WR | QUINCY PORTER | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 48 |
| WR | PHILLIP BELL | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 18 |
| WR | BRYSON RODGERS | 0 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| WR | DAVID ADOLPH | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| TE | WILL KACMAREK | 48 | 9 | 50 | 47 | 27 | 43 | 33 | 257 |
| TE | MAX KLARE | 23 | 20 | 41 | 35 | 29 | 36 | 35 | 219 |
| TE | BENNETT CHRISTIAN | 28 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 104 |
| TE | JELANI THURMAN | 7 | 32 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 83 |
| TE | NATE ROBERTS | 1 | 25 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 70 |
| TE | BRODY LENNON | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| OL | CARSON HINZMAN | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 70 | 402 |
| OL | LUKE MONTGOMERY | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 70 | 402 |
| OL | AUSTIN SIEREVELD | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 70 | 402 |
| OL | PHILLIP DANIELS | 59 | 32 | 62 | 64 | 48 | 65 | 70 | 400 |
| OL | TEGRA TSHABOLA | 44 | 26 | 49 | 64 | 40 | 51 | 44 | 318 |
| OL | JOSHUA PADILLA | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 14 | 26 | 79 |
| OL | ETHAN ONIANWA | 15 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 66 |
| OL | IAN MOORE | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 33 |
| OL | JUSTIN TERRY | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 31 |
| OL | GABE VANSICKLE | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 31 |
| OL | JAKE COOK | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| OL | DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | CARTER LOWE | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | JAYVON McFADDEN | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | ISAIAH KEMA | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| OL | SIMON LORENTZ | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Defensive Ends
Caden Curry: 35
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 33
Beau Atkinson: 19
Zion Grady: 9
Joshua Mickens: 3
Curry and Jackson were both on the field for the vast majority of Ohio State’s defensive plays until the Buckeyes’ final defensive series against Wisconsin, with Atkinson and Grady rotating in occasionally. Curry and Jackson each recorded a sack vs. the Badgers.
Mickens made his fifth game appearance as he played three snaps on the Badgers’ final drive.
Defensive Tackles
Eddrick Houston: 25
Kayden McDonald: 25
Tywone Malone Jr.: 19
Will Smith Jr.: 5
Jarquez Carter: 4
Jason Moore: 3
Malone made his fifth consecutive start alongside McDonald – and recorded two tackles with a pass breakup – but Houston ended up playing the most snaps among 3-techniques against Wisconsin after missing the Illinois game with an undisclosed injury. Houston and McDonald tied for the most snaps among DTs against Wisconsin, with McDonald recording three tackles and Houston making one.
Smith, on the other hand, played his lowest snap count of the season as he got in the game for just five plays as Ohio State’s No. 2 nose tackle. He recorded one tackle. Carter and Moore saw their playing time late in the game after Ohio State had built a comfortable lead.
Linebackers
Sonny Styles: 36
Payton Pierce: 34
Arvell Reese: 32
Riley Pettijohn: 9
TJ Alford: 8
Garrett Stover: Special teams only
Joey Velazquez: Special teams only
Pierce played a career-high 34 snaps against Wisconsin as he mixed in regularly with the first-team defense for 4-3 packages and occasional snaps in place of either Styles or Reese for the third game in a row. He recorded two tackles.
Styles and Reese played their second-lowest snap counts of the season but were still productive. Reese made four tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack while Styles made two tackles with a TFL plus his first career interception.
Pettijohn and Alford took over as Ohio State’s linebackers for Wisconsin’s final possession of the game. Alford recorded two tackles.
Cornerbacks
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 38
Davison Igbinosun: 38
Devin Sanchez: 27
Aaron Scott Jr.: 10
Bryce West: 9
Miles Lockhart: Special teams only
Igbinosun and Mathews each played every defensive snap until Wisconsin’s final drive, when they were replaced by Scott and West. Mathews played primarily at nickel for the second game in a row as Ohio State held Lorenzo Styles Jr. out as he continues to recover from injury, though Styles was considered available to play.
With Mathews playing inside in three-cornerback lineups, Sanchez took Mathews’ place outside in Ohio State’s base defense and saw extended playing time with the first-team defense for the second game in a row as a result.
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 38
Jaylen McClain: 38
Leroy Roker III: 11
Faheem Delane: 9
Brenten “Inky” Jones: Special teams only
Keenan Nelson Jr.: Special teams only
Ryan Rudzinski: Special teams only
Like Mathews and Igbinosun, Downs and McClain were on the field for every defensive snap until Ohio State’s final defensive series of the game, when they were replaced by Roker and Delane. Roker also played two additional snaps as a sixth defensive back in dime packages.
Downs led the Buckeyes with six tackles for the game. McClain and Delane each made two tackles, with Delane recording one for loss, while Roker made one tackle.
| Pos | Player | TEXAS | GSU | OHIO | WASH | MINN | ILL | WIS | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | CADEN CURRY | 59 | 25 | 30 | 47 | 38 | 60 | 35 | 294 |
| DE | KENYATTA JACKSON JR. | 34 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 13 | 51 | 33 | 233 |
| DE | BEAU ATKINSON | 35 | 11 | 22 | 18 | 28 | 24 | 19 | 157 |
| DE | C.J. HICKS | 19 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| DE | ZION GRADY | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 47 |
| DE | JOSHUA MICKENS | 0 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 31 |
| DE | LOGAN GEORGE | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| DE | EPI SITANILEI | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 17 |
| DE | DOMINIC KIRKS | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| DT | KAYDEN McDONALD | 38 | 18 | 18 | 33 | 24 | 39 | 25 | 195 |
| DT | TYWONE MALONE JR. | 14 | 13 | 18 | 30 | 19 | 46 | 19 | 159 |
| DT | WILL SMITH JR. | 16 | 18 | 22 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 5 | 123 |
| DT | EDDRICK HOUSTON | 39 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 17 | 0 | 25 | 121 |
| DT | JARQUEZ CARTER | 3 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 47 |
| DT | JASON MOORE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 16 |
| DT | ERIC MENSAH | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| DT | TRAJEN ODOM | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| LB | SONNY STYLES | 57 | 20 | 48 | 52 | 45 | 69 | 36 | 327 |
| LB | ARVELL REESE | 64 | 22 | 41 | 52 | 41 | 64 | 32 | 316 |
| LB | PAYTON PIERCE | 15 | 25 | 20 | 7 | 24 | 22 | 34 | 147 |
| LB | RILEY PETTIJOHN | 0 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 44 |
| LB | TJ ALFORD | 0 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 31 |
| LB | GARRETT STOVER | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| LB | ELI LEE | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| LB | JOEY VELAZQUEZ | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| CB | JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. | 67 | 32 | 43 | 52 | 46 | 67 | 38 | 345 |
| CB | DAVISON IGBINOSUN | 67 | 32 | 43 | 52 | 46 | 53 | 38 | 331 |
| CB | DEVIN SANCHEZ | 11 | 23 | 27 | 10 | 15 | 66 | 27 | 180 |
| CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | 0 | 23 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 10 | 70 |
| CB | BRYCE WEST | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 42 |
| CB | MILES LOCKHART | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| S | JAYLEN McCLAIN | 67 | 32 | 48 | 52 | 46 | 72 | 38 | 355 |
| S | CALEB DOWNS | 67 | 31 | 46 | 52 | 46 | 72 | 38 | 352 |
| S | LORENZO STYLES JR. | 65 | 28 | 24 | 45 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 189 |
| S | FAHEEM DELANE | 0 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 47 |
| S | MALIK HARTFORD | 0 | 22 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
| S | LEROY ROKER III | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 33 |
Field Goals/Extra Points
Jayden Fielding (kicker): 7
Joe McGuire (holder): 7
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 7
Ian Moore: 7
Ethan Onianwa: 7
Joshua Padilla: 7
Justin Terry: 7
Jelani Thurman: 7
Tegra Tshabola: 7
Gabe VanSickle: 7
Will Kacmarek: 6
Nate Roberts: 1
Ohio State made no changes to its field goal kicking lineup against Wisconsin except for Fielding’s final extra point, on which Roberts replaced Kacmarek. Fielding went 2-for-3 on field goal attempts against the Badgers, making one and missing one from 38 yards and making one from 37 yards.
Kickoffs
Jayden Fielding (kicker): 7
TJ Alford: 7
Faheem Delane: 7
Riley Pettijohn: 7
Aaron Scott Jr.: 7
Joey Velazquez: 7
Leroy Roker III: 6
Garrett Stover: 6
Bryce West: 6
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 4
Payton Pierce: 4
Keenan Nelson Jr.: 3
Ryan Rudzinski: 3
Miles Lockhart: 2
Brenten “Inky” Jones: 1
Rudzinski, a walk-on safety from Columbus, made the first tackle of his Ohio State career on Wisconsin’s lone kickoff return of the day. Jones, another walk-on defensive back, played his first snap of the season in kickoff coverage after missing the first half of the season due to injury.
Kickoff Returns
Brandon Inniss (returner): 1
David Adolph: 1
CJ Donaldson: 1
Riley Pettijohn: 1
Payton Pierce: 1
Quincy Porter: 1
Nate Roberts: 1
Leroy Roker III: 1
Ryan Rudzinski: 1
Jelani Thurman: 1
Joey Velazquez: 1
Wisconsin’s lone kickoff of the game went for a touchback.
Punts
| Rank | Pos | Player | Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LB | PAYTON PIERCE | 95 |
| 2 | K | JAYDEN FIELDING | 83 |
| 3 | S | LEROY ROKER III | 79 |
| 4 | LB | RILEY PETTIJOHN | 70 |
| 4 | TE | JELANI THURMAN | 70 |
| 6 | CB | BRYCE WEST | 65 |
| 7 | LB | JOEY VELAZQUEZ | 62 |
| 8 | P | JOE MCGUIRE | 57 |
| 9 | CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | 56 |
| 10 | LS | JOHN FERLMANN | 54 |
Joe McGuire (punter): 1
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 1
Caden Curry: 1
Caleb Downs: 1
Jaylen McClain: 1
Payton Pierce: 1
Arvell Reese: 1
Devin Sanchez: 1
Sonny Styles: 1
Jelani Thurman: 1
Bryce West: 1
McGuire hit a 42-yard punt on Ohio State’s lone punt of the game.
Punt Returns
Brandon Inniss (returner): 8
Jaylen McClain: 8
Caden Curry: 7
David Adolph: 6
Riley Pettijohn: 6
Payton Pierce: 6
Nate Roberts: 6
Bryce West: 6
Quincy Porter: 5
Leroy Roker III: 5
Devin Sanchez: 4
Aaron Scott Jr.: 4
Arvell Reese: 3
Caleb Downs: 2
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 2
Tywone Malone Jr.: 2
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 2
Kayden McDonald: 2
Sonny Styles: 2
Quincy Porter: 1
Garrett Stover: 1
Inniss had three punt returns for 38 yards against Wisconsin, the most punt return yards he’s had in a game since he had four returns for 60 yards in his debut as Ohio State’s punt returner against Akron in the 2024 season opener.
Field Goal/Extra Point Block
None
Wisconsin attempted no field goals or extra points as Ohio State’s defense earned its second shutout of 2025.
