Ohio State’s starters saw most of the action on both sides of the ball against Penn State.
Defensively, all 11 starters played at least 35 snaps against the Nittany Lions, with defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (56) and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald (42) playing the highest snap counts of their careers. The only backups to play 20 or more snaps were linebacker Payton Pierce and defensive tackle Eddrick Houston.
Offensively, all 11 starters played at least 26 snaps while the only non-starter to play 20 or more snaps were tight end Bennett Christian and wide receiver Brandon Inniss, with Will Kacmarek and Max Klare both starting the game at tight end.
Overall, 60 total players saw action against Penn State as 24 Buckeyes got in the game on offense, 18 Buckeyes got in the game on defense and another 18 played on special teams only.
We compiled all of the snap counts from Ohio State’s 38-14 win over Penn State, courtesy of Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics, with some additional analysis below on who played and what they did for every offensive, defensive and special teams unit.
Quarterbacks
Julian Sayin: 57
For the fourth time this season, Sayin played every snap of the game at quarterback as Ohio State never took its starters completely out of the game. He attempted passes on just 23 of his 57 snaps but completed 20 of those 23 attempts for 316 yards and four touchdowns – emerging as the Heisman frontrunner in the process.
Running Backs
Bo Jackson: 26
C.J. Donaldson: 15
James Peoples: 11
Isaiah West: 9
Just as it did against Wisconsin, Ohio State used a four-man running back rotation against Penn State.
Jackson continued to separate himself as the Buckeyes’ best running back as he rushed for 105 yards on 13 carries, highlighted by a 51-yard gallop.
An EXPLOSIVE 51-yard run by Bo Jackson @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/YKUMOKCJbX
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Donaldson was the second running back into the game and played the second-most snaps among Ohio State RBs for a second straight week, carrying the ball seven times for 17 yards with a touchdown and a fumble.
West was the third running back to see action against Penn State and played most of the Buckeyes’ second drive, but the true freshman played only sparingly for the remainder of the game after that, finishing with four carries for 13 yards.
Although he was the fourth running back to see action against Penn State, Peoples played double-digit snaps as he has in every game this season, gaining 19 yards on four carries and adding a 4-yard catch.
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith: 43
Carnell Tate: 39
Brandon Inniss: 20
Mylan Graham: 8
Bryson Rodgers: 3
David Adolph: 2
After Inniss played career-high snap counts in back-to-back games, he played his second-lowest snap count of the season against Penn State as the Buckeyes went back to using a heavier dose of multi-tight end formations vs. the Nittany Lions. Even so, he had a career-high four receptions for a season-high 41 yards.
Smith and Tate were both on the field for a majority of Ohio State’s offensive plays and both had huge games; Smith caught six passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while Tate made five catches for 124 yards and one score.
Graham was the first receiver off the bench as he has been all season, but played just eight snaps and received no targets. Rodgers played three snaps as he returned from a three-game absence due to an undisclosed injury. Adolph was the only other backup receiver to see playing time as Quincy Porter was out for the game due to an unspecified injury.
Tight Ends
Will Kacmarek: 44
Max Klare: 26
Bennett Christian: 23
Nate Roberts: 9
Jelani Thurman: 7
Kacmarek played the most snaps of any offensive skill-position player (not including Sayin) against Penn State while Christian played his second-highest snap count of the season as the Buckeyes used multiple tight ends on a majority of their plays against the Nittany Lions. Christian caught two passes in a game for the first time in his Ohio State career, with the second of those catches going for a 1-yard touchdown, his first of the season.
Too easy for Sayin and Christian @OhioStateFB adds on another in the second half pic.twitter.com/xHYZc4mP8Y
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Ohio State has now used at least five tight ends in every game this season except for its third game of the year against Ohio, which Christian missed due to injury.
Offensive Linemen
Austin Siereveld: 57
Carson Hinzman: 57
Phillip Daniels: 57
Luke Montgomery: 54
Tegra Tshabola: 48
Joshua Padilla: 8
Gabe VanSickle: 3
Jake Cook: 1
Ian Moore: Special teams only
Ethan Onianwa: Special teams only
Justin Terry: Special teams only
Padilla rotated in with Tshabola at right guard for the fourth game in a row, but played only eight snaps in the first half and did not play in the second half; he made a trip to the medical tent after getting rolled up on from behind on Donaldson’s fumble late in the first half, though he remained on the sideline.
Siereveld and Daniels played every snap of the game as Ohio State’s left and right tackle and Hinzman did the same at center. Montgomery and Tshabola each left the game with what appeared to be minor injuries on the game’s final drive. VanSickle replaced Montgomery at left guard for the game’s final three plays, while Cook replaced Tshabola at right guard for the Buckeyes’ final kneeldown.
| Pos | Player | TEXAS | GSU | OHIO | WASH | MINN | ILL | WIS | PSU | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | JULIAN SAYIN | 59 | 32 | 62 | 64 | 48 | 65 | 70 | 57 | 457 |
| QB | LINCOLN KIENHOLZ | 0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 |
| QB | TAVIEN ST. CLAIR | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| RB | C.J. DONALDSON | 42 | 17 | 28 | 19 | 10 | 31 | 17 | 15 | 179 |
| RB | BO JACKSON | 0 | 17 | 16 | 30 | 28 | 20 | 32 | 26 | 169 |
| RB | JAMES PEOPLES | 20 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 132 |
| RB | ISAIAH WEST | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 38 |
| RB | SAM DIXON | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| WR | JEREMIAH SMITH | 57 | 30 | 57 | 56 | 43 | 50 | 57 | 43 | 393 |
| WR | CARNELL TATE | 46 | 31 | 54 | 51 | 40 | 50 | 49 | 39 | 360 |
| WR | BRANDON INNISS | 23 | 16 | 32 | 22 | 24 | 34 | 41 | 20 | 212 |
| WR | MYLAN GRAHAM | 0 | 34 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 91 |
| WR | QUINCY PORTER | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 48 |
| WR | BRYSON RODGERS | 0 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
| WR | PHILLIP BELL | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 18 |
| WR | DAVID ADOLPH | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
| TE | WILL KACMAREK | 48 | 9 | 50 | 47 | 27 | 43 | 33 | 44 | 301 |
| TE | MAX KLARE | 23 | 20 | 41 | 35 | 29 | 36 | 35 | 26 | 245 |
| TE | BENNETT CHRISTIAN | 28 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 23 | 127 |
| TE | JELANI THURMAN | 7 | 32 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 90 |
| TE | NATE ROBERTS | 1 | 25 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 79 |
| TE | BRODY LENNON | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| OL | CARSON HINZMAN | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 70 | 57 | 459 |
| OL | AUSTIN SIEREVELD | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 70 | 57 | 459 |
| OL | PHILLIP DANIELS | 59 | 32 | 62 | 64 | 48 | 65 | 70 | 57 | 457 |
| OL | LUKE MONTGOMERY | 59 | 32 | 63 | 64 | 49 | 65 | 70 | 54 | 456 |
| OL | TEGRA TSHABOLA | 44 | 26 | 49 | 64 | 40 | 51 | 44 | 48 | 366 |
| OL | JOSHUA PADILLA | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 14 | 26 | 8 | 87 |
| OL | ETHAN ONIANWA | 15 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 66 |
| OL | GABE VANSICKLE | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 34 |
| OL | IAN MOORE | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 |
| OL | JUSTIN TERRY | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 |
| OL | JAKE COOK | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| OL | DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | CARTER LOWE | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | JAYVON McFADDEN | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| OL | ISAIAH KEMA | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| OL | SIMON LORENTZ | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Defensive Ends
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 56
Caden Curry: 53
Beau Atkinson: 14
Zion Grady: 2
Jackson played a career-high 56 snaps as he was on the field for all but five of Ohio State’s defensive plays against Penn State. He took advantage with the most impactful game of his Buckeye career, recording four total tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, plus a pass breakup.
Because Jackson and Curry rarely rotated out of the game, Atkinson played his second-lowest snap count of the season as Ohio State’s No. 3 defensive end. Grady got in the game for a pair of snaps as an extra defensive end on third-down Rushmen packages.
Defensive Tackles
Kayden McDonald: 42
Tywone Malone Jr.: 35
Eddrick Houston: 20
Will Smith Jr.: 17
Jason Moore: 1
McDonald also set a new career-high in snaps played as he played more than 40 snaps as Ohio State’s starting nose tackle for the first time. He recorded eight tackles, tying his career-high, which was previously set in the Buckeyes’ season opener vs. Texas.
Malone made his sixth consecutive start at 3-technique and played his second-highest snap count of the season, recording three tackles with one quarterback hit.
Houston and Smith were the only other defensive tackles to see regular playing time vs. Penn State. Moore played his only snap of the game on a goal-line play, with four defensive tackles on the field; the Bear front proved unsuccessful, as Kaytron Allen was able to get the ball across the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown.
PENN STATE PUNCHES IT IN AND WE HAVE A 3-POINT GAME @PennStateFball has scored the most points in the first half vs Ohio State this season pic.twitter.com/DGzM3Phhlr
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Linebackers
Arvell Reese: 61
Sonny Styles: 61
Payton Pierce: 22
TJ Alford: Special teams only
Riley Pettijohn: Special teams only
Garrett Stover: Special teams only
Joey Velazquez: Special teams only
Reese and Styles were two of three Buckeye defenders to play all 61 of Ohio State’s defensive snaps against Penn State. Reese recorded 12 total tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss while Styles had six tackles with a pass breakup and a quarterback hit.
Pierce played more than 20 snaps for the fourth game in a row as the Buckeyes had three linebackers on the field for more than a third of their defensive plays. He recorded two tackles.
Cornerbacks
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 60
Davison Igbinosun: 51
Devin Sanchez: 16
Miles Lockhart: Special teams only
Aaron Scott Jr.: Special teams only
Bryce West: Special teams only
Mathews played every defensive snap but one against Penn State (the aforementioned goal-line play where Ohio State used a Bear front). Igbinosun was on the field for all but 10 plays, with Sanchez occasionally taking his place in the lineup in addition to playing six snaps in dime packages as a sixth defensive back.
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 61
Jaylen McClain: 60
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 39
Faheem Delane: Special teams only
Brenten “Inky” Jones: Special teams only
Keenan Nelson Jr.: Special teams only
Leroy Roker III: Special teams only
Ryan Rudzinski: Special teams only
Downs played all 61 of Ohio State’s defensive snaps against Penn State, narrowly avoiding a targeting ejection on Penn State’s final drive that could have knocked him out of the game early. He recorded five tackles with one tackle for loss and intercepted Ethan Grunkemeyer on Ohio State’s final defensive play of the game.
CALEB DOWNS INTERCEPTION IN THE END ZONE @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/qeTy6ztlqH
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
McClain was on the field for all but the aforementioned goal-line play and recorded five tackles vs. the Nittany Lions.
Styles returned to the lineup after missing Ohio State’s previous two games with an injury and was on the field for every play that the Buckeyes had at least five defensive backs in the game. He recorded one tackle in his return to action.
| Pos | Player | TEXAS | GSU | OHIO | WASH | MINN | ILL | WIS | PSU | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | CADEN CURRY | 59 | 25 | 30 | 47 | 38 | 60 | 35 | 53 | 347 |
| DE | KENYATTA JACKSON JR. | 34 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 13 | 51 | 33 | 56 | 289 |
| DE | BEAU ATKINSON | 35 | 11 | 22 | 18 | 28 | 24 | 19 | 14 | 171 |
| DE | C.J. HICKS | 19 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| DE | ZION GRADY | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 49 |
| DE | JOSHUA MICKENS | 0 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 31 |
| DE | LOGAN GEORGE | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| DE | EPI SITANILEI | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| DE | DOMINIC KIRKS | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| DT | KAYDEN McDONALD | 38 | 18 | 18 | 33 | 24 | 39 | 25 | 42 | 237 |
| DT | TYWONE MALONE JR. | 14 | 13 | 18 | 30 | 19 | 46 | 19 | 35 | 194 |
| DT | EDDRICK HOUSTON | 39 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 17 | 0 | 25 | 20 | 141 |
| DT | WILL SMITH JR. | 16 | 18 | 22 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 5 | 17 | 140 |
| DT | JARQUEZ CARTER | 3 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 47 |
| DT | JASON MOORE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 17 |
| DT | ERIC MENSAH | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| DT | TRAJEN ODOM | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| LB | SONNY STYLES | 57 | 20 | 48 | 52 | 45 | 69 | 36 | 61 | 388 |
| LB | ARVELL REESE | 64 | 22 | 41 | 52 | 41 | 64 | 32 | 61 | 377 |
| LB | PAYTON PIERCE | 15 | 25 | 20 | 7 | 24 | 22 | 34 | 22 | 169 |
| LB | RILEY PETTIJOHN | 0 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 44 |
| LB | TJ ALFORD | 0 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 31 |
| LB | GARRETT STOVER | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| LB | ELI LEE | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| LB | JOEY VELAZQUEZ | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| CB | JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. | 67 | 32 | 43 | 52 | 46 | 67 | 38 | 60 | 405 |
| CB | DAVISON IGBINOSUN | 67 | 32 | 43 | 52 | 46 | 53 | 38 | 51 | 382 |
| CB | DEVIN SANCHEZ | 11 | 23 | 27 | 10 | 15 | 66 | 27 | 16 | 196 |
| CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | 0 | 23 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 10 | 0 | 70 |
| CB | BRYCE WEST | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 42 |
| CB | MILES LOCKHART | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| S | JAYLEN McCLAIN | 67 | 32 | 48 | 52 | 46 | 72 | 38 | 60 | 415 |
| S | CALEB DOWNS | 67 | 31 | 46 | 52 | 46 | 72 | 38 | 61 | 413 |
| S | LORENZO STYLES JR. | 65 | 28 | 24 | 45 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 228 |
| S | FAHEEM DELANE | 0 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 47 |
| S | MALIK HARTFORD | 0 | 22 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
| S | LEROY ROKER III | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 33 |
Field Goals/Extra Points
Jayden Fielding (kicker): 6
Joe McGuire (holder): 6
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 6
Ian Moore: 6
Ethan Onianwa: 6
Justin Terry: 6
Jelani Thurman: 6
Tegra Tshabola: 6
Gabe VanSickle: 6
Will Kacmarek: 6
Luke Montgomery: 3
Joshua Padilla: 3
Montgomery replaced Padilla on the field goal unit for the second half. Otherwise, the unit’s lineup remained the same from previous games, with Fielding making his only field goal attempt of the day (22 yards) and all five of his extra points.
Kickoffs
Jayden Fielding (kicker): 7
TJ Alford: 7
Faheem Delane: 7
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 7
Riley Pettijohn: 7
Payton Pierce: 7
Leroy Roker III: 7
Aaron Scott Jr.: 7
Garrett Stover: 7
Joey Velazquez: 7
Bryce West: 7
Ohio State used the same 11 players on all seven of its kickoffs against Penn State. All three of Penn State’s kickoff return attempts were stopped inside the 25-yard line, including one that bounced straight up inside the 5-yard line, forcing the Nittany Lions to field the kick and enabling Pettijohn to tackle Penn State returner Corey Smith at the 13-yard line.
Kickoff Returns
Brandon Inniss (returner): 3
David Adolph: 3
Miles Lockhart: 3
Riley Pettijohn: 3
Payton Pierce: 3
Nate Roberts: 3
Leroy Roker III: 3
Ryan Rudzinski: 3
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 3
Jelani Thurman: 3
Joey Velazquez: 3
Styles returned to the kickoff return unit as Ohio State’s secondary returner while Lockhart took the place of Quincy Porter on the blocking team. Inniss did not return any of Penn State’s three kickoffs.
Punts
| Rank | Pos | Player | Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LB | PAYTON PIERCE | 112 |
| 2 | K | JAYDEN FIELDING | 96 |
| 3 | S | LEROY ROKER III | 93 |
| 4 | LB | RILEY PETTIJOHN | 84 |
| 5 | TE | JELANI THURMAN | 79 |
| 6 | LB | JOEY VELAZQUEZ | 72 |
| 7 | CB | BRYCE WEST | 71 |
| 8 | P | JOE MCGUIRE | 64 |
| 9 | CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | 63 |
| 10 | DE | CADEN CURRY | 61 |
| 10 | LS | JOHN FERLMANN | 61 |
Joe McGuire (punter): 1
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 1
Bennett Christian: 1
Caden Curry: 1
Caleb Downs: 1
Jaylen McClain: 1
Payton Pierce: 1
Arvell Reese: 1
Bryson Rodgers: 1
Sonny Styles: 1
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 1
Ohio State needed McGuire to punt only once against Penn State. His 43-yard punt drew a fair catch at the 10-yard line, though a kick catch interference penalty on Rodgers gave Penn State the ball at the 25-yard line.
Punt Returns
Brandon Inniss (returner): 6
Caden Curry: 6
Jaylen McClain: 6
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 6
Brenten “Inky” Jones: 5
Keenan Nelson Jr.: 5
Riley Pettijohn: 5
Payton Pierce: 5
Nate Roberts: 5
Leroy Roker III: 5
Devin Sanchez: 5
Caleb Downs: 1
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 1
Tywone Malone Jr.: 1
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 1
Kayden McDonald: 1
Arvell Reese: 1
Sonny Styles: 1
Inniss returned just one of Penn State’s six punts, gaining nine yards on a 59-yard kick.
Extra Point Block
Caden Curry: 2
Caleb Downs: 2
Davison Igbinosun: 2
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 2
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 2
Jaylen McClain: 2
Kayden McDonald: 2
Payton Pierce: 2
Arvell Reese: 2
Sonny Styles: 2
Eddrick Houston: 1
Tywone Malone Jr.: 1
Penn State did not attempt any field goals against Ohio State. The Buckeyes had their regular defensive 11 on the field for each of the Nittany Lions’ two extra points.
