Snap Counts: Gabe VanSickle Plays More Snaps Than Tegra Tshabola, Bo Jackson Plays Career-High 35 Snaps in Ohio State’s Win vs. UCLA

Most notably, Gabe VanSickle played the most snaps among right guards against the Bruins as someone other than Tegra Tshabola played the most snaps at RG for the first time this season.

At wide receiver, Brandon Inniss, Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers all saw increased playing time as Jeremiah Smith exited the game early while Carnell Tate missed his second game in a row due to injury. 

Bo Jackson played his highest snap count yet as Ohio State’s running back rotation shrank from four to three with CJ Donaldson sidelined by injury. At tight end, Max Klare played his highest snap count so far as a Buckeye as he was on the field for more than twice as many snaps as any other Ohio State TE against UCLA.

Defensively, most of Ohio State’s starters played fewer snaps than usual as Ohio State’s defense was on the field for just 47 snaps – tying its season-low – for the second week in a row. But the Buckeyes still got 28 different players into the game on defense, along with 27 different players on offense, as Ohio State let its backups play in the fourth quarter following Lorenzo Styles Jr.’s kickoff return touchdown that gave the Buckeyes a 41-7 lead with three seconds remaining in the third quarter.

We’ve broken down the snap counts from Ohio State’s 48-10 win for every offensive and defensive position group below. Snap numbers are courtesy of Pro Football Focus. (Note: PFF had not posted special teams snap counts at the time of this article’s publication.)

Quarterbacks

Julian Sayin: 59
Lincoln Kienholz: 11

Despite making a trip to the medical tent in the first quarter after limping off the field, Sayin played all 59 of Ohio State’s offensive snaps in the first three quarters. Sayin – who said after the game that he “just stepped on (his ankle) a little bit weird” and was “feeling good now” – completed 23 of 31 passing attempts for 184 yards and a touchdown on eight drives.

Kienholz took over the offense for Ohio State’s lone fourth-quarter drive and led the Buckeyes to a touchdown, completing three of three passing attempts for 34 yards and lowering his shoulder through a defender on a 3-yard run.

I nominate Lincoln Kienholz for ANGRY RUNS @KyleBrandt. pic.twitter.com/RDNv1ia4dv

— The Scarlet and Gray Podcast (@TheSG_Podcast) November 16, 2025

Running Backs

Bo Jackson: 35
Isaiah West: 19
James Peoples: 16

Jackson played his highest snap count so far as a Buckeye as he was on the field for exactly half of Ohio State’s 70 snaps. He ran the ball on 15 of those plays for 112 yards and a touchdown, good for his fourth 100-yard game already as a Buckeye.

West was Ohio State’s No. 2 running back for the second game in a row, running for 61 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

Peoples was Ohio State’s No. 3 running back as CJ Donaldson did not play after being listed as questionable on the pregame injury report. He took advantage of his 16 snaps, running for 42 yards and two touchdowns – including a 19-yard touchdown that featured a spectacular hurdle over UCLA safety Cole Martin – and catching one pass for five yards.

These angles of that Peoples hurdle @OhioStateFB

:NBC pic.twitter.com/WqgFIvrl7r

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 16, 2025

Wide Receivers

Brandon Inniss: 49
Mylan Graham: 42
Bryson Rodgers: 38
Jeremiah Smith: 22
David Adolph: 13
Quincy Porter: 9
Phillip Bell: 3

Smith started the game despite being listed as questionable, but played only on Ohio State’s first three drives before being shut down for the rest of the game. While Smith was walking with a noticeable limp after leaving the game, Ryan Day said the injury was just “a little bit of a nagging issue” and Ohio State took him out of the game early because it wanted to be “really smart with him as we know what's coming down the road here.”

With Smith limited and Carnell Tate out for the second week in a row, most of the receiver snaps went to Inniss, Graham and Rodgers against UCLA. Inniss played the most snaps among receivers for the first time as a Buckeye and had a career-high six receptions for 30 yards. Graham played a career-high 42 snaps and caught three passes for 40 yards. Rodgers played a season-high 38 snaps and caught two passes for 27 yards, including his first career touchdown.

The patience from Sayin to find Rodgers for the TD @OhioStateFB adds on another vs UCLA

:NBC pic.twitter.com/2hFKy4vHwg

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 16, 2025

Adolph and Porter also mixed in for occasional work with the first-team offense, with Porter catching one pass for 14 yards. Bell checked in for three snaps on the Buckeyes’ final drive.

Tight Ends

Max Klare: 46
Bennett Christian: 18
Jelani Thurman: 14
Nate Roberts: 14
Will Kacmarek: 12

With Smith and Tate on the sideline, Ohio State played its best receiving tight end far more than any other TE against UCLA. Klare played a season-high 46 snaps – more than twice as many as any other tight end – and caught five passes for 26 yards.

Even with Klare nearly playing two-thirds of Ohio State’s offensive snaps, five Buckeye tight ends played double-digit snaps vs. the Bruins. Kacmarek, who’s played the most total snaps among Ohio State tight ends this season, played the fewest snaps among TEs against UCLA, taking the field for just 12 offensive plays. 

Offensive Linemen

Austin Siereveld: 59
Luke Montgomery: 59
Carson Hinzman: 59
Phillip Daniels: 57
Gabe VanSickle: 44
Tegra Tshabola: 26
Ian Moore: 13
Ethan Onianwa: 11
Isaiah Kema: 11
Justin Terry: 11

For the first time all season, Tshabola didn’t play the most snaps among right guards against UCLA. While he started at right guard as he has every game since the start of last season, VanSickle rotated in with Tshabola over the course of the game and ended up playing 18 more total snaps – including seven more snaps (33 to 26) with the first-team offensive line – than Tshabola.

Siereveld, Montgomery and Hinzman played every snap with the first-team offensive line at left tackle, left guard and center. Daniels, who missed the Purdue game with an injury, played all but two snaps with the first-team offensive line, with Moore replacing him for two plays after his helmet came off.

Ohio State’s second-team offensive line for its lone fourth-quarter possession consisted of Moore at LT, Onianwa at LG, Kema at C, VanSickle at RG and Terry at RT. Joshua Padilla, who had been the Buckeyes’ top backup on the interior offensive line, missed his second straight game with an injury he suffered against Penn State.

Defensive Ends

Caden Curry: 26
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 24
Zion Grady: 18
Beau Atkinson: 17
Joshua Mickens: 4
Dominic Kirks: 3

Curry and Jackson each played their second-lowest snap counts of the season as the Buckeyes took their starters out early in a game in which Ohio State’s defense was on the field for just 47 snaps for a second straight week. Both starting defensive ends were productive while they were in the game; Curry recorded five tackles and Jackson recorded four tackles, with each notching one tackle for loss.

Grady set a new career-high in snaps for a second straight week as he played the most among Ohio State’s backup defensive ends for the second week in a row. He recorded three tackles in a game for the first time.

Mickens and Kirks played their only snaps in the fourth quarter, with Kirks making his third game appearance of the year.

Defensive Tackles

Kayden McDonald: 22
Tywone Malone Jr.: 21
Will Smith Jr.: 20
Eddrick Houston: 19
Jason Moore: 6
Trajen Odom: 1

McDonald played just 22 snaps for the second week in a row as the Buckeyes managed his workload by rotating Smith in for 20 snaps at nose tackle. McDonald still recorded three tackle with one tackle for loss, while Smith made one tackle.

Malone returned to the starting lineup after missing the Purdue game, but also played just two more snaps than his backup as he rotated with Houston, with both playing into the fourth quarter after the rest of the defensive starters had come out of the game. Houston made two tackles while Malone made one.

Odom played one snap in the fourth quarter for his third game appearance of his freshman year.

Linebackers

Arvell Reese: 30
Sonny Styles: 28
Payton Pierce: 20
Riley Pettijohn: 13
TJ Alford: 5
Garrett Stover: 2

Like Curry and Jackson, Reese and Styles each played their second-lowest snap counts of the season against UCLA, though Reese played all but three snaps in the first three quarters while Styles played all but five. Styles recorded a tackle on one of every four plays he was in the game with a team-high seven tackles and one tackle for loss, while Reese had three tackles.

Pierce played at least 20 snaps for a sixth straight game as he saw action with both the first- and second-team defenses. Pettijohn played double-digit snaps for a second straight game as he mixed in briefly with the starters, in addition to playing with the backups, for the second week in a row.

Alford and Stover finished out the game at linebacker with Alford making a tackle for no gain on the game’s final play.

Cornerbacks

Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 33
Devin Sanchez: 29
Davison Igbinosun: 27
Aaron Scott Jr.: 20
Bryce West: 14

Mathews tied for the most defensive snaps of any Buckeye against UCLA as he started the game at cornerback, then played through the end of the third quarter at nickelback after other starters began to come out of the game.

Sanchez played his second-highest snap count of the season as he played nearly the entire second half at cornerback after Mathews kicked inside to nickel. Scott also played his second-highest snap count of the season as he replaced Igbinosun at outside cornerback for UCLA’s final three possessions. West played his second-highest snap count of the season, too, as he was Ohio State’s nickelback for the fourth quarter.

Safeties

Jaylen McClain: 33
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 29
Caleb Downs: 20
Faheem Delane: 18
Leroy Roker III: 15

In what appeared to be a precautionary measure for the star safety with Ohio State up 27-0, Downs came out of the game at halftime and did not play in the second half. Delane initially took his place in the lineup to start the second half before Styles moved from nickel to free safety for the rest of the third quarter.

McClain, like Mathews, played every snap of the first three quarters before coming out at the start of the fourth quarter. Delane and Roker were Ohio State’s safeties for the fourth quarter; Delane had his first three-tackle game as a Buckeye, while Roker played a career-high 15 snaps.