Snap Counts: Ohio State Leans on Starters in Big Ten Championship Game As Only Four Backups Play More Than 12 Snaps

Ohio State leaned heavily on its starters in the Big Ten Championship Game. Only four players who didn’t start the game played more than 12 snaps against Indiana: defensive tackle Eddrick Houston (31), right guard Gabe VanSickle (29), tight end Bennett Christian (23) and wide receiver Brandon Inniss (21).

VanSickle replaced Tegra Tshabola at right guard on Ohio State’s second drive of the second half and played the rest of the game. Christian saw frequent action off the bench along with starting tight ends Will Kacmarek and Max Klare as the Buckeyes used multi-tight end packages frequently in their 13-10 loss; Inniss played his third-lowest snap count of the year as a result. Houston was the only backup to rotate in regularly on defense against Indiana, ultimately playing four more snaps than starting 3-technique Tywone Malone Jr.

Other than Malone, all of Ohio State’s other defensive starters played more than 50 of Ohio State’s 59 defensive snaps, with nose tackle Kayden McDonald playing a career-high 51 snaps. Offensively, all of Ohio State’s starters except Tshabola played at least 35 snaps, with quarterback Julian Sayin and four offensive linemen playing all 57 of Ohio State’s offensive plays.

Below, we‘ve compiled all of the offensive and defensive snap counts, courtesy of Pro Football Focus, from Ohio State‘s Big Ten Championship Game loss, with some analysis on what we saw from each position group in Indianapolis. (Note: Special teams snap counts were not yet available as of Monday morning.)

Quarterbacks

Julian Sayin: 57

Sayin played every snap at quarterback for the second game in a row and sixth overall time this season. He threw the ball on just over half of Ohio State’s offensive plays, completing 21 of 29 passing attempts for 258 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

Running Backs

Bo Jackson: 36
CJ Donaldson: 12
Isaiah West: 8
James Peoples: 1

Jackson played his highest percentage of snaps of the season as he was on the field for more than 60% of Ohio State’s offensive plays against Indiana. He ran the ball on just under half of his 30 snaps, gaining 83 yards on 17 carries, while he also caught two passes for 13 yards.

Donaldson played the second-most snaps among running backs for a third straight game, yet played his third-lowest snap count of the season as he was on the field for just 12 plays and had zero rushing attempts, though he caught two passes for nine yards.

West played just eight snaps for the second week in a row and ran the ball three times for four yards. Peoples entered the game for just one pass-blocking snap and missed his block on that play, allowing a sack.

Wide Receivers

Jeremiah Smith: 53
Carnell Tate: 41
Brandon Inniss: 21
David Adolph: 1

Smith was on the field for all but four of Ohio State’s offensive plays and caught eight passes for 144 yards. Tate played one fewer snap than he did against Michigan but a higher percentage of snaps (72%) than he did in The Game, catching four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown vs. Indiana.

Inniss played his third-lowest snap count of the season, catching just one pass for five yards, as Ohio State used multiple tight ends on a majority of its plays in the Big Ten Championship Game. Adolph was the only other receiver to see action on offense, entering the game for one play as a run blocker, which he’s been for 64 of his 98 snaps this season.

Tight Ends

Will Kacmarek: 45
Max Klare: 35
Bennett Christian: 23
Nate Roberts: 7
Jelani Thurman: 2

Kacmarek played the most snaps among tight ends for a second straight game, but Klare was also on the field for a majority of Ohio State’s offensive plays as the Buckeyes used multi-tight end sets heavily against Indiana. Kacmarek caught three passes for 20 yards and Klare caught two passes for 28 yards.

Christian also played more than 20 snaps as Ohio State’s No. 3 tight end for the third game in a row. Cumulatively, Ohio State’s tight ends played 112 snaps against Indiana – just four fewer snaps than the Buckeyes’ wide receivers. It was the second consecutive game with heavy tight end usage for Ohio State, as the Buckeyes’ tight ends played 11 more snaps than their wide receivers (149 to 138) against Michigan.

Offensive Linemen

Austin Siereveld: 57
Luke Montgomery: 57
Carson Hinzman: 57
Phillip Daniels: 57
Gabe VanSickle: 29
Tegra Tshabola: 28

Ohio State benched Tshabola in favor of VanSickle for its final three drives of the game after Ohio State’s starting right guard struggled for most of the first half and the opening drive of the second half. It marked the second time this season, along with Ohio State’s November win over UCLA, that VanSickle came off the bench to play more snaps than Tshabola at RG.

The rest of Ohio State’s starting offensive linemen played every offensive snap against Indiana with Siereveld at left tackle, Montgomery at left guard, Hinzman at center and Daniels manning right tackle.

Defensive Ends

Caden Curry: 55
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 55
Beau Atkinson: 5
Zion Grady: 3

Curry and Jackson were each on the field for all but four of Indiana’s offensive plays. Curry was the star of the Buckeyes’ defensive effort, recording seven tackles with three tackles for loss, two sacks and a pass breakup, while Jackson made three tackles with one sack.

Atkinson and Grady returned to action after playing zero snaps against Michigan, but Atkinson played his second-lowest snap count of the year as Ohio State continued to lean heavily on its top two defensive ends.

Defensive Tackles

Kayden McDonald: 51
Eddrick Houston: 31
Tywone Malone Jr.: 27
Will Smith Jr.: 5

McDonald played the highest snap count of his career against Indiana as he was on the field for all but eight of the Hoosiers’ offensive plays. He recorded five tackles. Backup nose tackle Will Smith Jr. tied his lowest snap count of the season, getting in the game for just five plays.

Malone made his 10th start of the year at 3-technique, but played four fewer snaps than Houston, who saw his third-highest snap count of the season. Houston recorded two tackles while Malone recorded one.

Linebackers

Arvell Reese: 59
Sonny Styles: 59
Payton Pierce: 6

Styles and Reese were both on the field for all of Ohio State’s 59 defensive plays against Indiana, with Pierce joining them in the game as a third linebacker for six plays. Styles led the Buckeyes with a career-high 12 tackles while Reese had one tackle with two quarterback hits vs. the Hoosiers.

#OhioState LB Sonny Styles vs. Indiana

He was everywhere. Athletic and rangy. Stack, shed, and finish ability. Arrives with violence.

Through 13 games this year, he has ZERO missed tackles as a run defender. pic.twitter.com/UKU73y3BAe

— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) December 7, 2025

Cornerbacks

Davison Igbinosun: 59
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 59
Devin Sanchez: 5

Igbinosun and Mathews also played every snap of the game against Indiana, with Sanchez joining them on the field for five plays as a sixth defensive back in dime packages.

Igbinosun made the Buckeyes’ only takeaway of the day with a first-quarter interception of Fernando Mendoza and recorded four tackles. Mathews recorded two tackles but had his worst game of the season in coverage, allowing four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.

MENDOZA IS PICKED OFF@OhioStateFB takes the ball right back from Indiana pic.twitter.com/DYRkgXJu6D

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 7, 2025

Safeties

Caleb Downs: 59
Jaylen McClain: 59
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 52

Downs and McClain also played every defensive snap of the game against Indiana, with Styles playing all but seven snaps as Ohio State’s nickelback. Downs recorded eight tackles against the Hoosiers, McClain made six and Styles had two tackles with a pass breakup, along with tipping the interception that Igbinosun made.