Defensive linemen Tommy Togai and Taron Vincent recorded tackles, wide receiver Chris Olave continued his ascent and nine other true freshmen saw action in Ohio State's 45-24 victory over Northwestern to claim the school's 37th Big Ten title.
Olave had a career high five receptions for 79 yards in the biggest game of his young career. In the third quarter, the California native hauled in a 29-yard TD pass from Dwayne Haskins to help put the Wildcats away. Over the last two games, Olave has 7 catches for 127 yards and 3 TDs. That's an impressive 18.1 yards per reception.
The only other freshman to get offensive snaps was Jeremy Ruckert. He remained on the sidelines until seeing the field for the game's final three plays.
On the defensive side, it was a game of firsts for a couple of defensive tackles. In the fourth quarter, Vincent recorded his first career sack and Togai earned his first career tackle for loss. Vincent threw Clayton Thorson down for a 10-yard sack and Togia stopped a Wildcat running back for a four-yard loss. Both plays helped the Buckeye defense end Northwestern drives.
Other freshmen to get defensive snaps were Tyler Friday (24) and Tyreke Smith (7).
Seven players helped out on special teams in the Big Ten championship game. Sevyn Banks, Dallas Gant, Teradja Mitchell, K'Vaughan Pope, Josh Proctor and Master Teague joined Olave on the specialty units.
In all, 22 freshmen have seen playing time this season, with 13 – Sevyn Banks, Cameron Brown, Friday, Gant, Mitchell, Olave, Pope, Proctor, Ruckert, T. Smith, Teague, Togiai and Vincent – ineligible for redshirts as they've appeared in more than four games. Banks burned his redshirt in yesterday's game.
Of the 25 freshman, 12 – Kamryn Babb, Matthew Baldwin, Jaelen Gill, Marcus Hooker, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Tyreke Johnson, Matthew Jones, Nicholas Petit-Frere, L'Christian "Blue" Smith, Brian Snead, Alex Williams and Max Wray – are going to be eligible for a redshirt.
| NAME | POS | DEBUT | NORTHWESTERN STATS | GP | SEASON STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KAMRYN BABB | WR | ||||
| MATTHEW BALDWIN | QB | ||||
| SEVYN BANKS | DB | Nebraska | ST snaps | 5 | 1 punt return, 33 yards, 1 TD, 1 tackle |
| CAMERON BROWN | DB | Tulane | 5 | 1 tackle | |
| TYLER FRIDAY | DE | Oregon State | 24 snaps at DE | 10 | 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1TFL |
| DALLAS GANT | LB | Oregon State | ST snaps | 13 | 6 tackles |
| JAELEN GILL | HB | Rutgers | 2 | 1 catch, 11 yards | |
| MARCUS HOOKER | DB | Minnesota | 2 | 1 tackle | |
| JAVONTAE JEAN-BAPTISTE | DE | Oregon State | 2 | ||
| TYREKE JOHNSON | CB | Penn State | 3 | ||
| MATTHEW JONES | OL | Penn State | 1 | ||
| TERADJA MITCHELL | LB | Oregon State | ST snaps | 11 | |
| CHRIS OLAVE | WR | Oregon State | 5 catches, 79 yards, TD, 24 snaps at WR, ST snaps | 13 | 11 catches, 187 yards, 3 TDs, 2 tackles, blocked punt |
| NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE | OL | Oregon State | 3 | ||
| K'VAUGHAN POPE | LB | Oregon State | ST snaps | 11 | 1 tackle |
| JOSH PROCTOR | S | Oregon State | ST snaps | 10 | 1 tackle |
| JEREMY RUCKERT | TE | Oregon State | 3 snaps at TE | 11 | 1 catch, 13 yards |
| L'CHRISTIAN "BLUE" SMITH | WR | Tulane | 3 | ||
| TYREKE SMITH | DE | Oregon State | 7 snaps at DL | 13 | 8 tackles |
| BRIAN SNEAD | RB | Oregon State | 2 | 11 rushes, 37 yards, 1 TD | |
| MASTER TEAGUE III | RB | Oregon State | ST snaps | 6 | 17 rushes, 106 yards, 1 TD, 1 tackle |
| TOMMY TOGIAI | DT | Oregon State | TFL, 9 snaps at DT | 11 | 9 tackles, 1 TFL |
| TARON VINCENT | DT | Oregon State | Sack, 5 snaps at DT | 9 | 3 tackles, 1 sack |
| ALEX WILLIAMS | DE | Oregon State | 2 | ||
| MAX WRAY | OL |
