It seems the new redshirt rules have allowed the Buckeyes to be a little more liberal with which freshmen see the field early in their careers.
Under the new rules, a player can appear in up to four games at any point throughout the season and still count it as redshirt year, and Ohio State appears to be taking advantage of the new leniency, playing 16 member of its 2018 class during the season opener.
The top performers from the freshman class were the two running backs, Brian Snead and Master Teague III. The pair combined for 81 yards and two touchdowns in late-game action on Saturday.
Snead had the first carries, getting seven rushes for 25 yards and a touchdown. Then Teague took his turn, rushing for 56 yards and a touchdown on six carries, thanks to a 33-yard touchdown run.
On defense, a slew of freshmen played, even in meaningful moments, including defensive ends Tyler Friday and Tyreke Smith, as well as defensive tackles Taron Vincent and Tommy Togiai. All four of those players recorded at least one tackle in the game.
| NAME | POS | DEBUT | OREGON STATE RESULT | SEASON LINE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamryn Babb | WR | |||
| Matthew Baldwin | QB | |||
| Sevyn Banks | DB | |||
| Tyler Friday | DE | Oregon State | 1 tackle | 1 tackle |
| Dallas Gant | LB | Oregon State | ||
| Jaelen Gill | HB | |||
| Marcus Hooker | DB | |||
| Javontae Jean-Baptiste | DE | Oregon State | ||
| Antwuan Jackson | DT | Oregon State | 1 tackle | 1 tackle |
| Tyreke Johnson | CB | |||
| Matthew Jones | OL | |||
| Teradja Mitchell | LB | Oregon State | ||
| Chris Olave | WR | Oregon State | 1 catch, 5 yards, 1 tackle | 1 catch for 5 yards, 1 tackle |
| Nicholas Petit-Frere | OL | Oregon State | ||
| K'Vaughan Pope | LB | Oregon State | ||
| Josh Proctor | S | Oregon State | ||
| Jeremy Ruckert | TE | Oregon State | 1 catch, 13 yards | 1 catch, 13 yards |
| L'Christian "Blue" Smith | WR | |||
| Tyreke Smith | DE | Oregon State | 1 tackle | 1 tackle |
| Brian Snead | RB | Oregon State | 7 rushes, 25 yards, 1 touchdown | 7 rushes, 25 yards, 1 touchdown |
| Master Teague III | RB | Oregon State | 6 rushes, 56 yards, 1 touchdown | 6 rushes, 56 yards, 1 touchdown |
| Tommy Togiai | DT | Oregon State | 3 tackles | 3 tackles |
| Taron Vincent | DT | Oregon State | 2 tackles | 2 tackles |
| Alex Williams | DE | Oregon State | ||
| Max Wray | OL |
