Freshman Tracker: Marcus Hooker Sees Action For The Second Straight Week and 10 Other True Freshman Play Against Purdue

A total of 11 true freshmen saw their way onto the field for Ohio State in the Buckeyes' 49-20 road loss to unranked Purdue Saturday night.

Though none of the freshmen recorded stats that wound up in the box score, tight end Jeremy Ruckert saw playing time in the fourth quarter, recording seven offensive snaps along with his duties on the kickoff team for all eight Purdue returns.

On the other side of the ball, defensive end Tyreke Smith (6 snaps), defensive tackle Tommy Togiai (3), defensive end Tyler Friday (1) and safety Josh Proctor (1) all saw action. While Smith is listed as a defensive end, he lined up at tackle for five of his six plays. He joined ends Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper in the “Rushmen” package.

Friday, Proctor, and seven other freshmen, including safety Marcus Hooker, who saw action for the second game in two weeks, earned special teams snaps for the Buckeyes.

In all, 21 freshmen have seen playing time this season, with nine – Friday, Dallas Gant, Teradja Mitchell, Chris Olave, K'Vaughan Pope, Ruckert, Smith, Teague, and Togiai – ineligible for redshirts as they've appeared in more than four games.