Snap Counts: 77 Buckeyes See Playing Time in Ohio State's 42-0 Rout of Cincinnati

After 71 Ohio State players saw the field in the Buckeyes’ season opener against Florida Atlantic, even more Ohio State players had the opportunity to play in the Buckeyes’ second game of the season against Cincinnati.

In a 42-0 win over the Bearcats on Saturday, the Buckeyes put a total of 77 players into the game, with many of Ohio State’s backups seeing playing time in the fourth quarter after the Buckeyes took a six-touchdown lead.

With the exception of walk-on defensive linemen Aaron Cox and Zaid Hamdan, every other Buckeye who played against FAU also played against Cincinnati, while eight other Buckeyes made their season debuts against the Bearcats. Tight end Rashod Berry and defensive ends Tyreke Smith and Tyler Friday played against Cincinnati after missing the season opener with injuries; true freshmen Cade Stover, Steele Chambers and Dawand Jones and graduate transfer quarterback Gunnar Hoak made their Ohio State debuts and cornerback Tyreke Johnson also saw his first playing time of the year.

Now, we take a look at how much all 77 Buckeyes who participated in their most recent game played and what their roles looked like in this week’s edition of Snap Counts.

All snap counts were compiled by Eleven Warriors and should be considered unofficial.

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields: 67
Chris Chugunov: 5
Gunnar Hoak: 4

Ohio State’s undisputed starting quarterback, Fields played every offensive snap for the Buckeyes until his second touchdown pass (and fourth overall touchdown) of the day gave the home team a 42-0 lead with 11:30 to play in the game. Chugunov was the second quarterback into the game and played for one series, completing two passes for 14 yards. Hoak checked in for the Buckeyes’ final possession of the game to make his Ohio State debut, but did not attempt any passes.

Running Backs

J.K. Dobbins: 43
Master Teague: 17
Demario McCall: 12
Steele Chambers: 3
Marcus Crowley: 1

Dobbins played the lion’s share of snaps at running back for the second week in a row, particularly in the first half, when he came off the field for just two of 41 plays. He played only four snaps in the second half with the Buckeyes holding a substantial lead.

RELATED Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins Hint at Ceiling of Backfield Combo In Ohio State's Blowout Victory Against Cincinnati

Teague did not play any snaps in the first half, but played the most snaps of any running back in the second half and made a strong case for being Ohio State’s No. 2 player at the position going forward by rushing for 60 yards on 11 carries.

McCall was used as a situational back in the first half of Saturday’s game, entering the game for a third-down play and a fourth-down play, and also saw some playing time as the apparent No. 3 running back in the second half.

Crowley and Chambers both saw their playing time on the Buckeyes’ final possession, with Crowley running the ball once for two years before Chambers checked in and ran the ball twice for 16 yards.

Wide Receivers

K.J. Hill: 45
Chris Olave: 33
Binjimen Victor: 31
Austin Mack: 31
Jaylen Harris: 22
Garrett Wilson: 21
Jaelen Gill: 10
Jameson Williams: 6
Ellijah Gardner: 3
Xavier Johnson: Special teams only

As the only slot receiver who saw regular playing time with the first-team offense in Saturday’s game, Hill played exactly 45 snaps for the second game in a row. All of Gill’s playing time against Cincinnati came in the second half, primarily on the Buckeyes’ final two possessions, while C.J. Saunders missed his second straight game to start the year due to a leg injury.

Also for the second week in a row, Olave played the most snaps at Z receiver even though Mack started the game at that position. Olave and Mack rotated at that spot throughout the game, as they likely will all season, while Williams and Gardiner also saw some snaps in the fourth quarter.

The Buckeyes utilized a three-man rotation at the X receiver spot against Cincinnati. Victor started the game at the position and Harris was the second receiver to enter the game at that spot, but Wilson also saw his share of snaps over the course of the game and caught a 9-yard pass from Fields for what was not only the first catch of his Ohio State career, but also his first touchdown.

RELATED Cincinnati Notebook: Garrett Wilson Catches First Touchdown, Tyreke Smith Flashes His Ability and Chase Young Blocks His First Field Goal Ever

Tight Ends

Luke Farrell: 29
Rashod Berry: 25
Jeremy Ruckert: 23
Jake Hausmann: 21
Brock Davin: 2
Mitch Rossi: 1
Derrick Malone: 1

Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson said this offseason that the Buckeyes could legitimately play four tight ends this year, and he backed that assertion up against the Bearcats. With Rashod Berry back in the rotation after missing the season opener, all four of the Buckeyes’ healthy scholarship tight ends played at least 20 snaps in Saturday’s game.

The Buckeyes rolled all four of them in and out of the lineup over the course of the game, and deployed multi-tight end packages on 23 of their 76 offensive snaps on Saturday. Hausmann played the least of the top four tight ends in the first three quarters, with most of his playing time coming in the fourth quarter, but his 21 offensive snaps were still a new career-high.

Davin, Rossi and Malone, as they did in the season opener, each saw the field for snap or two on the Buckeyes’ final possession of the game.

Jake Hausmann played a career-high 21 offensive snaps in Saturday's game against Cincinnati.

Offensive Linemen

Jonah Jackson: 67
Josh Myers: 67
Wyatt Davis: 67
Thayer Munford: 56
Branden Bowen: 56
Joshua Alabi: 20
Nicholas Petit-Frere: 20
Matthew Jones: 9
Harry Miller: 9
Gavin Cupp: 9
Dawand Jones: Special teams only
Kevin Woidke: Special teams only

Ohio State did not make any changes to its lineup up front – Munford at left tackle, Jackson at left guard, Myers at center, Davis at right guard and Bowen at right tackle – for its first 56 offensive snaps of Saturday’s game. 

After Ohio State took a 35-0 lead in the third quarter, Alabi replaced Munford at left tackle and Bowen replaced Petit-Frere at right tackle for one drive with the rest of the first-team offense. After the Buckeyes scored another touchdown on that possession, the second-team interior offensive line of Jones at left guard, Miller at center and Cupp at right guard came in to finish off the game in between Alabi and Petit-Frere.

Defensive Ends

Chase Young: 34
Tyreke Smith: 21
Zach Harrison: 17
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 16
Tyler Friday: 15
Noah Potter: 6
Alex Williams: 5

As one might expect, Young saw the most playing time among all Ohio State defensive linemen for the second week in a row to start the season, as he played 34 of the Buckeyes’ first 46 defensive snaps against Cincinnati.

With Jonathon Cooper still sidelined by injury, Friday started the game opposite Young at the other defensive end spot, but he ended up playing only the fifth-most snaps at the position as Smith, Jean-Baptiste and Harrison also all rotated in for regular playing time on the edge. Smith, who also lined up opposite Young on three plays in which the Buckeyes used three-man defensive fronts, ended up playing the second-most defensive end snaps after Young in his first game back from injury.

Williams and Potter saw their only playing time of Saturday’s game in the fourth quarter.

Defensive Tackles

Tommy Togiai: 25
Jashon Cornell: 23
Davon Hamilton: 20
Haskell Garrett: 19
Robert Landers: 10
Antwuan Jackson: 10
Jerron Cage: 4

With the returns of Smith and Friday to the defensive end rotation, Hamilton moved back to his natural position of nose tackle while Cornell moved back inside to the 3-technique position. Both of them started the game, but the Buckeyes continued to rotate heavily at both defensive tackle spots.

Although Landers was the second nose tackle into the game, Togiai ended up playing the most snaps among all defensive tackles at that spot. Landers played only one series at nose tackle in the Buckeyes’ regular four-man fronts, but also checked into the game for a pair of snaps in three-man fronts that Ohio State deployed on a trio of third-down pass-rushing situations in Saturday’s game.

Garrett was the second man in on the 3-technique rotation in Saturday’s game, while Jackson rotated in for occasional playing time at both the 3-tech and nose spots. All four of Cage’s snaps came at the 3-technique position in the fourth quarter.

Linebackers/Bullets

Malik Harrison: 41
Pete Werner: 35
Baron Browning: 32
Tuf Borland: 20
Brendon White: 15
Teradja Mitchell: 14
Dallas Gant: 13
Cade Stover: 7
K’Vaughan Pope: 2
Jahsen Wint: Special teams only
Craig Young: Special teams only

Ohio State added a new wrinkle to its defensive scheme right off the bat in Saturday’s game, when its defense took the field for its first snap with four linebackers in the game: Harrison, Werner, Browning and Borland. The Buckeyes did not use any four-linebacker packages against  FAU but used them 11 times against the Bearcats.

Some of those four-linebacker packages included White, who played primarily as a linebacker against the Bearcats after playing mostly as a defensive back from his bullet position in the season opener. Unlike the FAU game, where White rotated in mostly with slot cornerback Shaun Wade, he rotated in with Werner at the Sam linebacker spot against Cincinnati – but Werner, who also ended up at safety in a couple defensive rotations, still played the majority of snaps at Sam.

Harrison played the most snaps of any linebacker against the Bearcats, primarily at weakside linebacker. 

Since Borland and Browning both technically started the game at middle linebacker, Saturday’s game was inconclusive on whether the depth chart has changed at that position, but Browning did end play 12 more snaps than Borland against Cincinnati after the two played an equal number of snaps against FAU.

Mitchell played three snaps in place of Harrison at Will linebacker in the second quarter, then saw more playing time as one of two inside linebackers with Gant in the fourth quarter. Stover made his Ohio State debut at Sam linebacker late in the fourth quarter, while Pope also checked in for two snaps at Will linebacker for his first defensive playing time of the year.

Cornerbacks

Damon Arnette: 41
Jeff Okudah: 37
Shaun Wade: 35
Cameron Brown: 18
Marcus Williamson: 15
Amir Riep: 14
Tyreke Johnson: 3
Sevyn Banks: Special teams only

Okudah played 37 of Ohio State’s first 38 defensive snaps in Saturday’s game before Brown took his place in the lineup late in the third quarter. Arnette’s day was also supposed to be over after 37 snaps, but he ended up checking back into the game for four more snaps after Banks was hurt covering a kickoff. One of those snaps resulted in a 46-yard deep-ball completion against his coverage, but Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley gave Arnette credit after the game for returning to the field after Hafley had told him his day was done.

Williamson took Arnette’s place in the lineup for Ohio State’s final 15 defensive plays of the game, while Johnson took Brown’s place in the lineup for the Buckeyes’ final three defensive plays and his first playing time of the year.

Wade played 35 of Ohio State’s first 43 defensive snaps in Saturday’s game at slot cornerback, while Riep took his place in the lineup for the Buckeyes’ final two defensive series of the day.

Redshirt freshman cornerback Tyreke Johnson saw his first playing time of the season against Cincinnati.

Safeties

Jordan Fuller: 43
Josh Proctor: 15
Isaiah Pryor: 2
Marcus Hooker: Special teams only

Fuller played each of Ohio State’s first 43 defensive snaps – the most of any defensive player in Saturday’s game – at the deep safety position against Cincinnati, while Proctor took his place in the lineup for the Buckeyes’ final 14 defensive plays. 

Pryor’s only defensive playing time came on a pair of third-down plays in the first quarter, when the Buckeyes brought him in as a second safety on nickel packages. Proctor also played one snap alongside Fuller on a third-down nickel package in the third quarter.

Extra Points

Blake Haubeil (kicker)
Drue Chrisman (holder)
Liam McCullough (long snapper)
Luke Farrell (blocker)
Joshua Alabi (blocker)
Wyatt Davis (blocker)
Gavin Cupp (blocker)
Jerron Cage (blocker)
Nicholas Petit-Frere (blocker)
Kevin Woidke (blocker)
Jake Hausmann (blocker)

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: Ohio State made no changes to its place-kicking unit, which converted six extra points but did not attempt any field goals in Saturday’s game, from week one to week two.

Kickoffs

Blake Haubeil (kicker)
Teradja Mitchell or Xavier Johnson (gunner)
Amir Riep (gunner)
Sevyn Banks or Jameson Williams (gunner)
Chris Olave or K.J. Hill or Craig Young (gunner)
Dallas Gant or K’Vaughan Pope (gunner)
Marcus Williamson (gunner)
Jahsen Wint or Marcus Hooker (gunner)
Isaiah Pryor (gunner)
Josh Proctor or Cameron Brown (gunner)
Ellijah Gardner (gunner)

Mitchell, Banks and Williams made their season debuts on the kickoff coverage team against Cincinnati, while Brendon White, Baron Browning and Garrett Wilson did not play on the kickoff team, as they did in the season opener. All of the other players who lined up on the kickoff unit in Saturday’s game were carryovers from the FAU game. 

Kickoff Returns

Demario McCall (returner/blocker)
K.J. Hill (blocker)
Xavier Johnson (blocker)
Rashod Berry (blocker)
Jake Hausmann (blocker)
Dallas Gant (blocker)
Josh Proctor (blocker)
Amir Riep (blocker)
Marcus Williamson (blocker)
Jaylen Harris (blocker)
Baron Browning (blocker)

Berry, Riep and Browning, who did not play on the kickoff return unit in the season opener, were all on the field for Cincinnati’s opening kickoff of Saturday’s game – which, thanks to the Buckeyes’ defensive shutout, was the Bearcats’ only kickoff of the game. Mitch Rossi, Isaiah Pryor and Chris Olave were not on the kickoff return unit after playing there in week one.

Punts

Drue Chrisman (punter)
Liam McCullough (long snapper)
Teradja Mitchell (upback)
Tuf Borland (upback)
Luke Farrell (upback/wing)
Dallas Gant (guard)
Malik Harrison (guard)
Jordan Fuller (tackle)
Isaiah Pryor (tackle)
Chris Olave (gunner)
Ellijah Gardiner or Cameron Brown (gunner)

Ohio State used the same punting unit against Cincinnati as it did against FAU, with Gardiner and Brown continuing to rotate at the second gunner spot opposite Olave.

RELATED Drue Chrisman Named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for Performance Against Cincinnati

Punt Blocks/Returners

Demario McCall (returner)
K.J. Hill (returner)
Amir Riep (rusher/blocker)
Tyreke Smith (rusher/blocker)
Dallas Gant (rusher/blocker)
Marcus Williamson (rusher/blocker)
Jahsen Wint or Teradja Mitchell (rusher/blocker)
Shaun Wade (rusher/blocker)
Isaiah Pryor (rusher/blocker)
Tuf Borland (rusher/blocker)
Josh Proctor (rusher/blocker)

Ohio State used dual punt returners against Cincinnati, deploying both McCall and Hill back deep for all eight of the Bearcats’ punts. Hill returned a total of three punts for 25 yards, while McCall had one punt return for three yards.

New players on the punt return/block unit for Saturday’s game included Riep, Smith, Mitchell, Wade and Borland. Players who lined up on the punt return/block unit against FAU but did not against Cincinnati included Damon Arnette, Xavier Johnson, Sevyn Banks, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams and Jeremy Ruckert.

Field Goal Block

Jeffrey Okudah (blocker)
Chase Young (blocker)
Damon Arnette (blocker)
Jordan Fuller (blocker)
Teradja Mitchell (blocker)
Pete Werner (blocker)
Shaun Wade (blocker)
Tuf Borland (blocker)
Robert Landers (blocker)
Dawand Jones (blocker)
Haskell Garrett (blocker)

Ohio State has typically just kept its defense on the field for opposing field goals, so we haven’t included the field goal block unit in past editions of Snap Counts, but the Buckeyes switched things up for their only field goal block attempt on Saturday. In addition to substituting in multiple defensive players who weren’t on the field for the previous play, the Buckeyes also subbed in true freshman offensive lineman Dawand Jones – the biggest player on the entire team at 6-foot-8 and 360 pounds – to play in the middle of the unit.

The substitutions worked, as Young blocked the first field goal for Ohio State since Dre’Mont Jones blocked a field goal against UNLV in 2017, so there’s reason to believe the Buckeyes will continue to make a concerted effort to put its best kick-blockers on the field going forward.