Freshman Tracker: Steele Chambers Crushes, Jameson Williams Streaks and Garrett Wilson Scores Again

Ryan Day played the role of a generous Oprah and gave 13 of his 17 scholarship true freshmen playing time in Saturday's 76-5 mauling of Miami University. Six of the newest Buckeyes made the stat sheet, and three youngsters made their season debuts.

Steele Chambers, Jameson Williams and Garrett Wilson took full advantage of their extended playing time against the RedHawks. Late in the game, Chambers was given the ball eight times and he rushed for a team-high 63 yards. He also scored his first collegiate touchdown when he finished off Ohio State's scoring with a 2 yard touchdown run with 3:02 remaining in the game. 

The other freshman running back on the team, Marcus Crowley, had four rushes for 22 yards. He also hauled in his first collegiate catch and turned it into his first receiving touchdown. The Trinity Christian Academy (Fla.) alum has carried the ball 11 times for 57 yards this season.

Wilson was on the field for 30 snaps and led the team with four receptions. Chris Chugunov connected with Garrett the Great on a 38-yard touchdown strike with 9:00 to go in the third quarter. He was on the field for eight of Ohio State's eleven scores. For the season, Wilson has 7 receptions for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns.    

Jameson Williams entered the game at the start of the second half. He took 14 offensive snaps and had his first catches as a Buckeye. Williams' finished the day as Ohio State's second leading receiver with 74 yards (K.J. Hill had 78). In the 4th quarter, Gunnar Hoak, Ohio State's third quarterback of the game, threw an intermediate pass to Williams. In what could have been a nice 15-yard gain, Williams had other ideas as he made a quick spin then raced to the endzone for an impressive 61-yard touchdown.

Harry Miller played 32 snaps on the offensive line in the second half and Dawand Jones was on the line protecting during Ohio State's final extra point try of the game. 

Although the defensive line was a little depleted, Zach Harrison did not see a dramatic increase in playing time. Coming into this game, he was averaging 21 snaps per game. Against Miami (Ohio) he saw a slight uptick to 23 defensive snaps. After starting the season without any stats, Harrison has recorded 4 tackles and a sack in the last two games. 

Linebacker Craig Young was on the field for one defensive snap and took advantage as he recorded a tackle. The three freshmen to make their season debuts were: LB Tommy Eichenberg, DT Jaden McKenzie and S Bryson Shaw.

With the team traveling to Lincoln for a night game against Nebraska, space on the team roster will be limited. Which freshmen do you think will make the trip? Wilson and Harrison should be locks on offense and defense, with Williams and Young seeing time on special teams. Crowley, Chambers and Miller could be added for position depth.

Under the NCAA's redshirt rules, a player can appear in up to four games at any point throughout the season and still count it as his redshirt year. Through the third game of the 2019 season, 13 of Ohio State's 17 scholarship true freshmen have seen the field. Six of the 17 have played in four games.