Snap Counts: 51 Ohio State Players See Action Against Notre Dame As Buckeyes Keep Rotations Tight in Season Opener

The Buckeyes had a four-quarter dogfight in their season opener with Notre Dame, which meant there weren’t many opportunities for backups to get in on the action. Ohio State used just 51 total players against the Fighting Irish – fewer than the Buckeyes used in any game last season – even though they had only four players unavailable (including wide receiver Julian Fleming, who was listed as a game-time decision but was held out of action).

Only 18 total Buckeyes saw playing time on offense, where nine different players were on the field for at least 64 of Ohio State’s 71 offensive snaps. Defensive line is where the Buckeyes rotated most, as five defensive ends and five defensive tackles saw snaps on defense, but only 10 total players saw action in the back seven. Thirteen Buckeyes, including four specialists, played only on special teams against Notre Dame.

Our full rundown of which Buckeyes played and how much at every offensive and defensive position and on every special teams unit is below. Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics were used to compile offensive and defensive snap counts, while special teams snap counts were tabulated by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge. All snap counts should be considered unofficial as they were not provided by Ohio State.

(Correction: The original version of this article listed Jordan Hancock as playing on special teams, but Hancock did not actually play any special teams snaps.)

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud: 71

As expected, Stroud took every snap at quarterback in the season opener. He attempted passes on just under half of Ohio State’s offensive plays, completing 24 of his 34 passing attempts for 223 yards and two touchdowns, while he also ran two quarterback sneaks for first downs.

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson: 43
Miyan Williams: 28

The Buckeyes split reps among their top two running backs against Notre Dame, with Henderson playing just over 60 percent of the snaps in the backfield while Williams also saw a healthy share of playing time. Even though Henderson played 15 more snaps than Williams, they ended up getting the same number of touches in the season opener, as Henderson had 15 carries for 91 yards while Williams had 14 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown as well as one spectacular 12-yard catch.

This was an insane catch by Miyan Williams pic.twitter.com/sJ0BiIwsKo

— CleBuckeye (@CleBuckeye23) September 4, 2022

Wide Receivers

Emeka Egbuka: 71
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 67
Xavier Johnson: 24
Jayden Ballard: 20
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 15

Although it was uncertain going into the season opener whether Egbuka would even be in the starting lineup at wide receiver, he ended up never leaving the field against Notre Dame. With Julian Fleming sidelined by injury, Egbuka got the start at Z receiver, and he was the one wide receiver who played every single one of Ohio State’s offensive snaps.

Harrison was on the field for every play except when the Buckeyes had their goal-line offense on the field for one play and their three kneel-downs.

While Smith-Njigba was expected to play the most snaps of any wide receiver entering the game, he suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter that sidelined him for most of the rest of the game. While Smith-Njigba returned to play a few snaps in both the second and third quarter, he ultimately shut things down for the night after the opening possession of the second half.

With Smith-Njigba on the sidelines with what was reportedly a “low-grade hamstring injury” that will likely sideline him for the next week or two according to 247Sports’ Chris Hummer, Egbuka played moved inside to play slot receiver for some of his snaps while Johnson also saw the first extensive playing time of his career – and made the most of it by scoring his first career touchdown – at slot receiver.

When Egbuka was inside at slot receiver, Ballard entered the game as an outside receiver for what was also the most substantial playing time of his Ohio State career to date.

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Tight Ends

Cade Stover: 64
Mitch Rossi: 19
Gee Scott Jr.: 3
Joe Royer: Special teams only

Stover was on the field for the vast majority of Ohio State’s offensive plays as the Buckeyes’ starting tight end, leaving the field for only seven offensive snaps. Rossi was the lone tight end on the field for those seven plays, though most of Rossi’s playing time against Notre Dame came when the Buckeyes had multiple tight ends on the field.

Scott’s only offensive snaps came on the Buckeyes’ kneel-downs at the end of both halves.

Offensive Line

Paris Johnson Jr.: 71
Donovan Jackson: 71
Luke Wypler: 71
Dawand Jones: 71
Matt Jones: 68
Enokk Vimahi: 3
Josh Fryar: 1
Zen Michalski: Special teams only

Among Ohio State’s five starting offensive linemen, the only one who didn’t play every offensive snap of the game was Matt Jones, who was replaced at right guard by Vimahi for the final three plays of the Buckeyes’ final touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Johnson played every snap at left tackle, Jackson played every snap in his first career start at left guard, Wypler played every snap at center and Dawand Jones played every snap at right tackle.

Fryar, wearing the same No. 41 that Jackson wore when he entered the game as a sixth offensive lineman in 2021, was on the field in that capacity for Williams’ fourth-quarter touchdown run from the 1-yard line.

Defensive Ends

J.T. Tuimoloau: 33
Jack Sawyer: 26
Zach Harrison: 18
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 16
Tyler Friday: 7
Caden Curry: Special teams only

While Harrison started the game opposite Tuimoloau, it was the two sophomore defensive ends who ended up playing the most snaps on the edge for the Buckeyes against Notre Dame. Most of Sawyer’s snaps came in the Jack package, in which Sawyer lined up as a standup linebacker; the defensive front on most of those plays consisted of Tuimoloau and defensive tackle Mike Hall at end with Taron Vincent playing nose tackle.

Jean-Baptiste also occasionally played the Jack role against Notre Dame, though most of his snaps came as a traditional defensive end in four-man fronts.

Defensive Tackles

Taron Vincent: 33
Mike Hall: 30
Tyleik Williams: 15
Ty Hamilton: 11
Jerron Cage: 9

The biggest surprise starter in Ohio State’s season opener was Hall, but he showed exactly why the Buckeyes chose him to start at nose tackle with a dominant performance in which he recorded four total tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack and disrupted more plays than that. On a night where Ohio State’s defense was only on the field for 50 plays, both Hall and Vincent were in the lineup for a majority of them.

Cage, who had been seen as the Buckeyes’ likely starting nose tackle this offseason, ended up playing the fewest snaps among the five defensive tackles who were in the rotation against Notre Dame.

Jaden McKenzie briefly entered the game at defensive tackle in the goal-line package, but Ohio State called a timeout before a play was run and he did not remain on the field for the subsequent snap.

Linebackers

Tommy Eichenberg: 50
Steele Chambers: 26
Cody Simon: 25
Palaie Gaoteote IV: Special teams only
Teradja Mitchell: Special teams only
Chip Trayanum: Special teams only

Eichenberg, who led the Buckeyes with nine total tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks against Notre Dame, played every single snap of the season opener at middle linebacker, establishing himself as the leader of the second level of Ohio State’s defense.

Chambers started alongside Eichenberg but ended up splitting snaps at Will linebacker almost evenly with Simon. Those three linebackers were also all on the field together for one play of goal-line defense (on which Notre Dame scored its only touchdown of the night).

Cornerbacks

Denzel Burke: 50
Cameron Brown: 49
JK Johnson: Special teams only

Ohio State did not rotate at all at cornerback in the season opener. Burke was on the field for all 50 of the Buckeyes’ defensive plays while Brown was in the game for every defensive snap except for the goal-line play.

Denzel Burke played all 50 of Ohio State’s defensive snaps at cornerback against Notre Dame.

Safeties

Ronnie Hickman: 50
Tanner McCalister: 49
Lathan Ransom: 46
Josh Proctor: 5
Cameron Martinez: 1
Jantzen Dunn: Special teams only
Kourt Williams: Special teams only

Like Burke and Eichenberg, Hickman never left the field against Notre Dame, playing all 50 defensive snaps at the adjuster position. McCalister was in the lineup for every defensive play except one, as he was replaced by Proctor for one play in a 3rd-and-2 short-yardage defensive package.

Proctor started the game at bandit, but was replaced by Ransom on the second defensive series after his unsuccessful attempt to break in front of a Tyler Buchner pass led to a 54-yard catch-and-run by Lorenzo Styles. Ransom never left the field for the remainder of the game.

Martinez played his only defensive snap of the game when the Buckeyes brought him in as a sixth defensive back for a 3rd-and-11 on Notre Dame’s opening drive of the third quarter.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 4
Jesse Mirco (holder): 4
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 4
Caden Curry (wing): 4
Zen Michalski (end): 4
Paris Johnson Jr. (tackle): 4
Donovan Jackson (guard): 4
Enokk Vimahi (guard): 4
Dawand Jones (tackle): 4
Josh Fryar (end): 4
Cade Stover (wing): 4

By lining up on the field goal team, Curry was the only scholarship player in Ohio State’s true freshman class to see playing time against Notre Dame. Michalski also saw his only playing time of the game on the field goal unit.

Ruggles, who made all but one of his 21 field goal attempts in 2021, missed his only field goal attempt against Notre Dame from 39 yards out. 

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 4
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 4
JK Johnson: 4
Xavier Johnson: 4
Cameron Martinez: 4
Tanner McCalister: 4
Teradja Mitchell: 4
Josh Proctor: 4
Cody Simon: 4
Chip Trayanum: 4
Ronnie Hickman: 3
Kourt Williams: 1

With USC transfer Parker Lewis still not yet eligible to play, Ohio State turned to Fielding – a walk-on freshman – to handle kickoff responsibilities against Notre Dame. He did so effectively, sending two of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks while the other two led to tackles by Trayanum and Xavier Johnson inside the 15-yard line.

Gaoteote, JK Johnson, Mitchell and Trayanum were among those who regular playing time on the kickoff unit despite not playing any snaps on defense.

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Kickoff Returns

Emeka Egbuka (returner): 3
Jayden Ballard: 3
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 3
Xavier Johnson: 3
Mitch Rossi: 3
Joe Royer: 3
Gee Scott Jr.: 3
Cade Stover: 3
Chip Trayanum: 3
Kourt Williams: 3
Tanner McCalister: 2
Cody Simon: 1

Egbuka reprised his role from last season as Ohio State’s primary kickoff returner and gained 25 yards on his only return of the night against the Fighting Irish.

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 5
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 5
Tommy Eichenberg (upback): 5
Mitch Rossi (upback): 5
Steele Chambers (guard): 5
Kourt Williams (guard): 5
Emeka Egbuka (tackle): 5
Xavier Johnson (tackle): 5
Cade Stover (wing): 5
Jayden Ballard (gunner): 5
Josh Proctor (gunner): 3
Marvin Harrison Jr. (gunner): 1
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (gunner): 1

Mirco, Robinson, Eichenberg, Rossi, Chambers and Johnson all return to the punting unit as starters from last season while Williams, Egbuka, Stover and Ballard are new regulars on the unit. Smith-Njigba rounded out the unit for Ohio State’s first punt of the game, but was replaced by a combination of Proctor or Harrison for Mirco’s four remaining punts.

The Buckeyes’ punting unit allowed no returns from the Fighting Irish as Mirco averaged 45 yards per punt and pinned Notre Dame inside the 20-yard line on four of his five punts.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Emeka Egbuka (returner): 8
Lathan Ransom: 8
Cody Simon: 6
Jantzen Dunn: 5
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 5
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 5
JK Johnson: 5
Xavier Johnson: 5
Teradja Mitchell: 5
Joe Royer: 5
Cameron Brown: 3
Denzel Burke: 3
Tommy Eichenberg: 3
Zach Harrison: 3
Ronnie Hickman: 3
Kourt Williams: 3
Steele Chambers: 2
Mike Hall: 2
J.T. Tuimoloau: 2
Tyleik Williams: 2
Jayden Ballard: 1
Jerron Cage: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (returner): 1
Taron Vincent: 1

Smith-Njigba was Ohio State’s returner for Notre Dame’s first punt of the game but was replaced by Egbuka for the remainder of the night after suffering his injury.

The only two Buckeyes who were on the field for all eight Notre Dame punts were Egbuka and Ransom, as Ohio State kept its defense on the field to play punt safe for three of the Fighting Irish’s eight punts. A total of 25 different Buckeyes were on the field for at least one Notre Dame punt, with Dunn playing his only snaps of the game as a participant on the punt block team.

Field Goal/Extra Point Block

Cameron Brown: 2
Denzel Burke: 2
Tommy Eichenberg: 2
Mike Hall: 2
Zach Harrison: 2
Ronnie Hickman: 2
Taron Vincent: 2
Steele Chambers: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
Tanner McCalister: 1
Josh Proctor: 1
Lathan Ransom: 1
Jack Sawyer: 1
Cody Simon: 1
J.T. Tuimoloau: 1

Ohio State didn’t do anything out of the ordinary with its field goal block team against Notre Dame, staffing that unit primarily with players who had already been on the field for the previous defensive play.