Snap Counts: 63 Ohio State Players See Game Action As Starters Play Into Fourth Quarter of Big Ten Opener Blowout Win vs. Wisconsin

Although Ohio State raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, a 31-7 lead by halftime and a 45-7 lead in the third quarter, the Buckeyes kept most of their starters in on both sides of the ball until their final two defensive series and final offensive possession of the game, which Ohio State ultimately won 52-21.

Even so, 63 Buckeyes – the same number of players who saw action in Ohio State’s second win of the year against Arkansas State – got on the field for at least some playing time against the Badgers. Ohio State utilized 27 players on offense and 26 players on defense while another 10 Buckeyes played only on special teams.

Defensive tackle Mike Hall and safeties Tanner McCalister and Josh Proctor all returned to the starting lineup against Wisconsin after missing the Toledo game, while Jantzen Dunn returned to action on special teams. On the other hand, 14 players who saw action against Toledo did not play against the Badgers; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown were all unavailable due to injuries while Lathan Ransom, Devin Brown, TC Caffey, Cayden Saunders, Kyion Grayes, Kojo Antwi, Bennett Christian, Toby Wilson, Kenyatta Jackson, Hero Kanu and Jackson Kuwatch also did not play against Wisconsin.

Our full breakdown of how many snaps every Buckeye at each position played against Wisconsin is below. Offensive and defensive snap counts are courtesy of Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics while special teams snap counts were tabulated by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge. (Note: Due to inconsistent TV camera angles and the difficulty of reading the numbers on the black uniforms Ohio State wore against Wisconsin, it was not possible to identify all 11 Buckeyes on the field on some kickoffs, kickoff returns and punt returns. For those plays, we made our best guesses as to who was on the field based upon who was on those units for other plays in the game.)

All snap counts should be considered unofficial, as they were not provided by Ohio State.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud: 62
Kyle McCord: 9

Despite the lopsided score, Stroud remained in the game until he threw his fifth touchdown pass of the night on Ohio State’s opening possession of the fourth quarter. Stroud was in the game for a total of 11 drives and completed 17 of his 27 passing attempts for 281 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.

McCord entered the game for Ohio State’s final possession but did not attempt any passes, though he had one rushing attempt for three yards.

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson: 47
Miyan Williams: 15
Dallan Hayden: 9

After playing only one series against Toledo due to a foot injury, Henderson received a heavy workload against Wisconsin, playing his largest snap count of the season to date and running for a season-high 121 yards on 21 carries.

Williams, who played the most snaps among running backs against both Arkansas State and Toledo, exited the game after reaching 101 yards on his 11th carry in just 15 snaps, as the Buckeyes opted to lighten his workload with Ohio State already in firm control of the game at the time of his final carry in the second quarter.

Hayden carried the ball eight times for a total of 31 yards on Ohio State’s final offensive possession, where he played all nine of his snaps.

Wide Receivers

Emeka Egbuka: 59
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 59
Julian Fleming: 57
Jayden Ballard: 10
Xavier Johnson: 10
Kaleb Brown: 9
Reis Stocksdale: Special teams only

With Smith-Njigba sidelined again by his hamstring injury, Fleming made his first start of the season opposite Harrison while Egbuka moved inside to play slot receiver. Those three receivers played nearly all of the snaps with the first-team offense, with Ballard and Johnson rotating in for just one play each until the Buckeyes’ final drive, on which they manned the outside receiver positions with Brown – the only one of Ohio State’s freshman receivers to play against Wisconsin – in the slot.

Tight Ends

Cade Stover: 41
Mitch Rossi: 18
Gee Scott Jr.: 14
Sam Hart: 3
Patrick Gurd: 2
Zak Herbstreit: 1

Stover was on the field for about two-thirds of the plays with the first-team offense against Wisconsin, as he continued to establish himself as Ohio State’s clear-cut No. 1 tight end with a four-catch, 51-yard, two-touchdown performance in which he also excelled as a blocker.

Rossi and Scott also mixed in for playing time with the first-team offense, with Rossi occasionally lining up at fullback and taking a rushing attempt from that position for the second week in a row to convert a 3rd-and-1. Hart, Gurd and Herbstreit played all of their snaps on Ohio State’s final six offensive plays of the game.

RELATED Notebook: Cade Stover Continues to Shine, TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams Both Top 100 Yards and Ryan Day Hopes Jaxon Smith-Njigba Can Return vs. Rutgers

Offensive Linemen

Paris Johnson Jr.: 62
Donovan Jackson: 62
Luke Wypler: 62
Matt Jones: 62
Dawand Jones: 62
Josh Fryar: 10
Zen Michalski: 9
Enokk Vimahi: 9
Jakob James: 9
Tegra Tshabola: 9

The Buckeyes made no changes to either their first- or second-team offensive lines against Wisconsin. Johnson, Jackson, Wypler, Jones and Jones played all 62 snaps while Stroud was in the game, while Michalski, Vimahi, James, Tshabola and Fryar was the line for the Buckeyes’ final possession. 

Fryar played one additional snap as an extra lineman on a jumbo package in the first quarter for a play on which the Buckeyes also had all of their top three tight ends on the field and Stover ended up catching a 2-yard touchdown pass.

Defensive Ends

Jack Sawyer: 26
Zach Harrison: 24
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 23
J.T. Tuimoloau: 21
Tyler Friday: 11
Caden Curry: 9

Sawyer made his first career start against Wisconsin, replacing Tuimoloau in the starting lineup, and ended up playing the most snaps of any Ohio State defensive end while continuing to play many of his snaps from a standup position as a Jack linebacker.

Harrison started opposite Sawyer and played the second-most snaps at DE while Tuimoloau also mixed in for his share of playing time in the first half and early in the second half. Jean-Baptiste played most of his snaps and Friday and Curry played all of their snaps on the Buckeyes’ final four defensive series after Ohio State had already established a 38-7 lead.

Jack Sawyer made his first start and played the most snaps among defensive ends against Wisconsin.

Defensive Tackles

Taron Vincent: 31
Mike Hall: 27
Jerron Cage: 20
Tyleik Williams: 20
Ty Hamilton: 13
Jaden McKenzie: 7

With Hall back in the starting lineup after sitting out the Toledo game, he and Vincent played the majority of first-half snaps at defensive tackle against Wisconsin. Cage and Williams functioned as the top backups behind them. Hamilton and McKenzie played most of their snaps near the end of the game, with all of McKenzie’s snaps coming in the fourth quarter.

Linebackers

Tommy Eichenberg: 54
Steele Chambers: 48
Cody Simon: 16
Chip Trayanum: 3
Reid Carrico: Special teams only
Palaie Gaoteote IV: Special teams only
C.J. Hicks: Special teams only
Gabe Powers: Special teams only

While Chambers and Simon rotated regularly at the Will linebacker position throughout non-conference play, Chambers played nearly all of the first-team snaps at Will against Wisconsin. That change came as the Buckeyes utilized a three-linebacker package for the first time this season against the Badgers, with Simon lining up at Sam linebacker on those plays.

Eichenberg was on the field for all of Ohio State’s first 54 defensive plays at middle linebacker, recording 14 tackles in those 54 plays, until he was relieved by Trayanum for the Buckeyes’ final two defensive series, which lasted only three combined plays due to a 75-yard Braelon Allen touchdown run and the clock expiring.

Cornerbacks

Jyaire Brown: 52
JK Johnson: 51
Ryan Turner: 3

With Cameron Brown and Denzel Burke both sidelined by injuries, Jyaire Brown and Johnson made their first career starts at cornerback against Wisconsin. They were the only two Buckeyes to play any snaps at outside cornerback until the final two defensive series, when Turner replaced Johnson to finish out the game, giving the Buckeyes two true freshman cornerbacks on the field for the end of the night.

Safeties

Ronnie Hickman: 54
Josh Proctor: 53
Tanner McCalister: 37
Sonny Styles: 9
Kourt Williams: 9
Cameron Martinez: 3
Kye Stokes: 3
Jantzen Dunn: Special teams only

Hickman continued to be a mainstay with the first-team defense at free safety while Proctor saw all of the first-team work at strong safety for the first time this season as Ransom sat out the game. McCalister played all of the snaps at nickel safety in the Buckeyes’ base defense with the exception of one series on which Martinez took his place in the lineup.

Styles saw his first playing time with the first-team defense as a hybrid safety/linebacker in short-yardage and goal-line situations, replacing McCalister to give the Buckeyes a bigger body on the field. Williams also played some snaps in that capacity in the second half. Williams and Styles also finished out the game at the bandit and nickel safety position alongside Stokes, who replaced Hickman for the final two defensive series.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 8
Jesse Mirco (holder): 8
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 8
Caden Curry (wing): 8
Zen Michalski (end): 8
Paris Johnson Jr. (tackle): 8
Donovan Jackson (guard): 8
Enokk Vimahi (guard): 8
Dawand Jones (tackle): 8
Jakob James (end): 8
Cade Stover (wing): 8

Ohio State made no changes to its placekicking unit against Wisconsin as Ruggles made his only field goal and all seven of his extra point attempts against the Badgers.

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 9
Jayden Ballard: 9
Reid Carrico: 9
C.J. Hicks: 9
Xavier Johnson: 9
Kye Stokes: 9
Chip Trayanum: 8
Cody Simon: 6
Ronnie Hickman: 5
Tanner McCalister: 5
Kourt Williams: 5
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 4
Sonny Styles: 4
Jantzen Dunn: 3
Gabe Powers: 3
Reis Stocksdale: 2

Fielding continued to handle all of Ohio State’s kickoffs against Wisconsin, putting four of them into the end zone for touchbacks while hitting one out of bounds. Carrico, Hicks, Gaoteote, Dunn, Powers and Stocksdale all saw playing time in kickoff coverage even though they did not play on defense or offense.

Kickoff Returns

Chip Trayanum (returner/blocker): 4
Jayden Ballard: 4
C.J. Hicks: 4
Xavier Johnson: 4
Mitch Rossi: 4
Gee Scott Jr.: 4
Cody Simon: 4
Sonny Styles: 4
Kourt Williams: 4
Emeka Egbuka (returner): 2
Reid Carrico: 2
Steele Chambers: 2
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 2

Trayanum was the returner for both of Wisconsin’s first-half kickoffs – dropping the opening kickoff of the game but recovering it himself – while Egbuka took over that spot, though Trayanum remained on the unit as a blocker, for both of the Badgers’ fourth-quarter kickoffs (neither of which Egbuka returned).

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 2
Bradley Robinson (long snapper): 2
Tommy Eichenberg (upback): 2
Mitch Rossi (upback): 2
Steele Chambers (guard): 2
Kourt Williams (guard): 2
Emeka Egbuka (tackle): 2
Xavier Johnson (tackle): 2
Cade Stover (wing): 2
Jayden Ballard (gunner): 2
Julian Fleming (gunner): 1
Cameron Martinez (gunner): 1

Ohio State made no changes to its punting unit with the exception of the second gunner spot, where Fleming and Martinez each took one rep against the Badgers in a game where Mirco only needed to punt twice.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Emeka Egbuka (returner): 6
JK Johnson: 6
C.J. Hicks: 5
Xavier Johnson: 5
Cameron Martinez: 5
Gee Scott Jr.: 5
Cody Simon: 5
Sonny Styles: 5
Kourt Williams: 5
Jyaire Brown: 4
Chip Trayanum: 3
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 2
Steele Chambers: 1
Tommy Eichenberg: 1
Mike Hall: 1
Zach Harrison: 1
Ronnie Hickman: 1
Tanner McCalister: 1
Josh Proctor: 1
Jack Sawyer: 1
Kye Stokes: 1
Taron Vincent: 1

Egbuka continued to handle punt return duties against Wisconsin, returning one of the Badgers’ six punts for 10 yards.

Extra Point Block

Ty Hamilton: 3
Cody Simon: 3
Jerron Cage: 2
Steele Chambers: 2
Tommy Eichenberg: 2
Zach Harrison: 2
Ronnie Hickman: 2
Josh Proctor: 2
Sonny Styles: 2
Taron Vincent: 2
Kourt Williams: 2
Tyleik Williams: 2
Jyaire Brown: 1
Caden Curry: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
Jaden McKenzie: 1
Kye Stokes: 1
Chip Trayanum: 1
Ryan Turner: 1

A total of 19 different Buckeyes, corresponding with which defensive players were on the field for Wisconsin’s three touchdowns, were in the game for at least one of the Badgers’ three extra points.