Snap Counts: Season-Low 50 Buckeyes Play Against Penn State As 13 Ohio State Defenders Play Season-High Snap Counts

Like in the season opener against Notre Dame, Ohio State never had firm control of Saturday’s game in Happy Valley until late in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes actually trailed in the fourth quarter until they rattled off four touchdowns in a span of just six minutes and nine seconds to pull away from the home team.

As a result, Ohio State kept its rotations much tighter against Penn State than in most of its games this season. Giving us a glimpse into which players Ohio State trusts to be on the field in big games in the homestretch of the season, a season-low 50 Buckeyes saw action in the battle with the Nittany Lions.

Only 16 Buckeyes played snaps on offense, and just 20 Buckeyes saw action on defense. Thirteen of those Buckeyes – defensive ends Zach Harrison, J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, defensive tackles Taron Vincent, Tyleik Williams and Jerron Cage, linebackers Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg, cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock and safeties Ronnie Hickman, Lathan Ransom and Tanner McCalister – played their highest defensive snap counts of the season to date as Penn State ran 81 offensive plays, the most Ohio State has faced in a game this year.

Our full report on how many snaps each Buckeye played on offense, defense and special teams follows below. Offensive and defensive snap counts are courtesy of Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics, while special teams snap counts were compiled by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge. All snap counts should be considered unofficial as they were not provided by Ohio State.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud: 64

Stroud played every snap of the game at quarterback for only the second time this season and threw passes on just over half of Ohio State’s 64 offensive snaps, completing 26 of 33 attempts for 354 yards and one touchdown. He also had six rushing attempts (including two sacks) for a net gain of five yards.

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson: 59
Miyan Williams: 5
Chip Trayanum: Special teams only

Williams was forced to leave the game after just his second carry and fifth snap of the game due to hand and knee injuries. Henderson was the Buckeyes’ running back for all of their other 59 offensive plays, the most snaps he’s played in any game this season. He ran the ball on 16 of those plays for 78 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass for a 5-yard loss.

TreVeyon Henderson played a season-high 59 snaps at running back in Ohio State’s win over Penn State.

Wide Receivers

Emeka Egbuka: 58
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 58
Julian Fleming: 50
Xavier Johnson: 7
Jayden Ballard: Special teams only

With Jaxon Smith-Njigba unavailable again, Harrison, Egbuka and Fleming played almost all of the snaps at wide receiver against Penn State, with Egbuka and Harrison each playing all but six of Ohio State’s offensive plays.

Johnson entered the game for two snaps as a wideout when Harrison had to leave the game briefly after landing hard on his shoulder, but the rest of Johnson’s snaps came in the Buckeyes’ jumbo package, in which he replaced Gee Scott Jr. from previous games as the third tight end.

Tight Ends

Cade Stover: 62
Mitch Rossi: 15
Gee Scott Jr.: 1

Stover continued to be a mainstay in Ohio State’s offensive lineup against Penn State, playing all but two snaps at tight end and catching a career-high six passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. Rossi mixed in for 15 plays as a tight end/fullback. Scott’s only offensive snap came in victory formation when the Buckeyes kneeled the ball down on the game’s final play.

RELATED Penn State Notebook: Marvin Harrison Jr. Has A Career Day in Home State, Cade Stover Has Another Big Game and Ryan Day Takes Blame for Half-Ending Sack

Offensive Linemen

Paris Johnson Jr.: 64
Donovan Jackson: 64
Luke Wypler: 64
Matt Jones: 64
Dawand Jones: 64
Josh Fryar: 5
Jakob James: Special teams only
Zen Michalski: Special teams only
Enokk Vimahi: Special teams only

Johnson, Jackson, Wypler, Jones and Jones were all on the field for all 64 offensive plays as the five starting offensive linemen, while Fryar joined them in the game as a sixth offensive lineman for five plays in the jumbo package.

Defensive Ends

Zach Harrison: 62
J.T. Tuimoloau: 55
Jack Sawyer: 31
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 23
Caden Curry: Special teams only

Neither Harrison nor Tuimoloau played more than 33 snaps in any of Ohio State’s first seven games, but both played way more than that as the Buckeyes’ starting defensive ends against Penn State. Harrison played the most snaps of any defensive lineman in any game this year one week after he had a dominant performance against Iowa, while Tuimoloau took full advantage of his 55 snaps by forcing four turnovers – three of which he collected himself and one of which was an interception by Harrison – in an all-time great individual performance.

Sawyer also played a season-high 31 snaps, some of which came with Harrison and Tuimoloau also both on the field as the ends in a three-man defensive front with Sawyer playing Jack linebacker. For the first time all season, Ohio State played only four defensive ends on defense as neither Curry nor Tyler Friday played any defensive snaps even though Friday was available after showing up as a non-participant on the status report for three games.

RELATED Players of the Game: J.T. Tuimoloau and Marvin Harrison Jr. Earn Top Honors for Performances Against Penn State

Defensive Tackles

Taron Vincent: 55
Mike Hall Jr.: 31
Tyleik Williams: 30
Jerron Cage: 24
Ty Hamilton: 16

Vincent played 19 more snaps against Penn State than he had previously played in any game this season, while Williams and Cage also played their most prominent roles of the year in the rotation. Hall, who started alongside Vincent, also played his second-highest snap count of the season while Hamilton also factored in the rotation – including four plays where Hamilton, Vincent and Williams were all on the field together as part of a five-man defensive front.

Linebackers

Steele Chambers: 81
Tommy Eichenberg: 81
Palaie Gaotoete IV: 4
Cody Simon: 4
C.J. Hicks: Special teams only

Chambers and Eichenberg were both on the field for all 81 of Ohio State’s defensive plays – a career-high in snaps for both players – as the two inside linebackers in the Buckeyes’ base defense. Gaoteote and Simon joined Chambers and Eichenberg for four plays in a short-yardage defensive package in which the Buckeyes lined up with five defensive linemen, four linebackers and only two defensive backs on the field.

Cornerbacks

Denzel Burke: 77
JK Johnson: 46
Jordan Hancock: 31

Burke played a season-high 77 snaps as he was on the field for every defensive snap except for the four aforementioned short-yardage plays in which the Buckeyes had no cornerbacks on the field. With Cameron Brown unavailable, Johnson started opposite Burke. He played a majority of snaps as Ohio State’s No. 2 cornerback. However, Hancock also rotated in for more than twice as many snaps as he played in his 15-play season debut against Iowa.

Safeties

Ronnie Hickman: 81
Lathan Ransom: 81
Tanner McCalister: 77
Cameron Martinez: 1
Jantzen Dunn: Special teams only
Josh Proctor: Special teams only
Sonny Styles: Special teams only

Hickman, Ransom and McCalister all played their highest snap counts of the season. Ransom and Hickman were both on the field for every defensive play as Ohio State’s two primary safeties. McCalister was in the game for every play except when the Buckeyes had their four-linebacker package on the field. Martinez joined them on the field for just one defensive play.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 9
Jesse Mirco (holder): 9
Mason Arnold (long snapper): 9
Caden Curry (wing): 9
Zen Michalski (end): 9
Paris Johnson Jr. (tackle): 9
Donovan Jackson (guard): 9
Enokk Vimahi (guard): 9
Dawand Jones (tackle): 9
Jakob James (end): 9
Cade Stover (wing): 9

Arnold handled long-snapping duties against Penn State as Bradley Robinson was unavailable after suffering a knee injury against Iowa. The rest of Ohio State’s placekicking unit remained the same from previous games for all four of Ruggles’ field goal attempts – three of which he made – and five extra points.

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 9
Caden Curry: 9
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 9
C.J. Hicks: 9
JK Johnson: 9
Xavier Johnson: 9
Tanner McCalister: 9
Josh Proctor: 9
Cody Simon: 9
Sonny Styles: 9
Chip Trayanum: 9

Gaoteote, JK Johnson and Proctor all rejoined the kickoff coverage team against Penn State, replacing Jayden Ballard, Reid Carrico and Ronnie Hickman on the starting kickoff unit from the Iowa game. Fielding continued to handle every kickoff as he has all season for the Buckeyes.

RELATED Freshman Tracker: Four Members of the 2022 Class Play As 14 True Freshmen Travel to Beaver Stadium for Ohio State’s Win over Penn State

Kickoff Returns

Xavier Johnson (returner): 6
Steele Chambers: 6
Cody Simon: 6
Jayden Ballard: 5
Caden Curry: 5
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 5
C.J. Hicks: 5
Cameron Martinez: 5
Gee Scott Jr.: 5
Sonny Styles: 5
Chip Trayanum: 5
Emeka Egbuka: 1
Tommy Eichenberg: 1
Julian Fleming: 1
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 1
TreVeyon Henderson: 1
Lathan Ransom: 1
Mitch Rossi: 1
Cade Stover: 1

Johnson lined up as the lead kickoff returner for the second game in a row and ran for 26 yards on his first return of the season. The only change to Ohio State’s primary kickoff return unit from the Iowa game was Martinez replacing Fleming. Egbuka, Fleming, Harrison, Henderson, Rossi, Stover, Eichenberg and Ransom joined Johnson, Chambers and Simon on the hands team for Penn State’s onside kick attempt on its final kickoff of the game, which went out of bounds.

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 3
Mason Arnold (long snapper): 3
Tommy Eichenberg (upback): 3
Mitch Rossi (upback): 3
Steele Chambers (guard): 3
Chip Trayanum (guard): 3
Xavier Johnson (tackle): 3
Cade Stover (wing): 3
Josh Proctor (gunner): 3
Jayden Ballard (gunner): 3
Emeka Egbuka (tackle): 2
Lathan Ransom (tackle): 1

Ransom replaced Egbuka for one of Mirco’s three punts after Egbuka was tackled on a screen pass on the previous play. Otherwise, Ohio State had the same players on the field for all three of Mirco’s punts, all of which he hit longer than 50 yards.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Emeka Egbuka (returner): 3
Caden Curry: 3
Jantzen Dunn: 3
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 3
JK Johnson: 3
Xavier Johnson: 3
Cody Simon: 3
Sonny Styles: 3
Chip Trayanum: 3
C.J. Hicks: 2
Lathan Ransom: 2
Ronnie Hickman: 1
Miyan Williams: 1

Dunn saw his first playing time in four games as he joined the Buckeyes’ punt block unit. Gaoteote, Simon and Williams (who was replaced by Hicks for Penn State’s latter two punts) were also new additions to the starting punt block team against Penn State, replacing Jyaire Brown, Reid Carrico, Cameron Martinez and Gee Scott Jr. Egbuka was the deep returner for all three of Barney Amor’s punts and returned one for eight yards.

Field Goal/Extra Point Block

Denzel Burke: 6
Steele Chambers: 6
Tommy Eichenberg: 6
Ronnie Hickman: 6
Lathan Ransom: 6
Zach Harrison: 5
JK Johnson: 5
Sonny Styles: 5
J.T. Tuimoloau: 4
Tyleik Williams: 4
Mike Hall Jr.: 3
Ty Hamilton: 2
Jack Sawyer: 2
Taron Vincent: 2
Jerron Cage: 1
Jordan Hancock: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
Tanner McCalister: 1

As he has for each of Ohio State’s last three games, Styles took McCalister’s place on the kick-blocking unit with the exception of Penn State’s first extra point, which McCalister remained on the field for. Otherwise, the Buckeyes on the field for Penn State’s field goal or extra point attempt consisted of defensive players who had been in the game on the series leading up to those kicks.