Snap Counts: Josh Fryar, Jordan Hancock, Dallan Hayden See Increased Playing Time As 60 Buckeyes Play in Ohio State’s Blowout Win over Indiana

The majority of Ohio State’s starters remained in the game until the Buckeyes’ final offensive and defensive series of the day, but they were ultimately able to get more of their backups reps than they had in their previous two games as 60 total Buckeyes saw game action against the Hoosiers.

Participants in Saturday’s 56-14 win over the Hoosiers included three Buckeyes who made their season debuts: offensive linemen Ben Christman and George Fitzpatrick, who both saw their first-ever game action at Ohio State, and wide receiver Kamryn Babb, who not only played his first snaps of the season and made the first catch of his Ohio State career for a poignant and memorable touchdown.

Several other Buckeyes stepped into bigger roles against Indiana due to injuries. Dallan Hayden played his second-highest snap count of the season at running back as TreVeyon Henderson was unavailable and Miyan Williams suffered an injury in the second quarter. Josh Fryar made his first career start at right tackle in place of Dawand Jones, who sat out the game after being listed as a game-time decision. Jordan Hancock made his first career start at cornerback as Denzel Burke was also unable to play.

In total, 27 Buckeyes saw playing time on offense and 26 Ohio State players got in the game on defense while seven others – backup linebackers C.J. Hicks, Reid Carrico and Jackson Kuwatch and specialists Noah Ruggles, Jesse Mirco, Mason Arnold and Jayden Fielding – played on special teams only.

Our full report on how Ohio State divvied up playing time in its penultimate home game of the season is below. Data from Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics was 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.

Quarterbacks

C.J. Stroud: 64
Kyle McCord: 9

Stroud topped 60 plays for the third week in a row and the sixth time this season as he took every snap until Ohio State’s final possession of the day, when McCord took over to finish out the game. Stroud completed 17 of his 28 passing attempts for 297 yards and five touchdowns – the fourth time this season he’s thrown five touchdown passes in a game – while McCord completed both of his two passing attempts for 25 combined yards.

Running Backs

Dallan Hayden: 33
Miyan Williams: 30

Williams made his third start of the season and was on the field for 30 of Ohio State’s first 39 offensive plays, running the ball 15 times for 147 yards and a touchdown until he suffered a lower leg injury that would put him in a walking boot and on crutches for the rest of the day.

With Chip Trayanum also unavailable in addition to Henderson, Hayden played most of the snaps at running back when Williams wasn’t on the field, carrying the ball 19 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Xavier Johnson also lined up at running back for five plays – and sure made the most of them, running for a 71-yard touchdown and catching two passes out of the backfield for 47 yards – while tight end/fullback Mitch Rossi lined up at tailback for four plays.

RELATED Freshman Tracker: Dallan Hayden Cracks 100 Yards, Kojo Antwi Sheds His Redshirt and George Fitzpatrick Makes His Debut

Wide Receivers

Marvin Harrison Jr.: 57
Julian Fleming: 54
Emeka Egbuka: 41
Xavier Johnson: 14
Jayden Ballard: 9
Reis Stocksdale: 8
Kojo Antwi: 7
Kamryn Babb: 4

Harrison, Fleming and Egbuka continued to make up Ohio State’s starting lineup and play the majority of snaps at wide receiver against Indiana with Jaxon Smith-Njigba still sidelined. Harrison topped 50 snaps for the eighth time in 10 games this year while Fleming played his second-highest snap count of the season. Egbuka did not play on any of Ohio State’s final four possessions after he took a hard hit on a 32-yard catch in the third quarter, though his early exit from the game appeared to be precautionary.

Johnson played nine snaps at wide receiver in addition to his five snaps at running back, with many of those snaps coming after Egbuka left the game. Stocksdale also mixed in for two plays with the first-team offense at slot receiver on Ohio State’s final possession of the third quarter.

Babb played all of his four snaps on Ohio State’s second-to-last drive of the game, replacing Harrison after the first two plays of the drive and making his first career catch for a touchdown on the last of those four plays. Ballard, Antwi and Stocksdale were the receivers for the game’s final series.

Tight Ends

Cade Stover: 47
Mitch Rossi: 29
Gee Scott Jr.: 17
Joe Royer: 7
Sam Hart: 6

Stover started and led all Ohio State tight ends in playing time against Indiana as he has in every game this season, though he played fewer than 50 snaps for the first time in six games. Rossi played a career-high 29 offensive snaps, including seven snaps at fullback and four snaps at running back in addition to 18 snaps at tight end. Scott also saw increased opportunity versus the Hoosiers, playing all 17 of his snaps with Stroud and the first-team offense.

Royer played his first offensive snaps of the season (and made his first catch of the year) on the final series of the day. Hart also mixed in for five snaps on the Buckeyes’ final possession in his fifth game appearance of the year.

Offensive Linemen

Paris Johnson Jr.: 64
Donovan Jackson: 64
Luke Wypler: 64
Matt Jones: 64
Josh Fryar: 64
Enokk Vimahi: 11
Zen Michalski: 9
Jakob James: 9
Ben Christman: 9
George Fitzpatrick: 9

Fryar played more than twice as many snaps as he had ever previously played in a game as a Buckeye as he played every snap at right tackle with the first-team offensive line alongside regular starters Johnson, Jackson, Wypler and Jones.

With Fryar in the starting lineup, Vimahi played Fryar’s usual role as the sixth offensive lineman on a pair of goal-line plays. Vimahi also reprised his role as the second-team left guard in between Michalski and James. Christman made his Ohio State debut as the second-team right guard in place of Toby Wilson, who was also held out of action after being listed as a game-time decision, and Fitzpatrick made his Buckeye debut in Fryar’s place as the second-team right tackle.

Defensive Ends

JT Tuimoloau: 41
Zach Harrison: 38
Jack Sawyer: 22
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 16
Tyler Friday: 12
Caden Curry: 4

Tuimoloau and Harrison both were on the field for a majority of Ohio State’s defensive plays for a third game in a row as the Buckeyes’ starting defensive ends. Sawyer continued to see the third-most snaps in the defensive end rotation, occasionally joining both Tuimoloau and Harrison on the field while standing up as a Jack linebacker.

Jean-Baptiste played fewer than 20 snaps for the second game in a row as Ohio State’s fourth defensive end while Friday played double-digit snaps in the defensive end rotation for the first time since September. Curry’s only snaps at defensive end came on Indiana’s final possession of the game.

Defensive Tackles

Taron Vincent: 38
Ty Hamilton: 27
Tyleik Williams: 25
Jerron Cage: 16
Mike Hall Jr.: 16

Vincent played the most snaps among defensive tackles for the third straight week as he made his 10th start in a row to begin the season. Hamilton played the second-most snaps among defensive tackles for the second straight week as he made his second consecutive start alongside Vincent on the interior defensive line.

Williams led all backup defensive tackles in playing time for the second week in a row. Ohio State limited Hall’s playing time for a second consecutive game, as he was substituted into the game on numerous third-down pass-rushing situations but played his second-fewest overall snaps of the season (excluding the Toledo game, in which he did not play at all) in the defensive tackle rotation.

Linebackers

Steele Chambers: 54
Tommy Eichenberg: 49
Cody Simon: 22
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 12
Reid Carrico: Special teams only
C.J. Hicks: Special teams only
Jackson Kuwatch: Special teams only

Ohio State rotated at middle linebacker with the first-team defense for the first time all season against Indiana. Simon took Eichenberg’s place in the lineup at middle linebacker on several series, resulting in Eichenberg playing fewer than 50 snaps for just the third time this year. Simon also joined Eichenberg and Chambers on the field for seven plays in which the Buckeyes had three linebackers on the field.

While Chambers played more snaps than Eichenberg for the first time all season, Gaoteote also rotated in at Will linebacker on three series, playing on defense before the fourth quarter for the first time all season when he took the field alongside Simon for Indiana’s fourth possession of the game.

Cornerbacks

Jordan Hancock: 49
Jyaire Brown: 34
Cameron Brown: 27
JK Johnson: 18

Hancock played the most snaps of any cornerback and the highest snap count of his career as he made his first start as a Buckeye against Indiana. Cameron Brown returned to the starting lineup after missing five of Ohio State’s previous six games due to injury, but rotated in and out of the game frequently in his return to action.

Jyaire Brown saw extensive playing time in Ohio State’s cornerback rotation for the second week in a row as he ended up playing just over half of the Buckeyes’ defensive plays vs. the Hoosiers. Johnson, who started all five games while Cameron Brown was sidelined, was the first cornerback off the bench but ended up playing his fewest snaps since the season opener against Notre Dame (in which he only played on special teams) after he gave up a 49-yard catch on his first series against Indiana.

Safeties

Ronnie Hickman: 55
Lathan Ransom: 49
Tanner McCalister: 37
Cameron Martinez: 19
Josh Proctor: 11
Kye Stokes: 9
Sonny Styles: 4

Hickman played the most snaps of any defender against Indiana as he was on the field for every play until the Hoosiers’ final three possessions of the game, at which point he was replaced by Stokes.

Ransom continued to play the lion’s share of snaps at bandit, with Proctor mixing in occasionally and then replacing Ransom for two of Indiana’s final three possessions. Styles finished out the game at that spot on Indiana’s final drive.

McCalister made his ninth start of the season at nickel safety but Martinez also mixed in for playing time with the first-team defense at that spot for the second week in a row.

Extra Points

Noah Ruggles (kicker): 8
Jesse Mirco (holder): 8
Mason Arnold (long snapper): 8
Caden Curry (wing): 8
Zen Michalski (end): 8
Paris Johnson Jr. (tackle): 8
Donovan Jackson (guard): 8
Enokk Vimahi (guard): 8
Josh Fryar (tackle): 8
Jakob James (end): 8
Cade Stover (wing): 6
Sam Hart (wing): 2

Just as he did on offense, Fryar took the place of Dawand Jones on Ohio State’s place-kicking unit for all eight of Ruggles’ extra points. The rest of the unit remained the same from previous weeks with the exception of Ruggles’ final two kicks, on which Hart took Stover’s place to make his debut on the place-kicking team.

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 9
Caden Curry: 9
C.J. Hicks: 9
JK Johnson: 9
Cody Simon: 9
Sonny Styles: 9
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 7
Xavier Johnson: 7
Kye Stokes: 7
Tanner McCalister: 6
Josh Proctor: 6
Kojo Antwi: 3
Reid Stocksdale: 3
Jyaire Brown: 2
Ronnie Hickman: 2
Reid Carrico: 1
Jackson Kuwatch: 1

Hickman rejoined the kickoff coverage unit against Indiana, replacing Chip Trayanum, but took the field for only two kickoffs before being replaced by Stokes. The rest of the starting kickoff unit remained the same from previous games, with Antwi, Stocksdale, Brown, Carrico and Kuwatch getting their opportunities to cover kickoffs in the second half after Ohio State had established a comfortable lead.

Kickoff Returns

Xavier Johnson (returner): 3
Jayden Ballard: 3
Steele Chambers: 3
Caden Curry: 3
Julian Fleming: 3
Palaie Gaoteote IV: 3
C.J. Hicks: 3
Cameron Martinez: 3
Gee Scott Jr.: 3
Cody Simon: 3
Sonny Styles: 3

Fleming rejoined the kickoff return unit against Indiana, taking the place of Trayanum. Johnson had his most productive game as a kickoff returner so far as he returned two of the Hoosiers’ three kickoffs for a total of 51 yards.

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 5
Mason Arnold (long snapper): 5
Tommy Eichenberg (upback): 5
Mitch Rossi (upback): 5
Steele Chambers (guard): 5
Cody Simon (guard/wing): 5
Xavier Johnson (tackle): 5
Jayden Ballard (gunner): 5
Emeka Egbuka (tackle): 4
Cade Stover (wing): 4
Josh Proctor (gunner): 3
Kojo Antwi (gunner): 1
Reid Carrico (guard): 1
Marvin Harrison Jr. (gunner): 1
Tanner McCalister (tackle): 1

Simon took Trayanum’s place on the punt team for Mirco’s first four punts against Indiana, then took Stover’s place on the wing for Mirco’s final punt as Carrico made his debut on the punt team. McCalister also replaced Egbuka for Mirco’s final punt, while Antwi and Harrison each got one rep at gunner in place of Proctor, who had been a gunner for all seven of Mirco’s punts along with Ballard against Northwestern.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Palaie Gaoteote IV: 12
JK Johnson: 12
Caden Curry: 11
Sonny Styles: 11
Sam Hart: 10
C.J. Hicks: 10
Xavier Johnson: 10
Gee Scott Jr.: 10
Emeka Egbuka (returner): 9
Lathan Ransom: 8
Jyaire Brown: 6
Jordan Hancock: 6
Cameron Martinez: 3
Reis Stocksdale (returner): 2
Kye Stokes: 2
Tyleik Williams: 2
Jayden Ballard (returner): 1
Jerron Cage: 1
Tyler Friday: 1
Mike Hall Jr.: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
Josh Proctor: 1
Jack Sawyer: 1
Cody Simon: 1

Indiana punted the ball a whopping 12 times on 16 possessions and Gaoteote and JK Johnson were on the field for all of them. Curry, Styles, Hart, Hicks, Xavier Johnson, Scott and Ransom were also regulars on the punt block team against the Hoosiers, with Ransom blocking Ohio State’s first punt since 2019 on Indiana’s seventh punt of the game.

Egbuka was the returner for all of Indiana’s first nine punts. Stocksdale took over for Indiana’s next two punts but was replaced by Ballard after muffing both of his punt return attempts, one of which was recovered by Indiana at the 18-yard line and led to the Hoosiers’ second touchdown of the game.

Extra Point Block

Cody Simon: 2
Sonny Styles: 2
Cameron Brown: 1
Jyaire Brown: 1
Jerron Cage: 1
Steele Chambers: 1
Palaie Gaoteote: 1
Ty Hamilton: 1
Jordan Hancock: 1
Zach Harrison: 1
Ronnie Hickman: 1
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: 1
JK Johnson: 1
Josh Proctor: 1
Lathan Ransom: 1
Jack Sawyer: 1
Kye Stokes: 1
JT Tuimoloau: 1
Taron Vincent: 1
Tyleik Williams: 1

Per usual, Ohio State’s kick-blocking unit against Indiana consisted of a combination of Styles and 10 defenders who were on the field for the previous defensive play. With mostly backups in the game for Indiana’s second touchdown, Simon was the only Buckeye other than Styles on the field for both of the Hoosiers’ extra points.