Freshman Tracker: Brandon Inniss Scores A Touchdown on His First Catch As Nine Freshmen Play Against Purdue

For the first time since playing Western Kentucky, nine true freshmen participated in the 41-7 blowout win over Purdue on Saturday. The Buckeyes’ dominant victory enabled Ryan Day to play his youngsters as the team picked up its first win in West Lafayette in a decade.

Tate and Inniss open for business

Brandon Inniss made his first collegiate catch a memorable one. In the fourth quarter, Devin Brown connected with Inniss as the talented receiver found a soft spot in the Boilermakers' secondary. The American Heritage alum secured the pass, then showed off his speed as he raced for a 58-yard touchdown.

Brandon Inniss takes his first career catch 58 yards for a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/UOU3A9FF00

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 14, 2023

Inniss' touchdown came at the 7:35 mark of the fourth quarter and capped off the scoring for both teams.

Carnell Tate didn't score, but he was instrumental in setting up Cade Stover's second touchdown catch of the game. The Buckeyes faced a 3rd-and-10 on their own 20-yard line when Tate took a short pass from Kyle McCord 16 yards for a drive-saving first down.

Following a delay of game penalty, McCord found Tate again. This time for a 55-yard bomb that put the ball on Purdue's 14-yard line, setting up Stover's score on the next play. 

The Carnell Tate drive

Back-to-back catches for the true freshman #Buckeyes wideout, the second of which goes for 55 yards. pic.twitter.com/nVw8Ny4G0g

— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) October 14, 2023

Tate finished the day with three receptions for 79 yards, both career-highs for the receiver from Chicago. Tate has caught a pass in five of Ohio State's six games, leads all OSU freshmen with eight catches for 162 yards on the season and his average of 20.3 yards per catch is the best on the team for any player with at least five catches.

Let's get defensive

Career highs were set by freshmen on both sides of the ball. Malik Hartford and Jermaine Mathews Jr. recorded the first multiple-tackle performances of their careers as they were each credited with two stops. Mathews' tackles were with the kickoff unit as he stuffed Purdue's return man inside the 20-yard line twice.

Kayden McDonald etched his name into the stat book for the first time as the defensive lineman made a tackle for loss and knocked down a pass. 

Burn baby burn

Last week, Tate became the first freshman to lose his redshirt eligibility. This week, Luke Montgomery, Hartford, Inniss and Mathews join Tate in shedding their redshirt status. At this point, it appears those five might be the only freshmen to see action in five or more games this season. 

Rest of the class 

Bryson Rodgers, Noah Rogers, Jelani Thurman and Montgomery saw action with the offense. Rodgers made his Buckeye debut and was on the field for three snaps. Rogers and Thurman played for the first time since the Western Kentucky game, with Rogers getting three snaps and Thurman one. Montgomery was the sixth offensive lineman for a play in the first half and was on the second-team offensive line for Ohio State’s final drive.

Extended playing time for the freshman class is likely to be limited next week as the Buckeyes host unbeaten Penn State.

Through six games, 11 of Ohio State's 21 scholarship true freshmen have seen the field with five – Malik Hartford, Brandon Inniss, Jermaine Mathews Jr., Luke Montgomery and Carnell Tate – now ineligible for a redshirt as they have played in five or more games.

(Note: The table does not include freshman walk-ons who have not yet played.)

• #3 Ohio State 41, Purdue 7
• Oct. 14, 2023 • Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN
• • Buckeyes Steamroll Purdue, 41-7
• • Run Game Improves Despite Injuries
• • Brown's Surprise Appearance Pays Dividends
• • College GameDay Coming to Columbus
• • Ohio State Postgame • Purdue Postgame
• • Photos • Notebook