Snap Counts: 64 Buckeyes See Playing Time in Ohio State’s Final Home Game of 2023 Against Minnesota

After utilizing 66 total players in its 38-3 win over Michigan State, the Buckeyes got 64 players on the field in their 37-3 win over Minnesota. Ohio State didn’t put the game away quite as quickly as it did against Michigan State, as it scored only 13 points in the first half, but a 17-point barrage in the first five minutes of the third quarter allowed the Buckeyes to take all of their starters out of the game by the early fourth quarter.

The only Buckeyes who played against Michigan State that didn’t play against Minnesota were wide receivers Noah Rogers and Bryson Rodgers, defensive end Joshua Mickens, defensive tackles Mike Hall and Bryce Prater, linebacker Reid Carrico and cornerback Jyaire Brown. Conversely, the Buckeyes got five players in the game against the Golden Gophers that didn’t play against the Spartans: running back Dallan Hayden, wide receiver Kojo Antwi, tight end Joe Royer and safeties Josh Proctor and Brenten “Inky” Jones.

Playing backups in the second half for the second week in a row served a dual purpose for the Buckeyes. For some of those players, the Minnesota game could be their final game appearance of the season as only The Game and the postseason remain from here. More importantly, the Buckeyes were able to limit the load for their starters – and come out of the game without any major injuries that they didn’t already have – as they go into their season-defining game at Michigan.

You can see how many snaps every Buckeye played against Minnesota below. Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics were used to compile offensive and defensive snap counts (with a few adjustments made for discrepancies found in film review) while special teams snap counts were compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge. All snap counts should be considered unofficial as they were not provided by Ohio State.

Quarterbacks

Kyle McCord: 60
Lincoln Kienholz: 8

McCord played every snap of Ohio State’s first nine drives against Minnesota and attempted passes on exactly half of them, completing 20 of 30 attempts for 212 yards and two touchdowns. With Devin Brown still recovering from an ankle injury, Kienholz made his second consecutive game appearance as he replaced McCord for Ohio State’s final two possessions; he attempted two passes on his eight snaps, completing both of them for seven combined yards.

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson: 32
Dallan Hayden: 14
Chip Trayanum: 14
Evan Pryor: 8

Henderson played the majority of Ohio State’s first-half snaps at running back, ran for a 75-yard touchdown on the Buckeyes’ opening play of the second half and then played just one more snap – on which he caught a 13-yard pass – before watching the rest of the game from the sideline. Although he played less than half of Ohio State’s total offensive snaps for the game, Henderson still put up huge numbers, running for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and adding two catches for 26 yards.

Trayanum was the only other running back to see action on Ohio State’s first eight drives against Minnesota. 

Hayden, who played in only two of Ohio State’s first 10 games because the Buckeyes want to preserve his redshirt, made his third game appearance of the season on Ohio State’s ninth drive of the contest as he ran the ball eight times for 34 yards on 14 plays. Pryor finished out the game at running back for Ohio State’s final two possessions, touching the ball on seven of his eight plays in the game and gaining 17 total yards.

Fullbacks

Caden Curry: 2

Curry saw his first action on offense in three games as he entered the game for two goal-line plays at fullback early in the fourth quarter. The second of those plays resulted in a 1-yard touchdown pass from McCord to Cade Stover.

Wide Receivers

Julian Fleming: 45
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 43
Emeka Egbuka: 36
Carnell Tate: 23
Xavier Johnson: 15
Jayden Ballard: 8
Brandon Inniss: 6
Kojo Antwi: 5
David Adolph: Special teams only

Fleming played the highest snap count among Ohio State wideouts for the fourth time this season as he played the entirety of McCord’s final drive of the game while Harrison and Egbuka both checked out of the game in the third quarter. Those three receivers played the majority of snaps on Ohio State’s first eight possessions of the game, with Tate occasionally rotating in at outside receiver and Johnson subbing in situationally, including two plays where Johnson lined up opposite Trayanum in the backfield in a split-backs formation.

Ballard, Inniss and Antwi played all of their snaps on Ohio State’s final two possessions of the game with Antwi playing his first five offensive snaps of the season.

Tight Ends

Cade Stover: 44
Gee Scott Jr.: 28
Patrick Gurd: 6
Joe Royer: 6
Jelani Thurman: 3

Ohio State mixed in two-tight end sets frequently against Minnesota, resulting in both Stover and Scott seeing considerable work with the first-team offense against the Golden Gophers. 

Gurd, Thurman and Royer played all of their snaps in the second half with all of Royer’s snaps coming on Ohio State’s final two possessions of the game. Gurd made the first catch of his Ohio State career late in the third quarter while Royer made his first catch of the season on the game’s final drive.

Offensive Linemen

Josh Simmons: 60
Donovan Jackson: 60
Carson Hinzman: 60
Josh Fryar: 60
Matt Jones: 54
Enokk Vimahi: 14
Luke Montgomery: 10
Tegra Tshabola: 8
Zen Michalski: 6
Victor Cutler Jr.: 6
George Fitzpatrick: 2
Jakob James: 2

Vimahi replaced Jones at right guard for Ohio State’s final possession of the first half after Jones made a trip to the locker room, but Jones returned for the start of the second half and played the rest of the way with the first-team offensive line.

Ohio State’s second-team offensive line of Michalski, Tshabola, Cutler, Vimahi and Montgomery entered the game with Kienholz and Pryor on Ohio State’s second-to-last possession of the day. Fitzpatrick replaced Michalski at left tackle and James replaced Cutler at center for the game’s final two plays.

Montgomery also played the final two snaps of Ohio State’s ninth possession as a sixth offensive lineman in the same goal-line package that included Curry playing fullback as well as Stover and Scott playing tight end.

Defensive Ends

Jack Sawyer: 31
JT Tuimoloau: 29
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 14
Caden Curry: 10
Omari Abor: 6
Mitchell Melton: 6

Sawyer was on the field for all but two defensive plays in the first three quarters and had the most productive game of his Ohio State career in the process, recording 3.5 tackles for loss with a strip sack among six total tackles. Tuimoloau was on the field but all four defensive plays in the first three quarters with Jackson replacing him for the four plays he wasn’t in the game.

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Jackson and Curry played most of Ohio State’s first defensive series of the fourth quarter for additional playing time. Abor and Melton finished out the game at defensive end, playing six snaps together on Ohio State’s final two defensive series.

Defensive Tackles

Ty Hamilton: 31
Tyleik Williams: 31
Jaden McKenzie: 11
Hero Kanu: 9
Tywone Malone: 6
Kayden McDonald: 6

Like Sawyer and Tuimoloau, Hamilton and Williams rarely left the field in the first three quarters against Minnesota, with each of them playing all but three of Ohio State’s defensive snaps before the fourth quarter.

With Mike Hall sidelined by an undisclosed injury, the only other defensive tackles to see playing time before the fourth quarter were McKenzie (three snaps) and Kanu (one). Kanu and McKenzie joined Curry and Jackson on the field for additional playing time in the fourth quarter while Malone and McDonald finished out the game on the defensive line with Abor and Melton.

Linebackers

Steele Chambers: 34
Cody Simon: 34
C.J. Hicks: 14
Gabe Powers: 14
Arvell Reese: Special teams only

Simon started at Mike linebacker for a second straight game as Tommy Eichenberg continued to recover from an arm injury, and Simon and Chambers were both on the field for all 34 of Ohio State’s defensive plays in the first three quarters. Hicks replaced Chambers at Will and Powers replaced Simon at Mike for Minnesota’s two fourth-quarter possessions, and the two second-year linebackers combined for five tackles on their two series in the game.

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Cornerbacks

Denzel Burke: 34
Davison Igbinosun: 34
Jordan Hancock: 28
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 14
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 14
Ryan Turner: 14

Burke and Igbinosun played every snap at outside cornerback in the first three quarters; the true freshman duo of Mathews and Simpson-Hunt replaced them for the fourth quarter.

Hancock played all but six snaps at nickel in the first three quarters, substituting out of the game for six plays on which Sonny Styles moved down to nickel and Ja’Had Carter replaced Styles at strong safety. Turner, who did not play in any of Ohio State’s first nine games of the year, made his second straight game appearance as he played all 14 fourth-quarter snaps at nickel.

Safeties

Josh Proctor: 34
Sonny Styles: 34
Ja’Had Carter: 17
Malik Hartford: 16
Kye Stokes: 3
Brenten “Inky” Jones: Special teams only

Proctor and Styles played every defensive snap for Ohio State in the first three quarters as Proctor returned from a one-game absence to start at free safety while Styles made his third consecutive start at strong safety in place of the injured Lathan Ransom.

Carter, as mentioned above, played six snaps at strong safety in the first three quarters, then returned to play Ohio State’s first defensive series of the fourth quarter. Stokes took his place for Minnesota’s final possession.

Hartford played a pair of third-down snaps with the first-team defense as a sixth defensive back in a dime package, then played the entire fourth quarter at free safety.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 7
Jesse Mirco (holder): 7
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 7
Enokk Vimahi (wing): 7
Zen Michalski (end): 7
Josh Simmons (tackle): 7
Donovan Jackson (guard): 7
Tegra Tshabola (guard): 7
Josh Fryar (tackle): 7
Jakob James (end): 7
Luke Montgomery (wing): 7

Ohio State made no changes to its placekicking unit against Minnesota from its previous games. Fielding was perfect against the Golden Gophers, making all three of his field goal attempts – including a 47-yarder, his longest so far as a Buckeye – as well as all four of his extra point attempts.

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 8
Ja’Had Carter: 8
C.J. Hicks: 8
Xavier Johnson: 8
Gabe Powers: 8
Arvell Reese: 8
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 8
Caden Curry: 7
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 6
Denzel Burke: 5
Chip Trayanum: 5
Brenten “Inky” Jones: 3
Carnell Tate: 3
Malik Hartford: 2
Patrick Gurd: 1

Reese, who replaced Trayanum on the kickoff coverage unit midgame against Michigan State, replaced Reid Carrico on Ohio State’s starting kickoff coverage unit against Minnesota. The rest of the starting kickoff unit remained unchanged from the previous game.

Jones made his second game appearance of the season as he replaced Trayanum on three kickoffs. Tate replaced Burke on Ohio State’s final three kickoffs. Hartford replaced Mathews for the Buckeyes’ final kickoff, while Gurd replaced Curry for the game’s last kickoff.

Kickoff Returns

Xavier Johnson (returner): 2
David Adolph: 2
Caden Curry: 2
Julian Fleming: 2
Patrick Gurd: 2
C.J. Hicks: 2
Mitchell Melton: 2
Gabe Powers: 2
Carnell Tate: 2
Chip Trayanum: 2
Brandon Inniss: 1
Arvell Reese: 1

Hicks, Melton and Powers replaced Ja’Had Carter, Steele Chambers and Inniss on Ohio State’s starting kickoff coverage unit from the previous game against Michigan State. Inniss rejoined the unit for Minnesota’s second kickoff of the game, replacing Reese. Johnson did not return either of Minnesota’s two kickoffs.

Punts

Jesse Mirco (punter): 2
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 2
Caden Curry (upback): 2
Cody Simon (upback): 2
Gee Scott Jr. (guard): 2
Sonny Styles (guard): 2
Chip Trayanum (tackle): 2
Mitchell Melton (wing): 2
Xavier Johnson (gunner): 2
Jayden Ballard (gunner): 2
Jermaine Mathews Jr. (gunner): 1
Calvin Simpson-Hunt (gunner): 1

Ohio State made no changes to its punt team personnel from the previous game against Michigan State as Curry took Eichenberg’s place at upback for the second week in a row while Melton continued to play in place of Stover on the punt team for the third week in a row. Mathews was in the game for Ohio State’s first punt while Simpson-Hunt was on the field for the second punt.

Punt Blocks/Returns

Jayden Ballard (returner): 6
Davison Igbinosun: 6
Brandon Inniss (returner): 4
C.J. Hicks: 4
Mitchell Melton: 4
Gabe Powers: 4
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 4
David Adolph: 3
Steele Chambers: 3
Ty Hamilton: 3
Xavier Johnson: 3
Josh Proctor: 3
Arvell Reese: 3
Jack Sawyer: 3
Cody Simon: 3
Sonny Styles: 3
Carnell Tate: 3
JT Tuimoloau: 3
Tyleik Williams: 3
Denzel Burke: 2
Malik Hartford: 2
Omari Abor: 1
Tywone Malone: 1
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 1
Kayden McDonald: 1
Kye Stokes: 1

Ballard continued to handle punt return duties in place of Emeka Egbuka against Minnesota, with Inniss replacing him as the return man for the Gophers’ only fourth-quarter punt. Neither of them returned any punts.

The rest of Ohio State’s primary punt return unit against Minnesota consisted of Igbinosun, Hicks, Melton, Powers, Simpson-Hunt, Adolph, Johnson, Reese and Tate, with Inniss also playing on the unit even before he took over return duties. Ohio State kept its defensive players on the field to play punt safe on four of Minnesota’s seven punts.

Field Goal Block

Ja’Had Carter: 1
Caden Curry: 1
Malik Hartford: 1
C.J. Hicks: 1
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 1
Hero Kanu: 1
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 1
Jaden McKenzie: 1
Gabe Powers: 1
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 1
Ryan Turner: 1

Minnesota attempted its only field goal – which Dragan Kesich made from 54 yards away – in the fourth quarter after Ohio State had taken its defensive starters out of the game, so the field goal block consisted of the Buckeyes’ second-team defense.