Snap Counts: Austin Siereveld Leads Buckeyes in Total Snaps for Second Straight Game, Ohio State Plays Deep Into Bench in 56-0 Rout of Western Michigan

More than 80 total Ohio State players got on the field in the Buckeyes’ second game of the 2024 season as OSU substituted plenty of backups into the lineup in the second half of its 56-0 rout of the Broncos.

Despite playing as far down as the fourth row of the depth chart at many positions, Ohio State never allowed Western Michigan to steal any momentum into Ohio Stadium as the Buckeyes scored touchdowns on eight of their 13 possessions while holding the Broncos scoreless for their first shutout in exactly five years.

Austin Siereveld played the most snaps among all Buckeyes for the second week in a row as he started the game at left guard in place of Donovan Jackson, who was held out despite being available while continuing to recover from a preseason injury. Siereveld remained in the game with the second-team offensive line after the rest of the offensive starters were subbed out, only leaving the field for the Buckeyes’ final two possessions when Joshua Padilla replaced him at LG.

Siereveld was the only Buckeye on either side of the ball to play more than 50 snaps from scrimmage as Ohio State’s defense was on the field for only 50 plays total thanks to forcing 10 three-and-outs.

In total, 38 Buckeyes played at least one snap on offense while another 34 saw the field on defense. More than a dozen others saw playing time on special teams only as Ohio State also allowed more reserves to play in that phase of the game, with backup punter Nick McLarty and backup kicker Austin Snyder each making their first game appearances as Buckeyes in the fourth quarter. 

With the help of Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics, we‘ve tallied up how many snaps every Buckeye played at each position with some insight below each unit on how Ohio State divided up playing time in its second game of 2024.

Quarterbacks

Will Howard: 48
Devin Brown: 18
Lincoln Kienholz: 5
Julian Sayin: 4

Howard led exactly nine drives for the second straight game to begin his Ohio State career. Six of those drives ended in touchdowns as Howard completed 18 of 26 passing attempts for 292 yards and one score while also running for a 6-yard touchdown himself.

Brown got the opportunity to lead two drives and completed all five of his passing attempts for 57 yards while helping the Buckeyes score one touchdown.

Sayin made his Ohio State debut as the third quarterback into the game. On the first drive of his Ohio State career and his only drive against Western Michigan, Sayin connected with Bennett Christian on a 4th-and-1 pass that went for a 55-yard touchdown.

Kienholz took the field for his first snaps of the season on Ohio State’s final possession. The fourth-string quarterback did not attempt a pass as the Buckeyes ran out the clock.

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson: 32
James Peoples: 23
Quinshon Judkins: 17
Sam Williams-Dixon: 3
Mason Maggs: 1

After Henderson ran for the most yards but Judkins played the most snaps among running backs against Akron, their roles were reversed against Western Michigan. Henderson started the game at RB and played nearly twice as many total snaps as Judkins, but the Ole Miss transfer made the most of his snaps, carrying the ball 108 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, even with an 80-yard touchdown that was nullified by a holding penalty. Henderson also had two touchdowns and 66 rushing yards on 10 carries.

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Peoples took over when the first-team offense exited the game and played every snap alongside Brown and Sayin, running the ball 10 times for 51 yards and scoring a touchdown for a second straight game to start his Ohio State career.

Williams-Dixon and Maggs both saw action on the Buckeyes’ final possession. Williams-Dixon gained 40 yards on three carries while Maggs, a walk-on who is listed on Ohio State’s roster as a quarterback, played the first snap of his Ohio State career at tailback and ran for a 3-yard gain.

Wide Receivers

Carnell Tate: 42
Emeka Egbuka: 33
Jeremiah Smith: 29
Bryson Rodgers: 25
Brandon Inniss: 24
Jayden Ballard: 21
Kojo Antwi: 13
David Adolph: 5
Mylan Graham: 4
Joop Mitchell: 2
Brennen Schramm: 1
Dorian Williams: Special teams only

Tate played the most snaps among wide receivers for the second game in a row to start the season, but none of Ohio State’s starting wideouts played as many snaps as they did against Akron as the Buckeyes also rotated Inniss, Rodgers and Antwi into the game while Howard was still in at quarterback. That didn’t limit their production, though, as Smith caught five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, Egbuka caught five passes for 98 yards and Tate caught three passes for 45 yards.

Rodgers, Inniss and Antwi also played with the second-team offense along with Ballard. Graham made his Ohio State debut on the Buckeyes’ final possession of the game, when Mitchell and Schramm also played the first snaps of their careers.

Tight Ends

Jelani Thurman: 26
Gee Scott Jr.: 24
Will Kacmarek: 22
Bennett Christian: 14
Patrick Gurd: 5
Max LeBlanc: 5
Jace Middleton: 4

Ohio State continued to rotate heavily at tight end against Western Michigan as no tight end played more than 26 offensive snaps. Scott started at TE for the second straight week but Kacmarek, Thurman and Christian also rotated in with the first-team offense. All four of them were on the field for the Buckeyes’ first touchdown, a 2-yard run up the middle by Henderson, as Chip Kelly continues to integrate a healthy dose of multi-tight end formations into the offense.

TreVeyon gets things started for No. 2 @OhioStateFB.#B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/w1SI7tKIMu

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 7, 2024

Every Ohio State tight end who was available to play got into the game for at least some playing time. While Thurman, Christian and Kacmarek all saw snaps with the backups in addition to getting in with the starters, Gurd also mixed in for several multi-tight end sets with the second-team offense while LeBlanc and Middleton played their first career snaps on Ohio State’s game-ending possession.

Offensive Linemen

Austin Siereveld: 66
Josh Fryar: 48
Seth McLaughlin: 48
Josh Simmons: 48
Tegra Tshabola: 48
Carson Hinzman: 27
Zen Michalski: 27
Luke Montgomery: 27
George Fitzpatrick: 22 
Joshua Padilla: 9
Ian Moore: 5
Toby Wilson: Special teams only

Siereveld was on the field for exactly 66 offensive plays for the second week in a row as he played every snap at left guard for OSU’s first 11 possessions against Western Michigan. The rest of the Buckeyes’ starting offensive linemen played only nine drives with Michalski replacing Simmons at left tackle, Hinzman replacing McLaughlin at center, Montgomery replacing Tshabola at right guard and Fitzpatrick replacing Fryar at right tackle when Brown entered the game at quarterback.

Padilla took over at left guard for Ohio State’s final two drives of the game. Moore made his Ohio State debut on the Buckeyes’ last possession, replacing Fitzpatrick at right tackle.

Defensive Ends

Jack Sawyer: 26
JT Tuimoloau: 23
Kenyatta Jackson: 19
Caden Curry: 16
Mitchell Melton: 14
Eddrick Houston: 4
Joshua Mickens: 3

Ohio State deployed a five-deep rotation at defensive end with the first-team defense once again against Western Michigan. Sawyer and Tuimoloau started the game, with Sawyer playing the most snaps (and recording the most quarterback pressures – six, per PFF) for the second straight week, but Jackson, Curry and Melton also mixed in with the starters, including multiple third-down plays where the Buckeyes had three or four defensive ends on the field for a Rushmen package. 

Houston and Mickens played all of their snaps in the fourth quarter.

Defensive Tackles

Tyleik Williams: 30
Ty Hamilton: 27
Kayden McDonald: 14
Hero Kanu: 7
Tywone Malone: 5
Jason Moore: 4
Will Smith Jr.: 3
Eric Mensah: 2
Bryce Prater: 2

McDonald and Kanu were the first defensive linemen off the bench against Western Michigan, but Larry Johnson still leaned a little more heavily on his starting defensive tackles against the Broncos than his defensive ends, as Williams and Hamilton played the highest snap counts along the defensive line for a second straight game to begin the season.

McDonald was the only backup defensive tackle to play double-digit snaps for a second consecutive week as the Buckeyes got nine total DTs into the game. Malone and Smith were the fifth and sixth defensive tackles to see action for a second straight game as Moore, Mensah and Prater played their only snaps on Western Michigan’s final two drives.

Linebackers

Sonny Styles: 37
Cody Simon: 31
Arvell Reese: 20
C.J. Hicks: 16
Gabe Powers: 5
Payton Pierce: 3
Joey Velazquez: 1
Garrett Stover: Special teams only

Ohio State unveiled its three-linebacker package for the first time this season against Western Michigan, and it was Reese – not Hicks, who had been expected to be the Buckeyes’ third linebacker entering the season – who joined Styles and Simon on the field for those plays as the sophomore from Glenville continued his early-season push for a consistent role on defense.

Simon started at Mike linebacker against WMU after missing the Akron game with a lower-body injury, allowing Styles to move back to his primary position of Will linebacker. Styles still played some snaps at Mike linebacker against Western Michigan, though, as Hicks and Reese both rotated in for some snaps at Will linebacker with the first-team base defense.

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Hicks and Reese both continued to play into the fourth quarter with the second-team defense for additional reps, with Reese getting some late-game snaps at Mike. Powers took over at Mike for Ohio State’s last two defensive series – though Velazquez replaced him for one play for his first defensive snap as a Buckeye – while Pierce took over at Will for Western Michigan’s last possession.

Cornerbacks

Davison Igbinosun: 41
Jordan Hancock: 28
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 25
Denzel Burke: 19
Aaron Scott Jr.: 9
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 9
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 6
Bryce West: Special teams only

Burke was ejected from the game for a targeting penalty on the second-to-last play of the first quarter and was replaced by Mathews, who played the rest of the night opposite Igbinosun at outside cornerback with the first-team defense and remained in for one more series with the backups before being giving way to Simpson-Hunt, who played his first six defensive snaps of the year.

Hancock played just over half as many snaps as he did against Akron because he was the player subbed out of the lineup when Reese was subbed in as a third linebacker.

Scott and Styles played every snap of Ohio State’s final three defensive series – on which both recorded pass breakups, with Styles also recording three tackles on the night between defense and special teams – with Scott lining up outside and Styles entering the game at nickel.

Safeties

Lathan Ransom: 41
Caleb Downs: 41
Malik Hartford: 9
Jaylen McClain: 9
Brenten “Inky” Jones: Special teams only
Keenan Nelson Jr.: Special teams only

As was the case in the season opener, Ransom and Downs played all of the snaps at safety with the first-team defense against Western Michigan while Hartford and McClain were the only backup safeties to see playing time on defense. Hartford took over for Downs at free safety while McClain took Ransom’s spot at strong safety for Western Michigan’s final three possessions.

Extra Points

Joe McGuire (holder): 8
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 8
Zen Michalski: 8
Austin Siereveld: 8
George Fitzpatrick: 8
Jelani Thurman: 8
Jayden Fielding (kicker): 7
Will Kacmarek: 7
Josh Simmons: 7
Tegra Tshabola: 7
Josh Fryar: 7
Austin Snyder (kicker): 1
Bennett Christian: 1
Carson Hinzman: 1
Luke Montgomery: 1
Joshua Padilla: 1
Toby Wilson: 1

Snyder converted the first kick of his Ohio State career on the Buckeyes’ final extra point of the night. Wilson also played his first snap of the season on the last of Ohio State’s eight point-afters.

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 9
Gabe Powers: 8
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 8
Brenten “Inky” Jones: 8
Jaylen McClain: 8
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 8
Patrick Gurd: 7
Brandon Inniss: 6
Joey Velazquez: 6
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 5
Keenan Nelson Jr.: 5
Kojo Antwi: 4 
Denzel Burke: 4 
Payton Pierce: 3
Arvell Reese: 3
Caden Curry: 2
Jayden Ballard: 1
Jace Middleton: 1
Aaron Scott Jr.: 1
Garrett Stover: 1
Bryce West: 1 

Ohio State gave 21 different players an opportunity to play on the kickoff coverage unit on at least one of its eight kickoffs. Styles made a kickoff return tackle at the 20-yard line while Velazquez and Mathews combined for a tackle at the 19.

Kickoff Returns

Jayden Ballard (returner): 1
David Adolph: 1
Kojo Antwi: 1
Bennett Christian: 1
Brandon Inniss: 1
Jaylen McClain: 1
Gabe Powers: 1
Arvell Reese: 1
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 1 
Jelani Thurman: 1
Joey Velazquez: 1

Ballard misplayed Western Michigan’s only kickoff of the night, fair catching after fielding it off a bounce at the 6-yard line, resulting in Ohio State starting its possession deep its own territory. That prompted Ryan Day to say Tuesday that Ohio State will “evaluate” its kickoff return options during the bye week.

Punts

John Ferlmann (long snapper): 4
Caden Curry: 4
Brandon Inniss: 4
Gee Scott Jr.: 4
Joe McGuire (punter): 4
Caleb Downs: 3
Lathan Ransom: 3
Cody Simon: 3
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 3
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 3
Sonny Styles: 3
Nick McLarty (punter): 1
Patrick Gurd: 1
Brenten "Inky" Jones: 1
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 1
Jaylen McClain: 1
Gabe Powers: 1
Joey Velazquez: 1

McLarty punted for the first time in his American football career in the fourth quarter, with his lone punt of the game traveling only 35 yards. McGuire averaged 44.7 yards per punt on his three punts, one of which was downed at the 6-yard line while none were returned for positive yardage.

Punt Blocks/Returns

David Adolph: 11
Kojo Antwi: 11
Gabe Powers: 11
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 11
Brenten "Inky" Jones: 10
Payton Pierce: 10
Brandon Inniss (returner): 9
Arvell Reese: 9
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 9
Jeremiah Smith: 9
Carnell Tate: 8
Jaylen McClain: 3
Jayden Ballard (returner): 2
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 2
Bryson Rodgers: 2
Joey Velazquez: 2
Jace Middleton: 1
Gee Scott Jr.: 1

After an electric debut as Ohio State’s punt returner against Akron, tighter punt coverage from Western Michigan allowed Inniss to return just four of the nine punts he fielded for six combined yards. Ballard took his place as the punt returner for Western Michigan’s final two punts of the night.

Field Goal Block

Denzel Burke: 1
Caleb Downs: 1
Jordan Hancock: 1
Davison Igbinosun: 1
Hero Kanu: 1
Kayden McDonald: 1 
Lathan Ransom: 1
Jack Sawyer: 1
Cody Simon: 1
Sonny Styles: 1 
JT Tuimoloau: 1

The players on the field for Western Michigan’s only field goal attempt of the game, which Luka Zurak missed from 42 yards out, were the players who were in the game for the Buckeyes’ prior defensive play.