Ohio State dominated Western Michigan on the field and on the scoreboard. Which Buckeyes had the best game? We have our opinion of who performed the best, you likely have your favorites. Another such set of opinions comes from Pro Football Focus, who grades every player after every game based on how they perform on a snap-to-snap basis.
We compiled the PFF grades for every Buckeye who played on either offense or defense in the season opener and highlight the five highest-graded players – all of whom were on the defensive side of the ball – who played at least 10 snaps against Western Michigan.
1. RB Quinshon Judkins (92.6)
Judkins cracked the century mark for the first time in an Ohio State jersey and only needed nine carries to finish the night with 108 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The total would have been higher had his 80-yard touchdown run not been called back for holding. PFF not only rated Judkins as the best Buckeye on Saturday, but as the best running back in the entire country.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 10, 2024
@quinshon_ x @PFF_College pic.twitter.com/MIenv6EE12
2. QB Devin Brown (89.1)
Completing all five of his passes for 57 yards impressed the rating system at PFF. So much so that Brown earned the second-highest score among Buckeyes. Will Howard, who completed 18 of 26 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown, earned an offensive rating of 81.9.
3. LB Cody Simon (86.3)
Making his season debut, Simon earned the top spot among defensive players with an 86.3 rating from PFF. The rating service also gave Simon the highest mark on the team as a pass rusher, scoring 80.5 on pass-rushing plays. He finished the night with three tackles, a 7-yard sack and one pass defended.
4. DE Jack Sawyer (85.2)
Following a three-tackle and 10-yard sack performance against the Broncos, the senior captain makes this list in back-to-back weeks. In Week 2, Sawyer tied for the national lead with four quarterback hits and led Ohio State with six total pressures.
5. DT Ty Hamilton (83.2)
Hamilton led the team with a run defense grade of 86.3, a full 5.1 points higher than Arvell Reese's grade of 81.2. PFF also credited the defensive tackle with a team-high 3 "stops," a tackle that constitutes a "failure" for the offense. Hamilton tied for a team-high four tackles and was credited with a half-sack.
Offensive Ratings By Position
Quarterbacks
Devin Brown: 89.1 (18 snaps)
Will Howard: 81.9 (48 snaps)
Julian Sayin: 69.0 (4 snaps)
Lincoln Kienholz: 60.0 (5 snaps)
Running Backs
Quinshon Judkins: 92.6 (30 snaps)
James Peoples: 73.6 (23 snaps)
TreVeyon Henderson: 69.7 (32 snaps)
Sam Williams-Dixon: 68.5 (3 snaps)
Mason Maggs: 57.5 (1 snap)
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith: 81.8 (29 snaps)
Emeka Ebuka: 78.5 (33 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 75.0 (24 snaps)
Kojo Antwi: 67.7 (13 snaps)
Carnell Tate: 67.0 (42 snaps)
Jayden Ballard: 64.3 (21 snaps)
Bryson Rodgers: 62.6 (25 snaps)
Mylan Graham: 60.2 (4 snaps)
Joop Mitchell: 60.0 (1 snap)
Brennan Schramm: 60.0 (1 snap)
David Adolph: 58.4 (6 snaps)
Tight Ends
Bennett Christian: 77.3 (14 snaps)
Jace Middleton: 69.0 (4 snaps)
Max LeBlanc: 65.7 (5 snaps)
Jelani Thurman: 64.6 (26 snaps)
Will Kacmarek: 61.8 (22 snaps)
Patrick Gurd: 57.2 (5 snaps)
Gee Scott Jr.: 55.7 (24 snaps)
Offensive Line
Josh Simmons: 72.0 (48 snaps)
Zen Michalski: 71.6 (27 snaps)
Josh Fryar: 71.1 (48 snaps)
Ian Moore: 68.0 (5 snaps)
Austin Siereveld: 65.6 (66 snaps)
Luke Montgomery: 65.2 (27 snaps)
Seth McLaughlin: 64.1 (48 snaps)
Carson Hinzman: 61.8 (27 snaps)
George Fitzpatrick: 61.5 (22 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 56.2 (48 snaps)
Joshua Padilla: 53.6 (9 snaps)
| QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DE | DT | LB | CB | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Brown | Quinshon Judkins | Jeremiah Smith | Bennett Christian | Josh Simmons | Jack Sawyer | Ty Hamilton | Cody Simon | Davison Igbinosun | Caleb Downs |
| 89.1 | 92.6 | 81.8 | 77.3 | 72.0 | 85.2 | 83.2 | 86.3 | 65.7 | 70.4 |
Defensive Ratings by Position
Defensive Ends
Jack Sawyer: 85.2 (26 snaps)
Mitchell Melton: 81.9 (14 snaps)
Eddrick Houston: 78.4 (4 snaps)
Joshua Mickens: 75.9 (3 snaps)
JT Tuimoloau: 71.2 (23 snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 58.1 (19 snaps)
Caden Curry: 54.5 (17 snaps)
Defensive Tackles
Ty Hamilton: 83.2 (27 snaps)
Kayden McDonald: 82.2 (14 snaps)
Tyleik Williams: 76.0 (30 snaps)
Jason Moore: 62.5 (4 snaps)
Eric Mensah: 60.5 (2 snaps)
Will Smith Jr.: 56.6 (3 snaps)
Hero Kanu: 46.8 (7 snaps)
Tywone Malone: 40.6 (5 snaps)
Bryce Prater: 38.4 (2 snaps)
Linebackers
Cody Simon: 86.3 (31 snaps)
Gabe Powers: 78.2 (5 snaps)
Arvell Reese: 76.4 (20 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 70.7 (37 snaps)
Payton Pierce: 61.3 (3 snaps)
Joey Velazquez: 60.4 (1 snap)
C.J. Hicks: 45.5 (16 snaps)
Cornerbacks
Aaron Scott Jr.: 79.6 (9 snaps)
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 78.7 (9 snaps)
Davison Igbinosun: 65.7 (41 snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 65.2 (25 snaps)
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 62.6 (6 snaps)
Jordan Hancock: 62.5 (28 snaps)
Denzel Burke: 56.5 (19 snaps)
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 70.4 (41 snaps)
Malik Hartford: 67.9 (9 snaps)
Jaylen McClain: 66.8 (9 snaps)
Lathan Ransom: 61.3 (41 snaps)
| GAME | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | DE Caden Curry (83.9) | DT Tyleik Williams (81.8) | DE Jack Sawyer (81.2) | CB Denzel Burke (78.5) | S Lathan Ransom (77.8) |
| WMU | RB Quinshon Judkins (92.6) | QB Devin Brown (89.1) | LB Cody Simon (86.3) | DE Jack Sawyer (85.2) | DT Ty Hamilton (83.2) |
