Bennett Christian, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs Lead Pro Football Focus’ Highest-Graded Ohio State Players Against Michigan State

Which Buckeyes had the best game in the team's Big Ten season opener at Michigan State? We have our opinion of who performed the best, you likely have your favorites. Another such set of opinions comes from Pro Football Focus, which grades every player after every game based on how they perform on a snap-to-snap basis.

If you have ever questioned PFF's ratings, you're not alone. Ryan Day was asked Tuesday, “How do you feel about that being the front-facing grade for how college football players play in a game?”

Day's response:

I think it all comes down to who's actually doing the grading and if it's accurate, great. But I think it's hard sometimes for them (PFF) to know exactly what their (the player's) job responsibilty was. That being said, I think generally it's in the ballpark, but I don't know if somebody who doesn't really know what's expected on a certain play is going to give the same grade as a position coach who knows exactly what's going on. So that's kind of my take on it.

With that being said, we compiled the PFF grades for every Buckeye who played on either offense or defense in the Big Ten opener and highlight the five highest-graded players who played at least 10 snaps against Michigan State.

1. TE Bennett Christian (84.6)

For the third time in four weeks, an offensive player takes the top spot. PFF graded Christian with the 30th-best offensive performance in the country for Week 5. He was on the field for 12 offensive snaps and caught one pass for six yards against Michigan State. Unfortunately for the tight end from Acworth, Georgia, his slip on a 3rd-and-5 pass from Will Howard in the third quarter is the play that many fans will remember from the game, but he received high marks for his performance as a run blocker.

RELATED Breaking Down Will Howard’s Performance at Michigan State 

2. WR Jeremiah Smith (80.0)

Smith scored his fifth and sixth touchdowns of the season in just his fourth game as a Buckeye. His five catches for 83 yards and a score earned Smith Ohio State's highest receiving score of 81.9 against the Spartans, while he also scored a 19-yard touchdown on a running play.

3. S Caleb Downs (79.6)

Downs played fast and aggressive Saturday night and tied Sonny Styles for the most tackles among Ohio State defenders with six stops against Michigan State. The Alabama transfer also led the team with a tackle rating of 83.7 from PFF as he had no missed tackles against the Spartans.

Caleb Downs is special

The @OhioStateFB DB read this screen, and was having none of it.#B1GFootball on Peacock pic.twitter.com/exwIEO2bqm

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 29, 2024

4. CB Jordan Hancock (79.1)

PFF gave Hancock a team-high score of 84.2 in pass coverage against the Spartans, which ranked fourth in the nation among all cornerbacks in Week 5. Hancock also forced Michigan State's Jack Velling to fumble at Ohio State's 10-yard line early in the second quarter. Sonny Styles recovered the ball and preserved the Buckeyes' 10-0 lead.

5. WR Emeka Egbuka (76.9)

Having team-highs in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (96) earned Egbuka the third-highest PFF rating among offensive players, marking the first time Ohio State's season leader in receptions has ranked among Ohio State’s top five in PFF’s rankings after a game this season.

Offensive Ratings By Position

Quarterbacks

Will Howard: 73.5 (58 snaps)
Devin Brown: 66.2 (7 snaps)
Julian Sayin: 46.6 (12 snaps)

Running Backs

Quinshon Judkins: 72.1 (27 snaps)
TreVeyon Henderson: 68.5 (32 snaps)
James Peoples: 67.1 (18 snaps)

Wide Receivers

Jeremiah Smith: 80.0 (57 snaps)
Emeka Egbuka: 76.9 (57 snaps)
Carnell Tate: 67.2 (48 snaps)
Bryson Rodgers: 62.6 (23 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 59.3 (26 snaps)
Jayden Ballard: 53.7 (19 snaps)

Tight Ends

Bennett Christian: 84.6 (12 snaps)
Gee Scott Jr.: 73.2 (32 snaps)
Jelani Thurman: 68.3 (11 snaps)
Will Kacmarek: 47.4 (23 snaps)

Offensive Line

Seth McLaughlin: 72.7 (59 snaps)
Zen Michalski: 70.3 (12 snaps)
Josh Simmons: 68.0 (65 snaps)
Donovan Jackson: 65.9 (65 snaps)
Austin Siereveld: 63.8 (30 snaps)
George Fitzpatrick: 61.2 (12 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 56.2 (47 snaps)
Luke Montgomery: 52.5 (12 snaps)
Josh Fryar: 48.7 (65 snaps)
Carson Hinzman: 45.2 (18 snaps)

Defensive Ratings by Position

Defensive Ends

Jack Sawyer: 74.3 (33 snaps)
Caden Curry: 72.7 (19 snaps)
Mitchell Melton.: 65.9 (16 snaps)
JT Tuimoloau: 63.9 (33 snaps)
Eddrick Houston: 58.6 (2 snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 55.8 (19 snaps)

Defensive Tackles

Jason Moore: 75.6 (10 snaps)
Kayden McDonald: 65.2 (18 snaps)
Hero Kanu: 64.6 (13 snaps)
Ty Hamilton: 61.5 (24 snaps)
Tywone Malone Jr.: 57.0 (17 snaps)

Linebackers

Arvell Reese: 75.8 (18 snaps)
Cody Simon: 61.1 (38 snaps)
Gabe Powers: 60.7 (6 snaps)
Payton Pierce: 60.4 (5 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 58.4 (42 snaps)
C.J. Hicks: 57.0 (18 snaps)

Cornerbacks

Jordan Hancock: 79.1 (20 snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 69.3 (16 snaps)
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 62.5 (5 snaps)
Denzel Burke: 60.4 (36 snaps)
Aaron Scott Jr.: 56.2 (12 snaps)
Davison Igbinosun: 47.2 (39 snaps)

Safeties

Caleb Downs: 79.6 (39 snaps)
Jaylen McClain: 66.4 (12 snaps)
Malik Hartford: 62.9 (12 snaps)
Lathan Ransom: 62.1 (39 snaps)