Snap Counts: Ohio State Starters Play Full Game for First Time in 2024 in Oregon Loss

While the Buckeyes earned blowout wins in each of their first five games of the season, their sixth game of the year came down to the final play. The clock hit zeroes as Will Howard slid on a 12-yard run up the middle in an attempt to set up a game-winning field goal, and Ohio State took its first loss of the season back to Columbus while Oregon fans stormed the Autzen Stadium field in celebration.

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Because the Buckeyes’ starters played through the end of the fourth quarter for the first time all season, all of Ohio State’s starters except offensive linemen Josh Simmons and Tegra Tshabla – both of whom suffered injuries in the first half – played season-high snap counts against Oregon. Conversely, Ohio State used a season-low 54 players in the game as 20 total players saw action on offense, another 20 played on defense and 14 played on special teams only. Twenty-two players who made the trip to Oregon never entered the game.

Our full breakdown of how many snaps each Buckeye played at each position against Oregon, using data from Pro Football Focus’ premium statistics, can be found below.

Quarterbacks

Will Howard: 69

Howard played every snap of the game at quarterback for the first time this season. He completed a career-high 28 passes on a season-high 35 attempts for 326 yards, the second-highest total of his collegiate career. He also ran the ball for 13 yards and a touchdown – his fifth in as many games – on nine carries, one of which was a nine-yard loss for the only sack of the game.

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson: 42
Quinshon Judkins: 28

Henderson played his highest snap count of the season as he played 50% more snaps than Judkins in their running back timeshare. Judkins still ended up with one more touch than Henderson, carrying the ball 11 times for 23 yards and a touchdown and adding two receptions for 38 yards. Henderson was the Buckeyes’ more productive runner, gaining 87 yards on 10 carries – highlighted by a 53-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter – along with two catches for four yards.

TreVeyon Henderson breaks free for 55 yards.@TreVeyonH4 x @OhioStateFB#B1GFootball on NBC pic.twitter.com/VFrvLZHwc9

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 13, 2024

Wide Receivers

Jeremiah Smith: 63
Emeka Egbuka: 62
Carnell Tate: 61
Brandon Inniss: 6
David Adolph: 1
Bryson Rodgers: Special teams only 

Ohio State leaned primarily on its starting wide receivers against Oregon as Smith was on the field for all but six offensive plays, Egbuka for all but seven and Tate for all but eight. They were also the only three wide receivers to catch passes against the Ducks; Smith had nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown, Egbuka had 10 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown and Tate had one reception for 13 yards.

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Inniss was the only backup wide receiver to play multiple snaps. Adolph, a former walk-on who was placed on scholarship this summer, got in the game for one play in the second quarter and helped lead the way for Judkins to run for a 2nd-and-3 conversion with a 5-yard gain.

Tight Ends

Gee Scott Jr.: 55
Bennett Christian: 20
Will Kacmarek: 3
Jelani Thurman: 2
Patrick Gurd: 2

Scott played a career-high 55 snaps against Oregon as he was on the field for all but 14 offensive plays against the Ducks. That extended usage – on which Scott caught three passes for 46 yards, also a career-high – came in part because Kacmarek suffered an apparent arm injury while making a 32-yard catch on the game’s opening drive; Kacmarek did not return to the game.

Christian served as Ohio State’s No. 2 tight end for the remainder of the game and played a career-high 20 snaps in that role. Thurman played two snaps in three-tight end formations while Gurd lined up as the fullback in between Henderson and Judkins in the T-formation on a 1-yard touchdown run and a 4th-and-2 conversion by Judkins, both in the second quarter.

Offensive Linemen

Donovan Jackson: 69
Seth McLaughlin: 69
Josh Fryar: 69
Zen Michalski: 46
Tegra Tshabola: 39
Austin Siereveld: 30
Josh Simmons: 23
George Fitzpatrick: Special teams only
Joshua Padilla: Special teams only

Michalski saw the first major playing time of his Ohio State career as he took over at left tackle for the remainder of the game after Simmons went down in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury that’s expected to be season-ending.

Tshabola made his sixth consecutive start at right guard but missed the entire second quarter after going down with an injury on the final play of the first quarter. Tshabola returned to action in the second half after Siereveld replaced him for the second quarter, but Siereveld finished out the game as he played the final 10 snaps of the night at RG.

Jackson, McLaughlin and Fryar all played season-high snap counts as they played a full four quarters for the first time this season.

Defensive Ends

Jack Sawyer: 59
JT Tuimoloau: 55
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 17
Caden Curry: 12
Mitchell Melton: 9

Sawyer and Tuimoloau each played their highest snap counts of the season to date as Sawyer was on the field for all but nine of Ohio State’s defensive plays while Tuimoloau was in the game for all but 13 of them.

Jackson, Curry and Melton each mixed in for occasional playing time in the defensive end rotation to spell Sawyer and Tuimoloau over the course of the game, while Curry and Jackson also joined Tuimoloau and Sawyer on the field for numerous third-down plays on which the Buckeyes deployed their four-defensive end Rushmen package.

Defensive Tackles

Tyleik Williams: 52
Ty Hamilton: 50
Kayden McDonald: 11
Jason Moore: 5
Hero Kanu: 3

Williams played a season-high 52 snaps while Hamilton played a career-high 50 snaps as Ohio State leaned primarily on its starting defensive tackles against Oregon. McDonald, who occasionally rotated in for Hamilton, was the only backup defensive tackle to play double-digit snaps.

Moore got the nod over Tywone Malone to spell Williams for five plays at 3-technique. Kanu played three goal-line plays as a third defensive tackle in the Buckeyes’ Bear front.

Linebackers

Cody Simon: 68
Sonny Styles: 68
C.J. Hicks: 4
Arvell Reese: 4
Gabe Powers: Special teams only
Joey Velazquez: Special teams only

Ohio State did not rotate at all at linebacker in its base defense against Oregon as Simon and Styles were both on the field for every defensive snap. Both players set new career-highs for tackles in the game as Simon tallied 10 tackles while Styles recorded nine.

Hicks and Reese both played four snaps near the goal line on which the Buckeyes had four linebackers on the field. Neither of them recorded a tackle.

Cornerbacks

Denzel Burke: 64
Davison Igbinosun: 64
Jordan Hancock: 64
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 3
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: Special teams only
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: Special teams only

Burke, Igbinosun and Hancock were all on the field for every play except for the four snaps on which the Buckeyes took all of their cornerbacks off the field for Hicks, Reese and a third defensive tackle. Although Burke had the worst game of his Ohio State career, allowing eight catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns per PFF, the Buckeyes never subbed him out of the game.

Styles entered the game for three plays as a sixth defensive back in Ohio State’s 3-2-6 dime package.

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Safeties

Caleb Downs: 68
Lathan Ransom: 68
Brenten "Inky" Jones: Special teams only
Jaylen McClain: Special teams only
Keenan Nelson Jr.: Special teams only

Downs and Ransom played every game of the snap as Ohio State’s two starting safeties. Downs recorded eight tackles with one tackle for loss and two pass breakups while Ransom had six tackles.

Field Goals/Extra Points

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 5
Joe McGuire (punter): 5
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 5
Bennett Christian: 5
George Fitzpatrick: 5
Josh Fryar: 5
Zen Michalski: 5
Austin Siereveld: 5
Donovan Jackson: 4
Jelani Thurman: 4
Joshua Padilla: 3
Josh Simmons: 2
Patrick Gurd: 1
Tegra Tshabola: 1

Christian replaced Will Kacmarek on the field goal team after Kacmarek was injured on Ohio State’s opening drive. Jackson replaced Tshabola on the field goal team after Tshabola’s first-quarter injury, while Padilla replaced Simmons after Simmons’ second-quarter injury. Gurd also took Thurman’s place in the lineup for one kick.

Fielding made his only field goal attempt of the game from 40 yards out and all four of his extra point attempts.

Kickoffs

Jayden Fielding (kicker): 6
C.J. Hicks: 6
Brenten “Inky” Jones: 6
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 6
Jaylen McClain: 6
Gabe Powers: 6
Arvell Reese: 6
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 6
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 6
Keenan Nelson Jr.: 5
Patrick Gurd: 4
Caden Curry: 2
Denzel Burke: 1

Fielding had a third straight clean game on kickoffs, sending all six of them through the end zone for touchbacks. Reese replaced Joey Velazquez on the primary kickoff team from the Iowa game.

Kickoff Returns

Emeka Egbuka (returner): 7
Brandon Inniss: 7
David Adolph: 6
Bennett Christian: 6
Jaylen McClain: 6
Gabe Powers: 6
Bryson Rodgers: 6
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 6
Jelani Thurman: 6
Joey Velazquez: 6
Arvell Reese: 3
Gee Scott Jr.: 3
Caden Curry: 1
Caleb Downs: 1
Patrick Gurd: 1
TreVeyon Henderson: 1
Lathan Ransom: 1
Cody Simon: 1
Jeremiah Smith: 1
Sonny Styles: 1
Carnell Tate: 1

Ohio State switched kickoff returners for a fifth straight game as Egbuka lined up as the deep man after also doing so against Michigan State. He did not return any of Oregon’s seven kickoffs.

The Buckeyes put their hands team on the field for Oregon’s third kickoff of the game in anticipation of an onside kick after a personal foul penalty against Jordan Hancock allowed the Ducks to kick off from the 50-yard line, but the Ducks still recovered the onside kick as Downs failed to field it cleanly after it was kicked directly into him.

Punts

Joe McGuire (punter): 3
John Ferlmann (long snapper): 3
Caden Curry: 3
Caleb Downs: 3
C.J. Hicks: 3
Lathan Ransom: 3
Gee Scott Jr.: 3
Cody Simon: 3
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 3
Sonny Styles: 3
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 2
Davison Igbinosun: 1

McGuire averaged 40.3 yards per punt on his three punts at Oregon.

Punt Returns

Brandon Inniss (returner): 3
Caden Curry: 3
David Adolph: 2
Bennett Christian: 2
C.J. Hicks: 2
Jaylen McClain: 2
Gabe Powers: 2
Lathan Ransom: 2
Arvell Reese: 2
Calvin Simpson-Hunt: 2
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 2
Denzel Burke: 1
Caleb Downs: 1
Davison Igbinosun: 1
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 1
Jack Sawyer: 1
Cody Simon: 1
Sonny Styles: 1
Carnell Tate: 1
JT Tuimoloau: 1

Inniss handled punt returner duties against Oregon as he has all season but did not return any of the Ducks’ three punts.

Field Goal/Extra Point Block

Denzel Burke: 6
Caleb Downs: 6
Ty Hamilton: 6
Davison Igbinosun: 6
Lathan Ransom: 6
Arvell Reese: 6
Cody Simon: 6
Sonny Styles: 6
Jack Sawyer: 5
JT Tuimoloau: 4
Tyleik Williams: 4
Caden Curry: 1
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 1
Hero Kanu: 1
Tywone Malone Jr.: 1
Mitchell Melton: 1

For the first time all season, Ohio State substituted some specific players in for the field goal block team against Oregon, with Reese taking the field for all three of the Ducks’ field goal attempts and all three extra point attempts in place of Jordan Hancock. Kanu and Malone were also each substituted in for one kick in place of Williams.

Ohio State did not block any kicks against Oregon, but Atticus Sappington missed his longest field goal attempt of the game from 44 yards out while the Ducks also botched their first extra point attempt of the game, resulting in an errant throw that Ransom intercepted and nearly returned for a defensive two-point conversion. Sappington made the most important field goal of the game, however, as his 19-yard field goal with 1:47 to play proved to be the final three points of the game and gave the Ducks a one-point win.