For the first time this season, a cornerback was graded by Pro Football Focus as Ohio State's best player in a single game. Three of the Buckeyes' five highest-graded players against Penn State were on the defensive side of the ball as Igbinosun, Cody Simon and JT Tuimoloau were Ohio State's first, third and fourth-highest-graded players in the 20-13 win at Penn State, according to PFF.
| ELITE | GOOD | ABOVE AVG. | AVG. | BELOW AVG. | POOR | VERY POOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90-100 | 80-89 | 70-79 | 60-69 | 50-59 | 40-49 | Below 40 |
While we all have our own opinions on who Ohio State’s best and worst players were against Penn State, we compiled the Pro Football Focus grades for every player from the Penn State game below. We start out by highlighting the Buckeyes who received the five best grades and the five worst grades, excluding those who played fewer than 10 snaps.
The Top Five
1. CB Davison Igbinosun (78.0)
Igbinosun earned his highest grade of the season, graded in the 70s for the second time in 2024 (Iowa) and was named the Naguski National Defensive Player of the Week. For the season, Igbinosun leads the team with an 88.1 tackling grade from PFF.
How far has he separated himself in the tackling category? Among the Buckeyes who have played every game this season, Caden Curry is ranked second with a tackling grade of 80.1. A full eight points below Igbinosun.
However, it wasn't Igbinosun's tackling that people will remember from the Penn State game. It was this ridiculous interception in which he was being shoved in the face before snatching the ball away while keeping his right foot in bounds.
One of the most insane interceptions Ive ever seen live. After getting pushed off in the face, Davison Igbinosun comes down with the pick. pic.twitter.com/b3mKxuoJRg
— Strez (@Its_Strez) November 2, 2024
2. RB TreVeyon Henderson (77.9)
Henderson lands in the coveted top five for the first time since the Marshall game in Week 3. He earned the highest grade on the team in running (74.9) and had a respectable grade of 60.8 in run blocking.
Perhaps his run blocking grade should be a little bit higher as Henderson absolutely destroyed Penn State's safety, Jaylen Reed, on the play Will Howard fumbled into the end zone.
Everyone will mention the fumble on this play but my word, watch TreVeyon Hendersons block! pic.twitter.com/hCQoILMRqn
— Jon JR Rhoades (@jrs_rankings) November 3, 2024
3. LB Cody Simon (76.9)
Penn State's run game was mostly held in check on Saturday and Simon led the Buckeyes with 10 tackles. PFF gave him the second-highest grades on Ohio State's defense in overall defense, run defense (74.5) and tackling (81.9).
4. DE JT Tuimoloau (74.6)
Tuimoloau didn't destroy Penn State like he did two years ago, but this is the fifth time this season the veteran defensive end has earned a PFF grade of 70 or higher. He received a grade of 76.9 in run defense, the highest on the team against Penn State.
5. QB Will Howard (74.3)
In big games, the best players are supposed to rise to the top. Howard has made this top-five list in two games this season. Which two games were those? Oregon and Penn State, Ohio State's two biggest games of the season.
| 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) |
| Marshall | G Donovan Jackson (86.6) | OT George Fitzpatrick (86.3) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (85.3) | OT Zen Michalski (84.5) | RB Quinshon Judkins (79.7) |
| MSU | TE Bennett Christian (84.6) | WR Jeremiah Smith (80.0) | S Caleb Downs (79.6) | CB Jordan Hancock (79.1) | WR Emeka Egbuka (76.8) |
| Iowa | DT Ty Hamilton (91.3) | DE Jack Sawyer (89.3) | DT Tyleik Williams (86.6) | WR Emeka Egbuka (76.3)* | C Seth McLaughlin (76.3)* |
| Oregon | S Lathan Ransom (78.0) | QB Will Howard (75.2) | WR Emeka Egbuka (74.5) | DE JT Tuimoloau (73.8) | S Caleb Downs (73.2) |
| Nebraska | WR Carnell Tate (80.7) | OT Josh Fryar (77.7) | CB Jordan Hancock (76.5) | TE Bennett Christian (75.0) | G Donovan Jackson (74.5) |
| PSU | CB Davison Igbinosun (78.0) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (77.9) | LB Cody Simon (76.9) | DE JT Tuimoloau (74.6) | QB Will Howard (74.3) |
| *Egbuka and McLaughlin tied for 4th | |||||
The Bottom Five
The lowest grades against Nebraska were better than against Oregon, but three players were still below 50.
1. TE Bennett Christian (30.4)
Earlier this season, Christian earned the best grade on the team for his Week 4 performance against Michigan State. This is his lowest score of the season as Christian regularly checks in with a grade in the 50s.
Blocking was his Achilles' heel against Penn State with a season-low grade of 13.7 in pass-blocking and a substandard 35.5 in run blocking.
2. LT Donovan Jackson (39.4)
Speaking of blocking, Jackson earned a head-scratching 0.0 as a pass blocker against the Nittany Lions. Like Chistian, this is Jackson's lowest grade of the season. Ohio State's coaches must have felt Jackson did something correct against Penn State as he was named an Offensive Player of the Game with three other offensive linemen by the Buckeyes.
3. LB Arvell Reese (44.1)
Reese finds his name in the bottom five of PFF's grades for the third time in four weeks. This is also Reese's third consecutive week grading in the 40s.
4. WR Emeka Egbuka (51.5)
Egbuka has received his lowest grade of the season in back-to-back weeks. His 62.0 against Nebraska was his previous low. What did Egbuka in against Penn State was his team-low run-blocking grade of 33.8.
Perhaps playing against Purdue will be the remedy to put Eguka's train back on track.
5. WR Carnell Tate (52.8)
Two Ohio State wide receivers make this list for the first time this season. Like Egbuka, this is Tate's lowest grade of the season.
| GAME | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | QB Devin Brown (52.3) | TE Jelani Thurman (53.1) | LB C.J. Hicks (54.0) | TE Gee Scott Jr. (54.5) | WR Brandon Inniss (54.8) |
| WMU | LB C.J. Hicks (45.5) | DE Caden Curry (54.5) | TE Gee Scott Jr. (55.7) | G Tegra Tshabola (56.2) | CB Denzel Burke (56.5) |
| Marshall | TE Gee Scott Jr. (44.8) | WR Bryson Rodgers (49.3) | OT Josh Fryar (52.6) | TE Jelani Thurman (54.5) | DE Caden Curry (55.2) |
| MSU | G Carson Hinzman (45.2) | QB Julian Sayin (46.6) | CB Davison Igbinosun (47.2) | TE Will Kacmarek (47.4) | OT Josh Fryar (48.7) |
| Iowa | TE Gee Scott Jr. (52.5) | LB Arvell Reese (55.1) | WR Bryson Rodgers (55.9) | DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (56.5) | TE Bennett Christian (58.6) |
| Oregon | OT Zen Michalski (57.2) | OT Josh Simmons (38.3) | G Tegra Tshabola (41.7) | CB Denzel Burke (41.8) | OT Josh Fryar (52.0) |
| Nebraska | LB Arvell Reese (41.4) | CB Lorenzo Styles Jr. (43.2) | DT Kayden McDonald (49.0) | G Tegra Tshabola (53.9) | G Austin Siereveld (55.2) |
| PSU | TE Bennett Christian (30.4) | LT Donovan Jackson (39.4) | LB Arvell Reese (44.1) | WR Emeka Egbuka (51.5) | WR Carnell Tate (52.8) |
Offensive Ratings By Position
Quarterbacks
Will Howard: 74.3 (64 snaps)
Running Backs
TreVeyon Henderson: 77.9 (30 snaps)
Quinshon Judkins: 69.2 (36 snaps)
Wide Receivers
Brandon Inniss: 90.5 (3 snaps)
Jeremiah Smith: 65.9 (53 snaps)
Jayden Ballard: 59.3 (2 snaps)
Bryson Rodgers: 59.2 (2 snaps)
Carnell Tate: 52.8 (54 snaps)
Emeka Egbuka: 51.5 (56 snaps)
Tight Ends
Jelani Thurman: 75.0 (5 snaps)
Gee Scott Jr.: 54.3 (54 snaps)
Jelani Thurman: 30.4 (25 snaps)
Offensive Line
Josh Fryar: 66.9 (64 snaps)
Carson Hinzman: 63.5 (64 snaps)
Seth McLaughlin: 62.9 (64 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 57.1 (64 snaps)
Donovan Jackson: 39.4 (64 snaps)
| QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DE | DT | LB | CB | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Howard | TreVeyon Henderson | Jeremiah Smith | Gee Scott Jr. | Josh Fryar | JT Tuimoloau | Kayden McDonald | Cody Simon | Davison Igbinosun | Caleb Downs |
| 74.3 | 77.9 | 65.9 | 54.3 | 66.9 | 74.6 | 72.4 | 76.9 | 78.0 | 72.1 |
Defensive Ratings by Position
Defensive Ends
JT Tuimoloau: 74.6 (44 snaps)
Caden Curry: 71.2 (5 snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 67.1 (15 snaps)
Mitchell Melton: 66.5 (4 snaps)
Jack Sawyer: 56.6 (64 snaps)
Defensive Tackles
Kayden McDonald: 72.4 (10 snaps)
Ty Hamilton: 70.8 (55 snaps)
Tyleik Williams: 67.8 (42 snaps)
Hero Kanu: 61.6 (4 snaps)
Eddrick Houston: 58.1 (6 snaps)
Linebackers
Cody Simon: 76.9 (55 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 63.5 (55 snaps)
C.J. Hicks: 50.2 (2 snaps)
Arvell Reese: 44.1 (17 snaps)
Cornerbacks
Davison Igbinosun: 78.0 (46 snaps)
Jordan Hancock: 69.6 (38 snaps)
Denzel Burke: 67.1 (42 snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 66.0 (15 snaps)
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 61.9 (4 snaps)
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 72.1 (55 snaps)
Lathan Ransom: 70.7 (53 snaps)
