For the first time since the season-opening win over Akron, Ohio State’s five highest-graded players via Pro Football Focus were all on defense for the Buckeyes’ defeat in The Game.
In the heartbreaking loss to Michigan, Ohio State's seven highest-graded players were all on defense as the Buckeyes' offense received its worst marks of the season from Pro Football Focus. Only one offensive player (Carnell Tate) received a grade above 70 in The Game while six offensive starters – including Will Howard and four of Ohio State’s starting offensive linemen – had grades below 60.
Unfortunately, there's no PFF grade for Ryan Day or Chip Kelly.
| 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 the Wolverines, we compiled the PFF grades for every player from the Michigan game below. We start 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. LB Arvell Reese (91.2)
Arvell Reese earns his highest grade of the season, makes his top-five debut and becomes the first linebacker on the team to land in the No. 1 spot following a game. He earned team-highs with a 92.2 in run defense and 91.2 in overall defense and was second among all Big Ten linebackers in those categories.
Reese was on the field for a season-high 36 snaps and made the most of the opportunity by recording seven tackles, tying a career-high.
2. DE Jack Sawyer (88.6)
Sawyer's overall defensive grade of 88.6 ranked third among defensive ends in the conference in the final week of the regular season. This is his fifth time in the top five this season and the senior from Pickerington gave it his all during the game.
JACK SAWYER WE LOVE YOU pic.twitter.com/9RTtZ4tNeP
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 30, 2024
3. DT Kayden McDonald (80.6)
Like Reese, this is McDonald's first appearance in the top five. His grades were third-best on the team for overall defense (80.6) and run defense (80.3)
4. S Caleb Downs (76.1)
With an 87.2 tackling grade, Downs led all players in the Big Ten in that category in Week 14. He was also the top-rated safety in the conference with a grade of 83.1 in run defense.
5. DT Tyleik Williams (74.2)
Williams lands in the top five for the third time this season and the first time since the Iowa game. His tackling grade of 76.5 is his highest since the opening-season game against Akron.
| 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) |
| Purdue | DE JT Tuimoloau (91.7) | S Lathan Ransom (90.1) | WR Jeremiah Smith (80.6) | QB Will Howard (80.4) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (78.7) |
| NU | DE Jack Sawyer (91.8) | QB Will Howard (90.5) | LB Cody Simon (82.2) | RB Quinshon Judkins (79.7) | LB Sonny Styles (77.6) |
| IU | QB Will Howard (85.7) | WR Emeka Egbuka (85.4) | LB Cody Simon (81.4) | S Lathan Ransom (75.2) | RB TreVeyon Henderson (74.9) |
| UM | LB Arvell Reese (91.2) | DE Jack Sawyer (88.6) | DT Kayden McDonald (80.6) | S Caleb Downs (76.1) | DT Tyleik Williams (74.2) |
| *Egbuka and McLaughlin tied for 4th | |||||
The Bottom Five
Three of this week's bottom five players were on the offensive line and four were from the offensive side of the ball.
1. C Carson Hinzman (42.3)
16.2. That was Hinzman's pass-blocking grade in The Game. It's his lowest grade of the season edging out his 18.4 pass-blocking performance against Michigan State.
Hinznma's overall grade of 42.3 is also his lowest of the season. This is his second time this season earning a team-low grade for a game, with the first coming in Week 4 against Michigan State.
2. LB Sonny Styles (45.0)
Styles ranked at the bottom among Ohio State defensive players in coverage (33.9) and overall defense (45.0) and both marks were season-lows for the legacy player.
3. RG Tegra Tshabola (46.5)
Tshabola's two lowest grades were in the season's biggest games. He earned a score of 41.7 against Oregon and 46.5 in The Game. Tshabola also earned a season-low grade of 43.3 in run-blocking against Michigan.
4. LG Austin Siereveld (52.4)
For the fourth time this season, multiple offensive linemen make the bottom five. Siereveld had season lows in run blocking (39.4) and overall offense (52.4) to make the bottom five for the second time this season.
5. TE Gee Scott Jr. (50.9)
Scott makes the bottom five for the fifth time this year. This is also the fifth straight week for a TE to make this list as tight ends have made 14 total appearances in Ohio State’s five lowest-graded players across 12 games.
| 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 (37.6) | 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) |
| Purdue | WR Brandon Inniss (29.7) | CB Lorenzo Styles Jr. (41.6) | CB Aaron Scott Jr. (44.4) | TE Gee Scott Jr. (44.9) | DT Tywone Malone (49.9) |
| NU | CB Jermaine Mathews Jr. (45.8) | DT Ty Hamilton (47.2) | TE Jelani Thurman (53.8) | LB C.J. Hicks (54.4) | TE Bennett Christian (55.4) |
| IU | CB Davison Igbinosun (46.5) | TE Bennett Christian (47.1) | DE Kenyatta Jackson (47.7) | CB Jordan Hancock (50.0) | LT Donovan Jackson (52.3) |
| UM | C Carson Hinzman (42.3) | LB Sonny Styles (45.0) | G Tegra Tshabola (46.5) | G Austin Siereveld (49.2) | TE Gee Scott Jr. (50.4) |
Offensive Ratings By Position
Quarterbacks
Devin Brown: 60.0 (1 snap)
Will Howard: 57.5 (61 snaps)
Running Backs
Quinshon Judkins: 65.1 (22 snaps)
TreVeyon Henderson: 62.0 (44 snaps)
Wide Receivers
Carnell Tate: 71.4 (58 snaps)
Emeka Egbuka: 69.8 (56 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 63.9 (6 snaps)
Jeremiah Smith: 61.4 (60 snaps)
Tight Ends
Will Kacmarek: 66.4 (20 snaps)
Bennett Christian: 59.5 (4 snaps)
Gee Scott Jr.: 50.4 (40 snaps)
Offensive Line
Josh Fryar: 62.8 (62 snaps)
Donovan Jackson: 59.2 (62 snaps)
Austin Siereveld: 49.2 (62 snaps)
Tegra Tshabola: 46.5 (62 snaps)
Carson Hinzman: 42.3 (62 snaps)
| QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DE | DT | LB | CB | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Howard | Quinshon Judkins | Carnell Tate | Will Kacmarek | Josh Fryar | Jack Sawyer | Kayden McDonald | Arvell Reese | Jordan Hancock | Caleb Downs |
| 57.5 | 65.1 | 71.4 | 66.4 | 62.8 | 88.6 | 80.6 | 91.2 | 67.3 | 76.1 |
Defensive Ratings by Position
Defensive Ends
Jack Sawyer: 88.6 (52 snaps)
Mitchell Melton: 74.7 (3 snaps)
JT Tuimoloau: 66.9 (53 snaps)
Caden Curry: 60.7 (3 snaps)
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 60.7 (7 snaps)
Defensive Tackles
Kayden McDonald: 80.6 (13 snaps)
Tyleik Williams: 74.2 (53 snaps)
Eddrick Houston: 60.0 (2 snaps)
Hero Kanu: 60.0 (1 snap)
Ty Hamilton: 55.9 (53 snaps)
Linebackers
Arvell Reese: 91.2 (36 snaps)
Cody Simon: 74.0 (59 snaps)
C.J. Hicks: 61.9 (4 snaps)
Sonny Styles: 45.0 (59 snaps)
Cornerbacks
Jordan Hancock: 67.3 (20 snaps)
Denzel Burke: 64.4 (42 snaps)
Davison Igbinosun: 60.7 (51 snaps)
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 60.7 (4 snaps)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 55.8 (16 snaps)
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 76.1 (59 snap)
Lathan Ransom: 69.5 (59 snaps)
