Breaking down PFF snap counts from Maryland game

COLUMBUS — Like last year’s last meeting between Ohio State and Maryland, things were close until they weren’t Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes once again didn’t have a lead entering intermission but still won by double digits.

This time, Ohio State left the Horseshoe with a frontdoor cover and a 20-point win.

Pro Football Focus has released its snap counts and game data from the 37-17 Ohio State victory. Lettermen Row is breaking down those participation reports.

Let’s get into it.

Note: The number listed next to each player’s name is that player’s PFF-reported offensive/defensive snap count from this particular game.

Offense

C Carson Hinzman – 63
LG Donovan Jackson – 63
RT Josh Fryar – 63
LT Josh Simmons – 63
RG Matthew Jones – 63
QB Kyle McCord – 63
TE Cade Stover – 56
WR Marvin Harrison Jr. – 53
RB Chip Trayanum – 49
WR Julian Fleming – 38
TE Gee Scott Jr. – 37
WR Emeka Egbuka – 33
WR Xavier Johnson – 16
RB Miyan Williams – 14
WR Carnell Tate – 9
WR Jayden Ballard – 9
FB (DE) Caden Curry – 1

TAKEAWAYS

Tight end Cade Stover played the most offensive snaps of any skill player not named Kyle McCord. Stover finished with two catches for 66 yards — 44 of which came on his catch and run touchdown in the fourth quarter that gave the Buckeyes much-needed breathing room.

Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 53 offensive snaps are more than he recorded against FCS Youngstown State (50) and Western Kentucky (36). He played the most snaps of any Buckeyes wideout despite playing on a less-than-100% right ankle that he injured two weeks ago at Notre Dame. Harrison stayed in that game in South Bend, logging 66-of-69 possible offensive snaps. You wouldn’t know of Harrison’s injury from the box score Saturday: He caught eight passes for 163 yards and a score.

With top running back TreVeyon Henderson out, Chip Trayanum was the Buckeyes’ work horse against Maryland. Rather than splitting time with Miyan Williams, who led Ohio State in rushing last season, Trayanum registered 20 carries Saturday, 14 more than Williams. And, of Williams’ six carries, all but one came in the final five and a half minutes of the fourth quarter.

Wide receiver Xavier Johnson notched 16 offensive snaps versus Maryland, his second most in a game this season. When Emeka Egbuka left the game in the second half with an apparent lower-leg injury, Johnson took his place. He lined up in the slot, Egbuka’s spot, for seven of his 10 pass snaps, according to PFF. Johnson also lined up at running back in a 10-personnel look.

Tight end Gee Scott Jr. played a career-high 37 offensive snaps in the three-score win over the Terps. After recording a reception in each of the Buckeyes’ first three contests, Scott wasn’t targeted for the second game in a row. That said, he was a key part of their 12-personnel packages.

Defense

CB Davison Igbinosun – 77
CB Denzel Burke – 77
S Lathan Ransom – 77
S Josh Proctor – 77
LB Tommy Eichenberg – 74
DT Tyleik Williams – 70
DE J.T. Tuimoloau – 69
LB Steele Chambers – 59
DE Jack Sawyer – 53
CB Jordan Hancock – 53
DT Mike Hall Jr. – 40
DT Ty Hamilton – 30
S Sonny Styles – 29
LB Cody Simon – 21
DE Caden Curry – 16
DE Kenyatta Jackson – 13
DT Jaden McKenzie – 6
DT Hero Kanu – 3
DE Mitchell Melton – 3

TAKEAWAYS

Boy, did the Ohio State secondary get a workout in. Four defensive backs played all 77 defensive snaps, according to PFF: cornerbacks Davison Igbinosun and Denzel Burke and safeties Lathan Ransom and Josh Proctor. Ransom and Proctor both picked off Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, with Proctor taking his interception 24 yards back to the house. Led by that group of four — plus a strong defensive front — Ohio State held the Big Ten’s leading passer to just 196 yards through the air.

Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg didn’t have his best day, but he did mount a game-high 13 total tackles, at least five more than any other defender on the field Saturday. He also logged 74 defensive snaps. That was 15 more than fellow starting linebacker Steele Chambers. For the fourth game in a row, fellow veteran Cody Simon notched at least 15 defensive snaps, per PFF. Simon actually registered a season-high 21 snaps against the Terps.

Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams continues to take the lion’s share of defensive snaps at his position. Ohio State has played five games this season, and Williams has reset his career high for defensive snaps in each one of them: 30 at Indiana, 35 against Youngstown State, 50 against Western Kentucky, 56 at Notre Dame and 70 against Maryland. Williams had only three tackles this time out, but one of them went for a loss, not to mention his batted down pass in the second quarter.

At Notre Dame, top Buckeyes defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer played all 65 possible defensive snaps. They didn’t max out Saturday versus the Terps. But Tuimoloau came pretty close, playing all but eight defensive snaps. He made quiet an impact, too, finally recording his first sack of the season and then, later, putting the nail in Maryland’s coffin with a 4th-and-3 stop in the fourth quarter. Sawyer (53 defensive snaps) wasn’t as disruptive as Tuimoloau (69), who had a team-high six pressures, per PFF.

The post Breaking down PFF snap counts from Maryland game appeared first on On3.