A close game in which Ohio State trailed in the second half for the first time all season before ultimately losing meant minimal playing time for most of the Buckeyes’ backups.
Ohio State leaned heavily on its starters in the Big Ten Championship Game. Only four players who didn’t start the game played more than 12 snaps against Indiana: defensive tackle Eddrick Houston (31), right guard Gabe VanSickle (29), tight end Bennett Christian (23) and wide receiver Brandon Inniss (21).
VanSickle replaced Tegra Tshabola at right guard on Ohio State’s second drive of the second half and played the rest of the game. Christian saw frequent action off the bench along with starting tight ends Will Kacmarek and Max Klare as the Buckeyes used multi-tight end packages frequently in their 13-10 loss; Inniss played his third-lowest snap count of the year as a result. Houston was the only backup to rotate in regularly on defense against Indiana, ultimately playing four more snaps than starting 3-technique Tywone Malone Jr.
Other than Malone, all of Ohio State’s other defensive starters played more than 50 of Ohio State’s 59 defensive snaps, with nose tackle Kayden McDonald playing a career-high 51 snaps. Offensively, all of Ohio State’s starters except Tshabola played at least 35 snaps, with quarterback Julian Sayin and four offensive linemen playing all 57 of Ohio State’s offensive plays.
Below, we‘ve compiled all of the offensive and defensive snap counts, courtesy of Pro Football Focus, from Ohio State‘s Big Ten Championship Game loss, with some analysis on what we saw from each position group in Indianapolis. (Note: Special teams snap counts were not yet available as of Monday morning.)
Quarterbacks
Julian Sayin: 57
Sayin played every snap at quarterback for the second game in a row and sixth overall time this season. He threw the ball on just over half of Ohio State’s offensive plays, completing 21 of 29 passing attempts for 258 yards and one touchdown with one interception.
Running Backs
Bo Jackson: 36
CJ Donaldson:Â 12
Isaiah West: 8
James Peoples:Â 1
Jackson played his highest percentage of snaps of the season as he was on the field for more than 60% of Ohio State’s offensive plays against Indiana. He ran the ball on just under half of his 30 snaps, gaining 83 yards on 17 carries, while he also caught two passes for 13 yards.
Donaldson played the second-most snaps among running backs for a third straight game, yet played his third-lowest snap count of the season as he was on the field for just 12 plays and had zero rushing attempts, though he caught two passes for nine yards.
West played just eight snaps for the second week in a row and ran the ball three times for four yards. Peoples entered the game for just one pass-blocking snap and missed his block on that play, allowing a sack.
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith: 53
Carnell Tate: 41
Brandon Inniss: 21
David Adolph:Â 1
Smith was on the field for all but four of Ohio State’s offensive plays and caught eight passes for 144 yards. Tate played one fewer snap than he did against Michigan but a higher percentage of snaps (72%) than he did in The Game, catching four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown vs. Indiana.
Inniss played his third-lowest snap count of the season, catching just one pass for five yards, as Ohio State used multiple tight ends on a majority of its plays in the Big Ten Championship Game. Adolph was the only other receiver to see action on offense, entering the game for one play as a run blocker, which he’s been for 64 of his 98 snaps this season.
Tight Ends
Will Kacmarek: 45
Max Klare:Â 35
Bennett Christian: 23
Nate Roberts: 7
Jelani Thurman:Â 2
Kacmarek played the most snaps among tight ends for a second straight game, but Klare was also on the field for a majority of Ohio State’s offensive plays as the Buckeyes used multi-tight end sets heavily against Indiana. Kacmarek caught three passes for 20 yards and Klare caught two passes for 28 yards.
Christian also played more than 20 snaps as Ohio State’s No. 3 tight end for the third game in a row. Cumulatively, Ohio State’s tight ends played 112 snaps against Indiana – just four fewer snaps than the Buckeyes’ wide receivers. It was the second consecutive game with heavy tight end usage for Ohio State, as the Buckeyes’ tight ends played 11 more snaps than their wide receivers (149 to 138) against Michigan.
Offensive Linemen
Austin Siereveld:Â 57
Luke Montgomery:Â 57
Carson Hinzman:Â 57
Phillip Daniels:Â 57
Gabe VanSickle: 29
Tegra Tshabola:Â 28
Ohio State benched Tshabola in favor of VanSickle for its final three drives of the game after Ohio State’s starting right guard struggled for most of the first half and the opening drive of the second half. It marked the second time this season, along with Ohio State’s November win over UCLA, that VanSickle came off the bench to play more snaps than Tshabola at RG.
The rest of Ohio State’s starting offensive linemen played every offensive snap against Indiana with Siereveld at left tackle, Montgomery at left guard, Hinzman at center and Daniels manning right tackle.
Snap Tracker: Offense
Pos
Player
TEXAS
GSU
OHIO
WASH
MINN
ILL
WIS
PSU
PUR
UCLA
RUT
UM
IU
TOTAL
QB
JULIAN SAYIN
59
32
62
64
48
65
70
57
74
59
52
73
57
772
QB
LINCOLN KIENHOLZ
0
22
1
0
11
0
1
0
4
11
12
0
0
62
QB
TAVIEN ST. CLAIR
0
13
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
13
RB
BO JACKSON
0
17
16
30
28
20
32
26
25
35
27
37
36
329
RB
CJ DONALDSON
42
17
28
19
10
31
17
15
14
0
15
28
12
248
RB
JAMES PEOPLES
20
21
20
16
21
13
10
11
19
16
12
4
1
184
RB
ISAIAH WEST
0
10
0
0
2
3
14
9
20
19
14
8
8
107
RB
SAM DIXON
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
FB
KAYDEN MCDONALD
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
WR
JEREMIAH SMITH
57
30
57
56
43
50
57
43
59
22
0
45
53
572
WR
CARNELL TATE
46
31
54
51
40
50
49
39
0
0
0
42
41
443
WR
BRANDON INNISS
23
16
32
22
24
34
41
20
52
49
53
23
21
410
WR
MYLAN GRAHAM
0
34
2
5
16
8
18
8
14
42
12
1
0
160
WR
BRYSON RODGERS
0
14
0
2
0
0
0
3
35
38
23
14
0
129
WR
DAVID ADOLPH
0
9
2
0
2
0
0
2
8
13
48
13
1
98
WR
QUINCY PORTER
0
25
0
0
10
0
13
0
0
9
0
0
0
57
WR
PHILLIP BELL
0
12
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
3
0
0
0
21
TE
WILL KACMAREK
48
9
50
47
27
43
33
44
46
12
7
65
45
476
TE
MAX KLARE
23
20
41
35
29
36
35
26
42
46
40
31
35
439
TE
BENNETT CHRISTIAN
28
4
0
19
18
20
15
23
25
18
32
26
23
251
TE
NATE ROBERTS
1
25
8
12
11
8
5
9
18
14
23
19
7
160
TE
JELANI THURMAN
7
32
5
6
14
9
10
7
10
14
11
8
2
135
TE
BRODY LENNON
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
OL
CARSON HINZMAN
59
32
63
64
49
65
70
57
75
59
58
73
57
781
OL
AUSTIN SIEREVELD
59
32
63
64
49
65
70
57
75
59
58
73
57
781
OL
LUKE MONTGOMERY
59
32
63
64
49
65
70
54
75
59
57
73
57
777
OL
PHILLIP DANIELS
59
32
62
64
48
65
70
57
0
59
58
72
57
703
OL
TEGRA TSHABOLA
44
26
49
64
40
51
44
48
65
26
48
73
28
607
OL
IAN MOORE
0
20
1
0
11
0
1
0
66
11
6
1
29
136
OL
GABE VANSICKLE
0
20
0
0
10
0
1
3
13
44
16
0
0
107
OL
ETHAN ONIANWA
15
26
14
0
10
0
1
0
12
11
7
0
0
96
OL
JOSHUA PADILLA
0
20
0
0
19
14
26
8
0
0
0
0
0
87
OL
JUSTIN TERRY
0
20
0
0
10
0
1
0
6
11
9
0
0
57
OL
ISAIAH KEMA
0
11
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
11
6
0
0
31
OL
CARTER LOWE
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
18
OL
JAKE COOK
0
15
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
17
OL
DEONTAE ARMSTRONG
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
OL
JAYVON McFADDEN
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
OL
SIMON LORENTZ
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
Defensive Ends
Caden Curry: 55
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: 55
Beau Atkinson: 5
Zion Grady: 3
Curry and Jackson were each on the field for all but four of Indiana’s offensive plays. Curry was the star of the Buckeyes’ defensive effort, recording seven tackles with three tackles for loss, two sacks and a pass breakup, while Jackson made three tackles with one sack.
Atkinson and Grady returned to action after playing zero snaps against Michigan, but Atkinson played his second-lowest snap count of the year as Ohio State continued to lean heavily on its top two defensive ends.
Defensive Tackles
Kayden McDonald:Â 51
Eddrick Houston:Â 31
Tywone Malone Jr.: 27
Will Smith Jr.: 5
McDonald played the highest snap count of his career against Indiana as he was on the field for all but eight of the Hoosiers’ offensive plays. He recorded five tackles. Backup nose tackle Will Smith Jr. tied his lowest snap count of the season, getting in the game for just five plays.
Malone made his 10th start of the year at 3-technique, but played four fewer snaps than Houston, who saw his third-highest snap count of the season. Houston recorded two tackles while Malone recorded one.
Linebackers
Arvell Reese:Â 59
Sonny Styles: 59
Payton Pierce:Â 6
Styles and Reese were both on the field for all of Ohio State’s 59 defensive plays against Indiana, with Pierce joining them in the game as a third linebacker for six plays. Styles led the Buckeyes with a career-high 12 tackles while Reese had one tackle with two quarterback hits vs. the Hoosiers.
#OhioState LB Sonny Styles vs. Indiana
He was everywhere. Athletic and rangy. Stack, shed, and finish ability. Arrives with violence.
Through 13 games this year, he has ZERO missed tackles as a run defender. pic.twitter.com/UKU73y3BAe
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) December 7, 2025
Cornerbacks
Davison Igbinosun: 59
Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 59
Devin Sanchez: 5
Igbinosun and Mathews also played every snap of the game against Indiana, with Sanchez joining them on the field for five plays as a sixth defensive back in dime packages.
Igbinosun made the Buckeyes’ only takeaway of the day with a first-quarter interception of Fernando Mendoza and recorded four tackles. Mathews recorded two tackles but had his worst game of the season in coverage, allowing four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.
MENDOZA IS PICKED OFF@OhioStateFB takes the ball right back from Indiana pic.twitter.com/DYRkgXJu6D
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 7, 2025
Safeties
Caleb Downs:Â 59
Jaylen McClain:Â 59
Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 52
Downs and McClain also played every defensive snap of the game against Indiana, with Styles playing all but seven snaps as Ohio State’s nickelback. Downs recorded eight tackles against the Hoosiers, McClain made six and Styles had two tackles with a pass breakup, along with tipping the interception that Igbinosun made.
Snap Tracker: Defense
Pos
Player
TEXAS
GSU
OHIO
WASH
MINN
ILL
WIS
PSU
PUR
UCLA
RUT
UM
IU
TOTAL
DE
CADEN CURRY
59
25
30
47
38
60
35
53
34
26
42
44
55
548
DE
KENYATTA JACKSON JR.
34
26
32
44
13
51
33
56
32
24
40
44
55
484
DE
BEAU ATKINSON
35
11
22
18
28
24
19
14
9
17
12
0
5
214
DE
ZION GRADY
0
9
6
0
10
13
9
2
15
18
16
0
3
101
DE
C.J. HICKS
19
8
18
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
50
DE
JOSHUA MICKENS
0
17
3
0
6
2
3
0
5
4
4
0
0
44
DE
LOGAN GEORGE
0
0
8
0
8
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
19
DE
EPI SITANILEI
0
9
4
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
17
DE
DOMINIC KIRKS
0
11
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
17
DT
KAYDEN McDONALD
38
18
18
33
24
39
25
42
22
22
30
29
51
391
DT
TYWONE MALONE JR.
14
13
18
30
19
46
19
35
0
21
22
22
27
286
DT
EDDRICK HOUSTON
39
10
18
12
17
0
25
20
27
19
34
21
31
273
DT
WILL SMITH JR.
16
18
22
9
22
31
5
17
15
20
27
8
5
215
DT
JARQUEZ CARTER
3
19
9
0
7
5
4
0
4
0
0
0
0
51
DT
JASON MOORE
0
0
0
0
0
13
3
1
10
6
9
0
0
42
DT
ERIC MENSAH
0
12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
DT
TRAJEN ODOM
0
7
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
10
LB
SONNY STYLES
57
20
48
52
45
69
36
61
35
28
44
44
59
599
LB
ARVELL REESE
64
22
41
52
41
64
32
61
32
30
44
44
59
585
LB
PAYTON PIERCE
15
25
20
7
24
22
34
22
23
20
22
12
6
252
LB
RILEY PETTIJOHN
0
15
13
0
5
2
9
0
11
13
8
0
0
76
LB
TJ ALFORD
0
13
6
0
4
0
8
0
5
5
9
0
0
50
LB
GARRETT STOVER
0
17
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
22
LB
ELI LEE
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
LB
JOEY VELAZQUEZ
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
CB
JERMAINE MATHEWS JR.
67
32
43
52
46
67
38
60
37
33
54
44
59
632
CB
DAVISON IGBINOSUN
67
32
43
52
46
53
38
51
36
27
44
44
59
592
CB
DEVIN SANCHEZ
11
23
27
10
15
66
27
16
16
29
25
8
5
279
CB
AARON SCOTT JR.
0
23
13
0
5
19
10
0
10
20
6
0
0
106
CB
BRYCE WEST
0
17
7
0
4
5
9
0
7
14
27
0
0
90
CB
MILES LOCKHART
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
S
JAYLEN McCLAIN
67
32
48
52
46
72
38
60
37
33
54
44
59
642
S
CALEB DOWNS
67
31
46
52
46
72
38
61
37
20
44
44
59
617
S
LORENZO STYLES JR.
65
28
24
45
27
0
0
39
37
29
18
32
52
396
S
FAHEEM DELANE
0
23
8
0
5
2
9
0
10
18
6
0
0
81
S
LEROY ROKER III
0
7
0
0
6
9
11
0
10
15
19
0
0
77
S
MALIK HARTFORD
0
22
16
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
38