It may not have been a clinic on how to start fast out of the gate for the Ohio State football team, especially entering halftime down to Minnesota, but the Buckeyes found their way in the second half.
There was big play after big play in the second 30 minutes, and it all resulted in the Buckeyes outscoring the Golden Gophers 35-17 en route to a 45-31 win in game No. 1 for 2021. But there were definitely some things to work on and take away from the contest.
After each Ohio State football game, we hand out grades and take a look at snap counts to reflect on what we watched after pouring back through game film. Let’s dive into all the fun of what we saw in the Twin Cities on Thursday night.
Ohio State Buckeyes top snap counts
Offense
| Paris Johnson, Jr | 50 | Luke Wypler | 50 | Miyan Williams | 22 |
| Dawand Jones | 50 | Jeremy Ruckert | 45 | Cade Stover | 15 |
| Thayer Munford | 50 | Garrett Wilson | 43 | Master Teague | 12 |
| Nicholas Petit-Frere | 50 | Chris Olave | 42 | Marcus Crowley | 9 |
| C.J. Stroud | 50 | Jaxon SmithNjigba | 29 | Julian Fleming | 8 |
Top Offensive PFF Grades
- Dawand Jones | 94.4
- Miyan Williams 80.9
- Chris Olave | 80.6
- Paris Johnson, Jr. | 77.1
- TreVeyon Henderson | 74.9
Defense
| Teradja Mitchell | 70 | Antwuan Jackson | 49 | Lathan Ransom | 39 |
| Zach Harrison | 65 | Taron Vincent | 49 | Cody Simon | 37 |
| Josh Proctor | 63 | Ryan Watts | 49 | Javontae Jean-Baptiste | 28 |
| Denzel Burke | 63 | Tyreke Smith | 48 | Ty Hamilton | 20 |
| Ronnie Hickman | 62 | Haskell Garrett | 47 | Bryson Shaw | 15 |
| Tommy Eichenberg | 49 | Dallas Gant | 41 | Demario McCall | 15 |
Top Defensive PFF Grades
- Zach Harrison | 90.0
- Cody Simon | 81.3
- Tyreke Smith | 78.8
- Josh Proctor | 75.4
- Tommy Eichenberg | 73.1