Penn State slid further into the depths of the Big Ten basement with a lopsided 38-14 loss to Ohio State on Saturday, falling to 3-5 and remaining winless in conference play.
After implementing a new offensive install over the bye week, the Nittany Lions employed a new Liam Clifford-centric package and made other tweaks to player usage.
Here are Penn State’s full offensive and defensive snap counts from the game, per PFF.
*Season total in parentheses
Quarterbacks
Ethan Grunkemeyer: 61 (159)
Jaxon Smolik: 0 (12)
Drew Allar: 0 (349)
With Smolik out with injury, the Nittany Lions pivoted to a new Clifford package, with him taking snaps in shotgun. Grunkemeyer saw all 52 offensive snaps, earning a PFF grade of 47.9, slightly lower than last week’s 54.3, albeit against stiffer competition.
Wide receivers
Trebor Peña: 42 (356)
Kyron Hudson: 36 (391)
Devonte Ross: 24 (254)
Liam Clifford: 9 (95)
Koby Howard: 7 (38)
Tyseer Denmark: 1 (24)
Aaron Enterline: 0 (7)
Interim head coach Terry Smith said Howard and Denmark were in line for more playing time moving forward, but that claim didn’t come to fruition Saturday. Howard saw just seven snaps, while Denmark was behind him with one. Despite the limited time, Howard produced the longest reception by a wideout at 26 yards, giving him the second highest grade on the team at 80.9. Of Clifford’s nine snaps, six were lined up out wide while three were in the backfield.
Running backs
Kaytron Allen: 43 (275)
Nick Singleton: 25 (253)
Cam Wallace: 0 (15)
Corey Smith: 0 (11)
Allen followed up on a career day against Iowa by remaining the premier back, posting a respectable 3.8 yards per carry while Singleton saw just six carries and three targets. Smith and Quinton Martin saw special teams reps.
Tight ends
Khalil Dinkins: 42 (318)
Luke Reynolds: 30 (288)
Andrew Rappleyea: 31 (186)
Joey Schlaffer: 0 (7)
It continued to be a three man show at tight end, though none of the three earned above-average PFF grades in the game. Dinkins had two catches for 12 yards, making him the only one to appear on the box score as the unit continues to underperform this season.
Offensive linemen
Nick Dawkins: 61 (487)
Anthony Donkoh: 61 (383)
Vega Ioane: 61 (378)
TJ Shanahan Jr.: 61 (322)
Drew Shelton: 59 (485)
Nolan Rucci: 9 (391)
Cooper Cousins: 8 (77)
Garrett Sexton: 0 (28)
Dom Rulli: 0 (28)
Owen Aliciene: 0 (22)
Eagan Boyer: 0 (4)
J’Ven Williams: 0 (2)
Chimdy Onoh: 0 (2)
Alex Birchmeier: 0 (2)
Ian Harvie: 0 (1)
Ioane returned at left guard after missing the last game, while Shanahan got the start at right guard with Donkoh returned to right tackle, where he played last season. The unit performed admirably against a fierce Buckeye front, with Dawkins earning the highest PFF grade among starters at 68.1. Rucci played a limited role after showing regression throughout the season, though he earned the highest grade from the unit overall.
Defensive linemen
Zane Durant: 40 (334)
Dani Dennis-Sutton: 39 (388)
Yvan Kemajou: 34 (118)
Xavier Gilliam: 29 (266)
Zuriah Fisher: 27 (266)
Alonzo Ford Jr. 26 (220)
Chaz Coleman: 15 (143)
Ty Blanding: 12 (87)
Enai White: 4 (34)
Owen Wafle: 0 (78)
Jaylen Harvey: 0 (100)
Randy Adirika: 0 (19)
Cortez Harris: 0 (13)
Bobby Mears: 0 (11)
Liam Andrews: 0 (11)
Sam Siafa: 0 (6)
The defensive line saw lots of shuffling throughout the matchup, with nine players finding the field. Fisher, who left the game against the Hawkeyes with injury, retained his starting role but saw a decrease in total snaps. Freshman Kemajou saw a career high in snaps, continuing to trend upward since the head coaching shift. White saw four plays at defensive end, reverting back to the outside after he attempted to transition to a defensive tackle earlier this season. Coleman took advantage of his snaps, and though he failed to record a stat, he finished with a team-high 90.6 PFF grade with three pressures on 10 pass rush attempts.
Linebackers
Amare Campbell: 57 (453)
Dom DeLuca: 41 (337)
Keon Wylie: 32 (125)
Alex Tatsch: 16 (37)
Tony Rojas: 0 (176)
Anthony Speca: 0 (47)
DaKaari Nelson: 0 (2)
Cam Smith: 0 (1)
Penn State played a heavier dose of three-linebacker sets, with Campbell, DeLuca and Wylie as the base trio. Wylie set a career high in snaps on the day thanks to more 4-3-4 looks. In his first playing time since the Villanova game, freshman Tatsch earned snaps as the Mike, rotating with DeLuca.
Defensive backs
Zakee Wheatley: 57 (416)
A.J. Harris: 47 (359)
Audavion Collins: 44 (310)
Antoine Belgrave-Shorter: 27 (129)
Zion Tracy: 27 (204)
King Mack: 24 (296)
Elliot Washington II: 23 (223)
Dejuan Lane: 6 (152)
Kenny Woseley Jr.: 0 (183)
Daryus Dixson: 0 (111)
Vaboue Toure: 0 (51)
Jahmir Joseph: 0 (48)
Kolin Dinkins: 0 (37)
Tyler Armstead: 0 (12)
Penn State’s secondary was outmatched against a top-tier Ohio State aerial attack led by quarterback Julian Sayin, who posted an elite 92.2 PFF grade, and wide receivers Jeremiah Smith (90.1) and Carnell Tate (76.2). Wheatley played well, earning the highest grade in the secondary at 71.8, and was credited with seven tackles. No other defensive back graded above a 60, as the unit was consistently gashed for chunk gains.
