Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 6 | 324th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 6 | 130th / 2112 |
| Run stops | 18 | 263rd / 3422 |
| Sacks | 3 | — |
| Pass breakups | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 26 | — |
Charting
Where Roberts's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
Career
5 seasons at 2 schools since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far |  Michigan State#66 · 2-6 | 7 | 50% | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2025 | Michigan State#83 · 4-8 | 6 | 18% | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Michigan State#90 · 5-7 | 5 | 12% | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 |  Oregon#3 · 12-2 | 1 | 2% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 * | Oregon#14 · 10-3 | 1 | 4% | 2 | — | — | 0 | — | — |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Ben Roberts's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded. * Defense rebuilt from the play-by-play (ESPN's box scores that season are missing it); about 10% below official totals.
Game Log
Ben Roberts's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 |  Toledo | W 30–20 | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 |  Eastern Michigan | W 35–7 | 6.3 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 | @ Notre Dame | L 10–27 | 5.6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 |  Nebraska | L 13–31 | 7.2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 | @ Wisconsin | L 3–31 | 5.3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 |  Illinois | L 37–38 | 7.4 | 7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 |  Northwestern | L 21–24 | 9.7 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 8 | @ UCLA | L 10–28 | — | no stats recorded | |||||||
| 2026 · 7 games | 6.6 | 26 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 26 | 899th / 5664 |
| Solo | 11 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 5 | 229th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 2 | 309th / 1383 |
| QB hurries | 2 | 418th / 1549 |
| Passes defended | 0 | — |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Toledo | ✓ DL | 41 | ~20 (8–32) | 1 | 49% |
| Wk 2 · Eastern Michigan | ✓ DL | 52 | ~27 (11–43) | 3 | 52% |
| Wk 3 · Notre Dame | ✓ DL | 67 | ~29 (11–46) | 1 | 43% |
| Wk 4 · Nebraska | ✓ DL | 67 | ~42 (21–53) | 4 | 63% |
| Wk 5 · Wisconsin | — | 62 | ~35 (14–55) | 2 | 56% |
| Wk 6 · Illinois | — | 69 | ~47 (23–59) | 7 | 68% |
| Wk 7 · Northwestern | ✓ DL | 71 | ~52 (26–66) | 8 | 73% |
| Season | 5 GS | 507 | 252 (161–324) | 26 | 50% |
Position Room
19 DLs on the Michigan State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Soares Jr. | EDGE | SR | 26 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 55 | Ben Roberts | DL | SR | 26 | 5 | 2 | — | 0 |
| 9 | Keahnist Thompson | EDGE | SR | 18 | 2.5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 96 | Eli Coenen | DL | JR | 18 | 4.5 | 3.5 | — | 2 |
| 11 | Anelu Lafaele | EDGE | SO | 14 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 |
| 13 | Isaac Smith | EDGE | SR | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 8 | Trey Lisle | EDGE | SO | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 52 | Mikeshun Beeler | DL | SO | 9 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 98 | Derrick Simmons | DL | FR | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 97 | Cal Thrush | DL | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Jaxson Wilson | EDGE | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 6 | Leonard Ah You | EDGE | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Carlos Hazelwood | DL | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | Cory House Jr. | EDGE | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 51 | Kekai Burnett | EDGE | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 56 | Chris Piwowarczyk | EDGE | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 57 | Hudson Aultman | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 91 | Jackson Pahl | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 94 | Aidan Boehle | EDGE | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Michigan State depth chart →