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Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 7 | 214th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 4 | 322nd / 2112 |
| Run stops | 11 | 678th / 3422 |
| Sacks | 2 | — |
| Pass breakups | 3 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 23 | — |
Charting
Where Pettijohn'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
2 seasons 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 |  Ohio State#2 · 6-2 | 8 | 55% | 27 | 4.5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 2025 | Ohio State#2 · 12-2 | 5 | 8% | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Riley Pettijohn's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Riley Pettijohn'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 |  Ball State | W 56–3 | 6.3 | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 | @ Texas | L 23–24 | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 |  Kent State | W 59–3 | 7.8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · |
| 4 |  Illinois | W 42–19 | 7.5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 | @ Iowa | W 31–14 | 5.4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 |  Maryland | W 45–16 | 4.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 | @ Indiana | W 19–15 | 5.9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 9 | @ USC | L 18–30 | 6.9 | 5 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 6.4 | 27 | 13 | 4.5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 27 | 841st / 5664 |
| Solo | 13 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 4.5 | 295th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 2 | 309th / 1383 |
| QB hurries | 0 | — |
| Passes defended | 2 | 471st / 1772 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Interceptions | 1 | 145th / 627 |
| Return yards | 8 | — |
| Pick-sixes | 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 | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Special teams | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Ball State | 60 | ~49 (25–58) | 6 | · | 82% |
| Wk 2 · Texas | 78 | ~31 (3–56) | 3 | · | 40% |
| Wk 3 · Kent State | 55 | ~45 (23–53) | 4 | 1 | 82% |
| Wk 4 · Illinois | 71 | ~25 (3–45) | 3 | · | 35% |
| Wk 5 · Iowa | 52 | ~24 (2–44) | 3 | · | 46% |
| Wk 6 · Maryland | 53 | ~19 (2–34) | 2 | · | 36% |
| Wk 7 · Indiana | 69 | ~28 (3–51) | 3 | · | 41% |
| Wk 9 · USC | 50 | ~47 (24–50) | 6 | 1 | 94% |
| Season | 488 | 268 (125–366) | 30 | 2 | 55% |
Position Room
14 LBs on the Ohio State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Payton Pierce | LB | JR | 43 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 3 |
| 5 | Riley Pettijohn | LB | SO | 27 | 4.5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | Christian Alliegro | LB | SR | 25 | 2.5 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 17 | Tarvos Alford | LB | SO | 21 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Cincere Johnson | LB | FR | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 41 | Braxton Rembert | LB | FR | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 36 | CJ Sanna | LB | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Garrett Stover | LB | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 33 | Eli Lee | LB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Zach Hayes | LB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | Eli Riggs | LB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 50 | Alec DelSignore | LB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 52 | Ty Howard | LB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 54 | Na'il Diggs Jr. | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
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. Ohio State depth chart →