USC · L 18-30
5 tackles, 0.5 for loss
The other 7 games average 3 tackles. This one was 2 above.
“Pettijohn is gonna be good (already is)”
6 stories in the last 60 days, from 4 outlets.
Riley Pettijohn
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Second year in the Ohio State linebacker corps. On tape: 6 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Ball State, Week 1, 2026.
27 tackles · 2 sacks
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
27 tackles. 2 passes defended. 1 interception. 4.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 4 outlets
Riley Pettijohn is Ohio State’s best linebacker, and it isn’t really a debate anymore
Yahoo Sports Sep 30 · 1 outlet
from 5 outlets
Riley Pettijohn is Ohio State’s best linebacker, and it isn’t really a debate anymore
Yahoo Sports Sep 30 · 1 outlet
Eleven WarriorsRiley Pettijohn Ready to Make Impact on Ohio State’s Defense As Sophomore After Flashing As FreshmanAug 20
Land-Grant Holy LandPlayer to Watch: Riley Pettijohn will be tough to keep off the field in 2026 - Land-Grant Holy LandSep 3Eleven WarriorsRiley Pettijohn, Will Smith Jr. and Jeremiah Smith Lead Pro Football Focus' Highest-Graded Ohio State Players Against Kent StateSep 21Yahoo SportsEleven WarriorsEleven WarriorsEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named Riley Pettijohn vs Ball State.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 27 | 13 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 9 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 36 | 16 | 5.5 | 2.0 | 3 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 5 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-3vs Ball State | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 23-24@ No. 4 Texas | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 59-3vs Kent State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 42-19vs Illinois | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 31-14@ No. 14 Iowa | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 45-16vs Maryland | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 19-15@ No. 5 Indiana | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | L 18-30@ USC | 5 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 27 | 13 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 31 · L 18-30 at USC, play by play
5 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, 2 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Ohio State’s defense played that day
USC’s 11 drives: 5 stopped (1 takeaway) · 6 scored. While the game was within a score they held 1 of 5. His pbu came with Ohio State down 8.
2 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 3rd and 9. Second quarter, up 14-7.
3 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception on 3rd and 12 ended Kent State’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 3rd and 12. Second quarter, up 28-0. Ended Kent State’s drive (int).
3 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss on 3rd and 4. First quarter, up 10-0.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -21 to +24 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
27tackles this seasonTFL rate
17%4 TFLSack rate
7%2 sacksPD rate
7%2 pass breakups27 tackles · 4.5 for loss · 2 sacks · 1 interception.
2 seasons under Ryan Day, all run-leaning offenses — 18-4 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 3.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Day
Pass share
45.0%
250 pass / 306 run
Plays / game
69.5
8 games
Team sack rate
5.8%
275 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #103 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
