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Chase Young May Prove Best Ohio State Pass-Rusher Ever

Four sacks, two fumbles caused lead Buckeyes' win over Wisconsin

Bruce Hooley

Chase Young May Prove Best Ohio State Pass-Rusher Ever
Chase Young May Prove Best Ohio State Pass-Rusher Ever /

Ohio State's 38-7 victory over Wisconsin could be the first of two meetings between the teams this season if the Badgers can win the rest of their games to earn a rematch Dec. 7 in the Big Ten Championship game.

If so, they'll certainly try blocking OSU defensive end Chase Young differently.

Perhaps born of confidence in its massive offensive line, or a fear that double-teaming Young would leave Ohio State's other players free, or that tailback Jonathan Taylor would neutralize Young by rushing directly toward him, Wisconsin appeared to make no special allowances for the nation's leading pass-rusher.

The results proved as disastrous to the Badgers as they were helpful to Young's Heisman Trophy campaign and NFL draft stock.

His two caused fumbles and school record-tying four sacks were part of a six-tackle afternoon that claimed the lion's share of the individual accolades for the Buckeyes' dominant ascent to 8-0.

No defensive player's performance gets that sort of attention on a day where teammate J.K. Dobbins rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Justin Fields played turnover-free, while accounting for three TDs unless it's so eye-popping it's impossible to ignore.

Young's effort was definitely that and more.

"His get-off, his speed, it's unbelievable," OSU co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. "It's like nothing I've seen before. It's ridiculous."

It's similarly amazing that Wisconsin could have watched tape on OSU's defense and not become convinced of the necessity to devote special attention to Young, a 6-5, 265-pound junior.

The Badgers repeatedly tried single-blocking him with tackles Cole Van Lanen and Logan Bruss, or -- incredibly -- tight end Jake Ferguson.

"You're trying to have protections that give whoever's with him, on him, responsible for him, some form of help," Wisconsin coach Chryst said. "A couple times we had it, (but) we weren't successful in taking care of that. And then there's sometimes they can force it to where it still ends up being a one-on-one."

OSU has routinely moved Young from one side of the defensive line to another this season, so that was nothing new.

It did employ him as a stand-up linebacker in the middle early in the game, forcing a Wisconsin timeout to adjust.

But whatever the Badgers hatched on the fly, or schemed during the week, failed miserably.

His first sack was a clean-up effort for pressure teammate Robert Landers applied, but the other three were mostly his handiwork.

Young's success against the Badgers extended his streak of getting at least one sack to 11 straight games and give him 13.5 for the season.

That ties Joey Bosa's sack total from 2014 for No. 2 in OSU single-season history and is just one-half sack behind the standard set by Vernon Gohlston in 2007.

Those are two players, and Bosa's younger brother, Nick, are interesting comparables for Young.

"I had a chance to see Nick Bosa last year and I coached in the NFL and saw some really good players at different times," OSU coach Ryan Day said. "But he is as good as I've been around, again, because he's so versatile."

Young's 27.5 career sacks are tied for second in school history, trailing only the 36 that Mike Vrabel recorded in four seasons from 1993-96.

No one expects Young to return to Ohio State for his senior year.

To get Vrabel's mark, he'd have to record nine sacks in a maximum of seven remaining games -- four in the regular season, the Big Ten title game and two possible College Football Playoff games.

Joey Bosa went third overall in the 2015 NFL Draft and Nick was the second overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers last season, despite playing in only 2 1/2 games before suffering a core muscle injury that he elected to rehab for the draft instead of rejoining the Buckeyes for a bowl game.

Gohlston's NFL career was so forgettable only OSU fans -- and undoubtedly New York Jets fans -- remember that he went sixth overall in 2008.

Until Saturday, Gohlston's day against Michigan's Jake Long in 2007 was probably the most memorable single-game performance by an OSU defensive lineman.

That day in Ann Arbor, Gohlston dominated Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long -- who would go No. 1 overall in that next April's draft -- with three sacks.

Because of the emotion of the OSU-Michigan rivalry, everything that occurs in that series is magnified, so Gohlston's place in school history is secure, even though his three-year NFL career resulted in no sacks and only one hit on a quarterback in 43 career games.

It's unfathomable Young could miss like that in the NFL, because of his speed, agility and because he's coached by perhaps the best defensive line coach in college football in Larry Johnson.

Johnson spent 18 seasons at Penn State, where he developed five first-team All-Americans, including former No. 1 overall pick Courtney Brown.

Johnson seemed a Penn State lifer, but left for OSU when he didn't get the head coaching job after Bill O'Brien departed for the NFL and James Franklin took over in State College in 2014.

Ohio State's defensive line has been the fulcrum of its defense ever since, with four different Johnson proteges making All-American.

Young will be the fifth.

"Chase has some high expectations for himself," Johnson said. "He really does, and I think that's cool. The guy really wants to be a great player. Everything he does is based on that.

"He's a great learner. He wants to learn everything...I think that's what you want from a player who's a highly-competitive guy and wants to be a great player."

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Bruce Hooley
BRUCE HOOLEY

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