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Ohio State's Chase Young Top Priority for Wisconsin Offense

Buckeyes' pass-rush specialist leads nation in quarterback sacks

Bruce Hooley

Ohio State's Chase Young Top Priority for Wisconsin Offense
Ohio State's Chase Young Top Priority for Wisconsin Offense /

There are no lack of ideas on how to best neutralize the predatory pass-rush of Ohio State junior Chase Young.

It's solutions that are non-existent.

Young not only leads the nation in quarterback sacks with 9.5, he's had at least one sack in nine straight games dating to last season and has a national-best 20 sacks in a 21-game stretch dating back to the start of last season.

Teams have tried rolling their quarterback away from Young.

They've tried chipping him with a tight end in addition to blocking him with an offensive tackle.

They've tried double-teams and they've tried a quick passing game, throwing off a three-step drop.

Northwestern quarterback Aiden Smith tried that in the first quarter Friday, only to have Young smother him to the turf as soon as Smith set in the pocket and looked down field.

The only strategy no one has tried yet is to run directly at Young, attempting to busy him with tackling responsibilities so he can't steam into the backfield.

Wisconsin certainly has the capacity to try that Saturday when it matches tailback Jonathan Taylor and what is traditionally one of college football's biggest offensive lines against Young and the Buckeyes' deep defensive front.

"They’re physical," OSU linebacker Pete Werner said of the Badgers. "All of them are over 300 pounds and aren’t scared to put you in the ground. We take that into account."

That's what everyone says when they play Wisconsin, but most lack the historical success the Buckeyes have enjoyed.

Ohio State has won nine of 10 in the series, so it's seldom been gashed on the ground to the degree the Badgers make that routine against most others.

Tailback Jonathan Taylor, who went over the 5,000-yard mark for his career in a 24-23 loss Saturday at Illinois, has averaged 6.9 yards per-carry for his career in Madison.

Taylor, though, had one previous crack against the Buckeyes in the 2017 Big Ten championship game and had just 41 yards on 15 attempts.

Young was just a backup on that OSU defensive line, unleashing his fury in isolated doses in relief of headliners like Nick Bosa and Tyquan Lewis.

Now, it's Young who's the headliner and on whom Ohio State relies to be its most destructive force, no matter what the opposing strategy to offset his talents.

"IΒ think that's what makes him special," OSU coach Ryan Day said. "He's very versatile in what he can do. He plays the run. He plays the pass. He can beat you with speed. He can beat you with power. He's very versatile that way.

"Some people say, 'Go right at someone like that.' It's a theory. It sounds good. But you still have to block him."

Day smirked a bit when saying that, reflecting the same confident assurance Mike Tyson often did when he'd say," Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

Young sometimes starts on the left side, sometimes on the right and occasionally lines up in the middle of the line in obvious passing situations.

That can't be a comforting thought for either Wisconsin right tackle
Logan Bruss or left tackle Cole Van Lanen, who could look up from their stance and see Young's dreadlocks across from them.

β€œHe’s obviously really talented and plays with great effort,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said of Young. β€œHe’s got good size, length, explosive, and I think like any good player has that confidence."

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Bruce Hooley
BRUCE HOOLEY

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