OHIO STATE NOTEBOOK: URBAN MEYER DECRIES TEAM'S DEPTH, DWAYNE HASKINS PROGRESSES IN HAPPY VALLEY AND "THE FUTURE" AT DEFENSIVE END
THE "FUTURE” AT DEFENSIVE END
Chase Young played 76 snaps against Penn State. No defensive end had played that many either this season or last season. Part of his high snap count was due to the Buckeyes missing Nick Bosa, who remains out until at least November with a core muscle injury. But that’s not the only reason for his increased playing time.
Ohio State simply didn’t have other players defensive line coach Larry Johnson felt comfortable trotting out behind Jonathon Cooper, Jashon Cornell and Young, a trio of veterans.
Johnson has a policy to avoid thrusting freshmen into games during their first years on the team. That kept Tyreke Smith and Tyler Friday from playing too much, though Smith played in the third-down Rushmen package. Smith had eight snaps and Friday saw two snaps.
“When they get in a game like that, it's tight, you don't want to put any freshmen in harm's way. I'm really a big believer in that,” Johnson said. “You don't put a freshman in a game where he has a chance to make a mistake that may cost a big play, and that lives with them. That's kind of my philosophy. I don't do that. I wanted to make sure we had a chance to control the game. I made sure we rotated enough and stayed fresh and let the guys in the game that needed to play.”
Though Smith and Friday won’t see much time on the field outside of snaps in blowouts and against teams Ohio State should handle, Johnson views them as important cogs in the unit’s future.
“They're growing,” Johnson said. “Tyreke played probably about 15-20 plays in that game. He was in our third-down package, so he was on the field playing as a true freshman. Tyler Friday went in that game a little bit.
“I think those two guys are our future. I think they're doing a great job right now.”
With Bosa assuredly leaving for the NFL at the end of the season, there will be ample opportunities for Smith and Friday to factor more into next season’s game plans.
Smith, who multiple assistant coaches have noted his immediate readiness for college football, was the No. 34 overall prospect in his class, and Friday ranked No. 93 overall. Friday played offensive line in high school, but Johnson said he always viewed the freshman as a defensive lineman who has the potential to become a “really good defensive end.”
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ne-haskins-progresses-in-happy-valley-and-the
