Brandon Zimmerman
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Adolphus Washington Suspended for Fiesta Bowl
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
This morning, Tim May over at the Columbus Dispatch broke the news that senior defensive tackle Adolphus Washington would be suspended for the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame. This should not come as a surprise to anyone who has actually followed Urban Meyer’s time at Ohio State as he has been pretty consistent with his discipline. From star players like Carlos Hyde, Bradley Roby, Joey Bosa, and J.T. Barrett, Meyer has not been afraid to suspend players regardless of the situation or time of year. With this suspension, Washington’s playing career at Ohio State come to an end with a 2 tackle performance against Michigan where he picked up his fourth set of gold pants.
Washington came to Ohio State as a five-star recruit out of Cincinnati, Ohio where he was the number two ranked defensive end in the nation coming out of high school. Paired with fellow five stars Noah Spence and Tommy Schutt and four star Se’von Pittman, these four were looked at to be the most dominant defensive line haul in the history of Ohio State recruiting. Washington definitely held up his end of the bargain.
Washington had an immediate impact at Ohio State where he began his career as a defensive end. In 2012, on a line where experience dominated, Washington was able to play in 10 games where he finished the season with 3 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. In 2013, as a sophomore, Washington began the season battling some injuries before taking control of a starting spot on the defensive line towards the end of the year. He finished the season with 36 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.
Going into his junior year, Washington had found his groove on the inside lining up next to Michael Bennett which allowed Joey Bosa to have favorable match-ups outside. Washington had his best season of his career finishing with 48 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble in-route to his Buckeyes winning the National Championship.
This season, Washington slid over to Bennett’s old position and was able to be used as more of a pass rusher and disrupter in the middle. Just like Bosa, Washington’s stats don’t show a dominant performance in 2015 but his impact on the field was easily noticed as seen by his numerous All-American selections and invitation to the Senior Bowl. He finished the season with 49 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 touchdown.
Washington was a force on the inside for the Buckeyes and will make a professional team very happy next year. He finished his career at Ohio State with 142 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, and 3 force fumbles. Regardless of his actions over the past week, we need to thank Adolphus for what he has given to Ohio State over the past four years.
Impact on Ohio State for Fiesta Bowl
Without a doubt, the loss of Washington will hinder the impact the defensive line will have in the game against Notre Dame. Washington didn’t always fill the stat line but he required the offensive line to gameplan to stop him and Bosa at the same time. Losing Washington may not only severely impact the Buckeyes ability to stop the run but it may also stop the ability of Bosa to get to the quarterback. How can the Buckeyes limit the damage of Washington’s loss?
I think there are two options here for the coaching staff. The first option is to simply plug-and-play the younger defensive linemen. Two sophomores were listed behind Washington on the most recent depth chart, Donovan Munger and Tracy Sprinkle. Another sophomore, Michael Hill played a lot against Michigan and played his best game of the season. Do they slide Hill over and go with a middle of Schutt and Hill or do you leave Hill in his spot and go with a promising young player like Munger?
Another option is simply sliding Bosa to the inside to Washington’s slot and starting freshman phenom Sam Hubbard on the outside. This is the lineup we have seen all season on third down and has created some big plays for the defense by getting to the quarterback. This has its major benefits in limiting the passing game but may open up some holes for the Notre Dame running game.
In the end, I think you will see Munger start in the middle next Hill but you will see a lot of Bosa lined up at defensive tackle to get the best pass rushing people onto the field. The last thing the Buckeyes want is for DeShone Kizer to have all day to throw to Will Fuller who is the best wide receiver the Buckeyes will have seen this year.
The post Adolphus Washington Suspended for Fiesta Bowl appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
This morning, Tim May over at the Columbus Dispatch broke the news that senior defensive tackle Adolphus Washington would be suspended for the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame. This should not come as a surprise to anyone who has actually followed Urban Meyer’s time at Ohio State as he has been pretty consistent with his discipline. From star players like Carlos Hyde, Bradley Roby, Joey Bosa, and J.T. Barrett, Meyer has not been afraid to suspend players regardless of the situation or time of year. With this suspension, Washington’s playing career at Ohio State come to an end with a 2 tackle performance against Michigan where he picked up his fourth set of gold pants.
Washington came to Ohio State as a five-star recruit out of Cincinnati, Ohio where he was the number two ranked defensive end in the nation coming out of high school. Paired with fellow five stars Noah Spence and Tommy Schutt and four star Se’von Pittman, these four were looked at to be the most dominant defensive line haul in the history of Ohio State recruiting. Washington definitely held up his end of the bargain.
Washington had an immediate impact at Ohio State where he began his career as a defensive end. In 2012, on a line where experience dominated, Washington was able to play in 10 games where he finished the season with 3 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. In 2013, as a sophomore, Washington began the season battling some injuries before taking control of a starting spot on the defensive line towards the end of the year. He finished the season with 36 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.
Going into his junior year, Washington had found his groove on the inside lining up next to Michael Bennett which allowed Joey Bosa to have favorable match-ups outside. Washington had his best season of his career finishing with 48 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble in-route to his Buckeyes winning the National Championship.
This season, Washington slid over to Bennett’s old position and was able to be used as more of a pass rusher and disrupter in the middle. Just like Bosa, Washington’s stats don’t show a dominant performance in 2015 but his impact on the field was easily noticed as seen by his numerous All-American selections and invitation to the Senior Bowl. He finished the season with 49 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 touchdown.
Washington was a force on the inside for the Buckeyes and will make a professional team very happy next year. He finished his career at Ohio State with 142 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, and 3 force fumbles. Regardless of his actions over the past week, we need to thank Adolphus for what he has given to Ohio State over the past four years.
Impact on Ohio State for Fiesta Bowl
Without a doubt, the loss of Washington will hinder the impact the defensive line will have in the game against Notre Dame. Washington didn’t always fill the stat line but he required the offensive line to gameplan to stop him and Bosa at the same time. Losing Washington may not only severely impact the Buckeyes ability to stop the run but it may also stop the ability of Bosa to get to the quarterback. How can the Buckeyes limit the damage of Washington’s loss?
I think there are two options here for the coaching staff. The first option is to simply plug-and-play the younger defensive linemen. Two sophomores were listed behind Washington on the most recent depth chart, Donovan Munger and Tracy Sprinkle. Another sophomore, Michael Hill played a lot against Michigan and played his best game of the season. Do they slide Hill over and go with a middle of Schutt and Hill or do you leave Hill in his spot and go with a promising young player like Munger?
Another option is simply sliding Bosa to the inside to Washington’s slot and starting freshman phenom Sam Hubbard on the outside. This is the lineup we have seen all season on third down and has created some big plays for the defense by getting to the quarterback. This has its major benefits in limiting the passing game but may open up some holes for the Notre Dame running game.
In the end, I think you will see Munger start in the middle next Hill but you will see a lot of Bosa lined up at defensive tackle to get the best pass rushing people onto the field. The last thing the Buckeyes want is for DeShone Kizer to have all day to throw to Will Fuller who is the best wide receiver the Buckeyes will have seen this year.
The post Adolphus Washington Suspended for Fiesta Bowl appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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