CHASE YOUNG AS DOMINANT AS EVER IN OHIO STATE'S WIN OVER PENN STATE, HIS FIRST GAME BACK FROM SUSPENSION
Ryan Day and Jeff Hafley didn’t need to say much to express how they felt about the way Chase Young performed in Ohio State’s 28-17 win over Penn State on Saturday.
After Ohio State’s superstar defensive end recorded nine total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles in Saturday’s game, his first game in nearly a month after he was suspended two games for an NCAA violation, Day and Hafley both made it clear that there’s no one they’d rather have at the forefront of their defense.
“Oh my gosh, I just think Chase Young deserves to be in New York,” Day said, referring to next month’s Heisman Trophy ceremony. “How dominant of a player is Chase Young? And the impact he has on the game is just unbelievable.”
Hafley: “If there’s a better defensive player in college football or just a better complete football player in college football, I’d like to watch his tape. I don’t say that often, but if there’s a more dominant player in the country on defense than Chase Young, somebody needs to bring me the tape and I’ll watch every snap of it.”
It’s going to be tough to find that tape.
With another dominant performance on Saturday, Young has now recorded 38 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks – setting a new single-season Ohio State record for sacks in the process – and seven forced fumbles in just nine games this season.
In Ohio State’s last four games, Young has recorded 15 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, seven sacks and four forced fumbles – and he only played in two of them.
After he recorded six tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles in Ohio State’s 38-7 win over Wisconsin – which had been considered the Buckeyes’ biggest game of the season to date until Saturday’s game against Penn State – Young emerged as a real candidate to become the first defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Charles Woodson accomplished the feat in 1997.
Then came the two-game suspension, which Young had to serve after accepting a loan from a family friend that was impermissible by NCAA rules. In his interview session after Saturday’s game, his first meeting with the media since his suspension, Young opted not to discuss any specifics about the violation, preferring to keep his focus forward on the remainder of the season.
“I just made a mistake and put it behind me and just keep moving forward,” Young said.
Realistically, Young only missed two halves of football. The Buckeyes didn’t need him to beat Maryland or Rutgers, both games they won in blowout fashion, and he wouldn’t have played past halftime in either game. His statistics for the season would probably be even bigger if he played in those two games, but his performances against the overmatched Terrapins or Scarlet Knights weren’t going to be his Heisman moments.
In the national spotlight once again on Saturday, however, Young had the opportunity to remind people why many consider him to be the most dominant player in college football, and that’s exactly what he did. He brought constant pressure and made highlight-reel plays throughout the game.
On Penn State’s second possession of the game, Young was in on back-to-back tackles for loss to force a punt. On Penn State’s final possession of the third quarter, Young nearly notched a safety when he sacked Nittany Lions quarterback Will Levis at Penn State’s 1-yard line, which ultimately led to another punt. On Penn State’s final possession of the game, on which the Buckeyes rushed just three defenders and dropped eight, Young started the series off with a sack that led to a four-and-out.
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