Ohio State Football: Importance of having Chase Young back on the field

In great news for the Ohio State football team, defensive end Chase Young will only miss one more game this season against Rutgers on Saturday.

Chase Young will be back for the home stretch. The NCAA has handed down the penalty of a two-game suspension for the Ohio State football team’s defensive end, which means he will be back for the Penn State game and the one against the Team Up North.

This was critically important for Ohio State and could propel them to a title run.

After watching the Maryland game, I’m sure many viewers thought that this team looked fine without Young, and to some extent that’s true. The Buckeyes possess a very deep and talented defensive line, coached by one of the best line coaches in the game. The problem with this line of thinking, though, is forgetting that they were playing Maryland.

Now this week, we will probably see something very similar to last week – Ohio State creating tons of pressure and stuffing the run. The backups will be able to prey on a far less-talented Rutgers offensive line and rack up huge stat lines.

The trouble could begin in the final two regular-season games, however.

At the very worst, Young would provide added skill and depth to an important position during the most daunting stretch of Ohio State’s season. But we all know he is much more than that.

The Buckeyes will be returning the best player in college football, not only the best at his position but the No. 1 player in the country. Ohio State is getting one of the best players to ever put on the Scarlet and Gray back for crucial rivalry games followed by possible championship football.

Young demands the attention of an offense, which opens up matchups and lanes for the other defensive players. We saw against Maryland that Ohio State can open up lanes being creative with defensive scheming, but having a player that demands a double team makes getting to the quarterback easier for everyone.

Not only does having Young back help on the field, but the mindset of the team is sure to be different. He will be coming back with a chip on his shoulder, and I bet that mindset is infectious in the locker room.

The only thing that I can imagine that’s scarier than this Ohio State defense, is if they are angry with something to prove. Look out quarterbacks – Chase Young is back. I sure would not want to be the one that gets in his way.