Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa entered the season as the consensus top-rated prospect in college football and a dominant performance Saturday in a 28-3 shellacking of the University of Illinois was a reminder of why. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound junior tied season-highs in tackles (seven) and tackles for loss (three) while chipping in a half a sack despite the Illini using several strategies in attempting to contain him. The Buckeyes featured Bosa from the start, alternately lining him up at left and right defensive end and even moving him as a stand-up rush linebacker over center. Illinois countered with double- and triple-teams, which slowed Bosa but opened opportunities for teammates, including other projected first-rounders like defensive tackle Adolphus Washington and outside linebacker Darron Lee. Probably the only way Illinois can slow down Bosa today #TripleTeam https://t.co/RKYGuAJF7L — Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) November 14, 2015 Ultimately, Illinois opted to block Bosa one-on-one for much of the game. Predictably, that strategy failed as you can see in the video below. It isn’t just the get-off, power & hustle shown by Bosa but the ho-hum reaction afterwards. #TooEasy https://t.co/24RHV2BdE1 — Rob Rang (@RobRang) November 14, 2015 This wasn’t a case of Bosa boosting stats after the game got out of hand. The bulk of his production came in the first half when the game was tight. His half-sack came on Illinois’ first drive and he recorded back to back impressive tackles to thwart the Illini’s final drive of the half with the Buckeyes taking a slim 14-3 lead into the break. With only four sacks (including Saturday), Bosa hasn’t generated the splashy plays he did a year ago when he recorded 13.5 sacks and was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and unanimous All-American…
Continue Reading: 2016 NFL Draft: Ohio State’s Joey Bosa makes case for No. 1 overall vs. Illinois
