Foto

football looking to slow down Ohio State star Chase Young

Only one defensive player in college football history has won the Heisman Trophy . It seems unlikely that will change this season. But Ohio State's Chase Young has made as good of a case as anyone can. The junior defensive end leads all players with 16.5 sacks, despite sitting out two games (against Maryland and Rutgers) because of an NCAA suspension. He has 38 tackles, 19.5 of them for loss. He has had more than one sack in six of the eight games played this season. According to Pro Football Focus, he has a 32.3% pass-rush win percentage , tops in the nation, and a 22.8% pressure rate , No. 3 in the nation. Quite simply, Young has been an unstoppable force. Michigan football is hoping to change that this weekend. “That’ll be very important," tight end Nick Eubanks said. "That’s one thing I’ll probably emphasize this week, in terms of preparing for this ballgame. Yeah, we’ll try — matter of fact, we’ll do instead of try, try to prevent him from getting in the backfield.” Young doesn't have an extensive track record against Michigan. He did not play against the Wolverines as a freshman in 2017, and recorded two tackles (one for loss) and a pass breakup in Ohio State's 62-39 win over Michigan in 2018. This season, Young has consistently displayed an ability to take over big games. In a top-10 showdown against Penn State last weekend, Young had nine tackles (four for loss), three sacks and two forced fumbles. The Nittany Lions, who lost, 28-17, elected to block Young one-on-one — rarely, if ever, providing their tackles with help. And they paid the price. Young single-handedly disrupted Wisconsin's offense in Ohio State's 38-7 win on Oct. 26, with five tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles. “He’s a tremendous football player," Jim Harbaugh said. "Extremely athletic. Very physical. Shows up at the ball. And he’s a tremendous pass rusher.” Michigan's offensive line has had some experience going against talented pass rushers this season, having faced Iowa's AJ Epenesa and Penn State's Yetur Gross-Matos, both of whom are projected as first-round draft picks. Neither has produced as Young has, though. And Michigan certainly recognizes how difficult the task of stopping him will be. “He’s a special player," offensive guard Ben Bredeson said. "He’s got a lot of talent. We’ve played a lot of teams that have had some special players like that. There’s different ways to attack him, attack the defensive front. I know that we’re going to have a good scheme going in for him, and that defensive front in general.” Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang . Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter .