Ohio State and Wisconsin players fight for a loose ball in the second half of the game against Wisconsin on Oct. 26. Ohio State won 38-3. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Managing Editor for Multimedia

With four sacks, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, Chase Young starred in Ohio State’s defense Saturday.

Just don’t forget his supporting cast.

Against an offensive line that’s churned out at least one All-Big Ten performer since the turn of the century and 2018’s Doak Walker Award winner as the nation’s best running back, the Buckeye defensive front allowed Wisconsin to rush for 83 yards — 153 below its per-game average entering the contest.

“If we can win the line of scrimmage, we’ve got a chance against anybody,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “I think when you combine their ability to stop the run and the pass rush, that makes them pretty versatile.”

Outside the junior defensive end, the statistics don’t reflect the versatility Day speaks of. Redshirt senior defensive tackle Davon Hamilton finished with three tackles and a sack, and sophomore defensive tackle Tommy Togiai added three takedowns of his own. No other defensive lineman finished with more than one tackle.

Stopping a running back the caliber of Wisconsin junior Jonathan Taylor is about more than tackling, however. To hold the 2018 first-team All-American to 52 yards on 20 carries, redshirt senior defensive tackle Robert Landers said it’s imperative for the interior defensive linemen to knock opposing offensive linemen back, creating a new line of scrimmage.

“If you can get knock-back up front, it makes it difficult for running backs to find seams, to create big plays, and it throws off the flow of the offense,” Landers said.

Asked who has the quicker first step between himself and Hamilton at one-technique, the position most responsible for creating interior push, Landers laughed and said he does. He added that Hamilton brings more strength and power with his step.

“Our styles of play are just completely different. Davon’s very athletic, especially for his stature. We all know he’s huge. I like to call him Thanos because he’s enormous,” Landers said. “One thing that I pride myself on is my first step and my quickness. So I try to make sure I’m consistent within that at all times.”

Creating piles up front also allows linebackers to flow more freely because it prevents the opposing linemen from climbing to the second level and standing in their way. 

Landers said this cohesion, different defensive units working through each other in-game, is a prime example of why the Buckeyes lead the nation in scoring defense.

“The defense as a whole, I feel like we all play so well together to where the back end trusts us up front. We trust the back end. So it allows us to play faster,” Landers said.

Two other factors prevented other defensive linemen from rising to the top of the stat sheet against Wisconsin.

The Buckeyes rotate players frequently in the group, keeping players fresh and limiting reps from players dealing with injury. Eleven Ohio State defensive linemen have seen meaningful playing time at one of the four spots the position occupies.

“That’s the other thing that’s really good about that group is we’re pretty deep,” Day said. “[We’ve] had to play depth because we’ve had a few guys dinged up throughout the season, and again, they’re still the tip of the spear of the defense.”

Another contributor is the sheer number of tackle opportunities. In its 38-7 win, Ohio State’s defense was significantly less than Wisconsin’s. The Badgers were called upon to make 68 total team tackles opposed to the Buckeyes’ 55.

After limiting a top-tier rushing attack and No. 30 scoring offense to seven points, Day said the Buckeyes enter their bye week knowing that the defensive line will continue to play with great toughness, energy, preparation and depth.

Landers still isn’t satisfied.

“We showed glimpses of the potential that we have, but I don’t feel like we are at our peak yet,” Landers said. “I feel like we still have a lot more that we can improve on, a lot more we can elevate.”