Chase Young honors Nick Bosa with big plays, production vs. Penn State

Bosa back on campus after undergoing surgery Sept. 20

Nick Bosa stood over his Ohio State Buckeyes teammates as they stretched after practice Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. He wore his No. 97 jersey but was not in pads. He remains sidelined indefinitely after suffering a core muscle injury in the game against Texas Christian.

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Just having Bosa back on campus — he returned to Columbus on Friday after having surgery Sept. 20 — lifted the spirits of his teammates.

“That’s my guy,” defensive end Chase Young said. “Obviously, I look at Nick. I study Nick’s tape to try to get little things he does I can add to my game. I look up at Nick. That’s big bro.”

Young wrote Bosa’s number on tape on his wrists before the game at Penn State. A video on Instagram showed him tapping the tape with his fingers before showing off the tribute to the camera.

“He saw the love,” Young said. “At the end of the day, I played that game for him. It’s a brotherhood. He expects that. We’re tight-knit.”

With Bosa sidelined, Young may be the star of a deep defensive line. He certainly was Saturday in the 27-26 victory over the Nittany Lions. He won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Award and the Bednarik Player of the Week award after recording six tackles, three for a loss of 11 yards. Two of those were sacks. He also broke up two passes at the line and tallied two quarterback hurries. His game-clinching tackle in the final minutes will be most remembered.

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Young, a sophomore, said it was the best game of his young career.

“I think now I’m just trying to forget about the Penn State game and go on to Indiana and get better,” Young said.

Through five games, Young is tied with Bosa for the team lead with four sacks. He has adjusted his thinking since Bosa’s injury.

“I think it changed everybody on the unit’s mindset that we had Nick down, the best player in college football,” Young said. “We knew we had to step it up.”

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