It’s known as the Ohio State defensive front four, but it was obvious in the Buckeyes’ 20-13 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, it’s really just the name of a club.
All-America defensive end Joey Bosa had 2.5 tackles for a loss, redshirt freshman Sam Hubbard had 1.5, and aggressive defensive Adolphus Washington were the gang leaders against the Huskies.
Eight defensive linemen made the stats list for the day, including Tyquan Lewis (seven tackles), Tommy Schutt, Michael Hill, Joel Hale and Jalyn Holmes.
“We just wanted to step up and be dominant,” said Lewis, a first-year starter at defensive end whose game included a sack, one of four the Buckeyes had against mobile NIU quarterback Drew Hare.