What does Nick Bosa injury mean for Ohio State?
The speculation, debate and conversations about Ohio State never end, and Lettermen Row is always ready to dive into the discussions. All week long, senior writer Austin Ward will field topics on the Buckeyes submitted by readers and break down anything that’s on the minds of the Best Damn Fans in the Land. Have a question that needs to be tackled, like the one today on Nick Bosa? Send it in right here — and check back daily for the answers.
Is bosa seriously hurt?!
— AD (@adare83) September 16, 2018
The only certainty at this point is that Nick Bosa will not be on the field for Ohio State on Saturday against Tulane. The Heisman Trophy campaign, the quarterback hunting and his stock-boosting ahead of the NFL Draft next spring are currently on hold. The obvious key question: How long will Bosa be on the sideline?
Certainly that’s a pressing concern with a trip to Penn State on deck after a tuneup this week where Bosa wasn’t likely to play that much in the first place. Hitting the road for a game that could wind up deciding the Big Ten East Division against a top-10 opponent, there’s absolutely no question the Buckeyes would prefer to have the nation’s most dominant defender in the lineup. But right now, it’s still too early to know for sure what Bosa’s status will be beyond this week since he’s still slated for more testing.
“Yes, he’s getting further tests this week,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. “He will not play this week. He’ll have further tests on an abdominal and groin issue.”
Nick Bosa has been off to a phenomenal start for Ohio State. (Birm/Lettermen Row)
There is no sense in the Buckeyes rushing the superstar back into the lineup with a sensitive injury like that, especially since they can become nagging issues and they’d rather have a healthy Bosa down the stretch when it’s time to compete for championships. Given his toughness and genetics, maybe Bosa will show the same kind of rapid healing that J.T. Barrett showed after his one-week knee injury last season or Tuf Borland as he recovered from his Achilles injury in the spring.
If not, though, Ohio State will be leaning much more heavily on Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper to replace all that production at defensive end. Both of those Buckeyes are already key parts of the rotation and have proven they can live up to the standard for the Rushmen, but removing Bosa from the equation will test some of the young depth — most notably when it comes to Tyreke Smith.
The freshman showed up physically ready to play the position and has already worked his way into the lineup in pressure situations, and it surely has helped speed up Smith’s learning process that he has Larry Johnson molding him into a pass-rushing threat. But there’s a difference between coming in as the fourth option at defensive end and being needed to help fill the shoes of Nick Bosa, and it will be interesting to see if he’s ready for that responsibility.
Any time a player of Bosa’s caliber is absent, that’s a problem for the Buckeyes. But Ohio State has enough talent to still perform at a high level until he’s back — whenever that winds up being.
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