Badgers in awe of Buckeyes' dominant DL Bosa

MADISON, Wis. -- The grainy cell phone video began making the Internet rounds in early June, and pretty soon, Joey Bosa had become something of a YouTube sensation. Here was a 6-foot-5, 270-plus-pound defensive lineman performing a standing backflip during an offseason training session, a seven-second clip that made Ohio State fans and NFL scouts salivate at the sheer power and agility before them.

Flips, of course, don't help sack quarterbacks. But the video simply provided another example of the freakish athleticism Bosa possesses. And the proof has come this season on the field for Bosa, who was named the Big Ten's defensive lineman of the year this week.

When No. 11 Wisconsin (10-2, 7-1) plays No. 6 Ohio State (11-1, 8-0) at 7:17 p.m. CT in the Big Ten championship game Saturday in Indianapolis, all eyes will be on Bosa -- particularly the eyes of Wisconsin's offensive players.

Badgers right tackle Rob Havenstein, who will be responsible along with left tackle Tyler Marz for protecting quarterback Joel Stave from Bosa, said watching him on film elicits two very different responses.

"If you're watching it from just the fans' perspective, you're like, 'This is exciting to watch. I'm excited seeing this,'" Havenstein said. "If you're sitting in an offensive tackles' shoes, you're like, 'Oh, gosh. He does that real well.' You look at something else, another aspect of the game, he does that real well. This guy's a complete player.

"Those types of challenges are definitely the ones you want. I wouldn't want to go up against anyone else. He's had a tremendous year. I'm looking forward to the challenge. I'm sure Tyler is, too, about seeing what we can do against one of the nation's top D-ends."

Badgers tailback Melvin Gordon, a Heisman Trophy candidate, is well aware of the man that will be lurking on the other side of the football. But he has full faith in Havenstein that Wisconsin's offense, which ranks second nationally in rushing yards per game (334.3), will continue to run smoothly.

"I told big Rob I like that matchup," Gordon said. "Those guys will be going at it with each other. He's a great player. Probably one of the best defensive players we've got in this conference. So it'll be exciting to go up against him. We've got to bring our A-game, otherwise he'll definitely get the best of us."

Bosa, a finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Bednarik Award, leads the Big Ten in both quarterback sacks (13.5) and tackles for loss (20.0). He ranks tied for fourth nationally in sacks and tied for fifth in tackles for loss. Bosa also has forced a Big Ten-best four fumbles.

Bosa's body type, position, athleticism and drive have drawn comparisons to former Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt, who is now a star for the Houston Texans in the NFL. But Bosa and his coaches have said the two are much different players, and putting that type of pressure on Bosa at this point is not beneficial. Bosa, after all, has plenty of room to develop since he is only a sophomore, which means he'll be in college for a minimum of one more season.

Under NFL rules, a player must be out of high school for at least three years before he can declare for the draft.

"He's amazing," Badgers linebacker Marcus Trotter said. "Every time we watch film on an opponent, we always somehow watch Ohio State's defense against them. It's very impressive how he is as an athlete and as a player. Very excited to see what he's going to do in the future. It's fun to watch a player like that. He's very similar to J.J. Watt. And someone told me he's only a sophomore? Oh, man, that's just ridiculous."

Ironically enough, Bosa actually visited Wisconsin during his spring break in 2012, along with other college finalists Michigan and Ohio State, before ultimately picking the Buckeyes. When Trotter was informed of that news this week, he was left to ponder what could have been.

"I was just kind of fantasizing like, 'Man, if we had a player like that on the defensive line, our defense would be even better,'" Trotter said. "Hands down, just a great player, great to watch, and I can't believe he's only a sophomore."

Many could see Bosa's big sophomore season coming because he performed at such a high level as a freshman. He started 10 games last season and was named a freshman All-American by The Sporting News and College Football News. And one of Bosa's starts came against Wisconsin at the Horseshoe during Ohio State's 31-24 victory. On the year, he recorded 44 tackles and ranked third on the team in tackles for loss (13.5) and sacks (7.5).

Bosa certainly has carried that forward and played this season like an All-American. The key on Saturday for Wisconsin will be to make Bosa, for one day at least, look something less than superhuman.

"A lot of things make Joey special from what I've seen," Badgers coach Gary Andersen said. "He did it as a freshman. He's doing it again. Unbelievable talent. Plays extremely hard and takes zero snaps off. You couldn't find a snap that young man's taken off all year round. He can do it all."

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