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Like most of us, Mark Dantonio isn’t convinced Chase Young is actually human
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Mark Dantonio has been coaching college football for a long time, has seen a lot of talented players and spent time around once-in-a-lifetime type of players. But when it comes to Ohio State’s Chase Young, Dantonio has the same thoughts as us common folk.
That is, he’s not actually sure Young is a human being.
Five weeks into the college football season, Young has been the dominant player in college football. He hasn’t had to play a full game yet, and he’s already collected eight sacks and forced three fumbles to go along with 17 total tackles. He’s a huge reason why Ohio State’s defense has been so dominant through five games.
On Tuesday, during his weekly press conference, Dantonio was asked about the skill set Young brings to the field and what makes the Buckeye defensive end so talented. The Michigan State head coach was essentially at a loss for words.
“I haven’t really thought of him in the human context,” Dantonio said.
Dantonio continued to say that, as unstoppable as Young can be, his offensive line needs to figure something out. If he runs free all evening, he’ll have a career day.
“We have to control him to some degree because he can wreck a football game,” he said.
Michigan State enters the game with a 4-1 record and a 2-0 mark in B1G play. After a sluggish start to the season — which included a 10-7 home loss to Arizona State — the Spartans have found some offensive success thanks to running back Elijah Collins, quarterback Brian Lewerke and wide receiver Darrell Stewart. The offensive line has played much better, too.
But if the Spartans hope to hand Ohio State its first loss of the year, everyone is going to have to have a stellar performance. That means limiting Young’s production, as tough as it is.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB