When Ohio State senior defensive tackle Adolphus Washington is on the field, he plays with a certain mindset and attitude, one necessary to have success on the defensive line.
“I definitely want the quarterback to be aware of where I am,” he says.
And through the first three games this season, opposing quarterbacks have more than likely had Washington’s whereabouts in the back of their minds at all times. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Washington has more than lived up to his preseason All-Big Ten accolades.
“He’s playing like a top-five pick,” middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan said. “He’s just eating up everything in front of me.”
It’s hard to measure Washington’s impact on a football game through statistics; after all, he’s a defensive tackle. Through the first three games, Washington has 15 total tackles (1.5 for loss) and one sack.
Those aren’t exactly eye-popping numbers, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody who has watched Ohio State play this season that wouldn’t say Washington is playing at the highest level on a defensive line flooded with talent. He's consistently delivered big hits and hurried quarterbacks, making life extremely difficult for opposing signal callers.
On a unit that features All-American Joey Bosa and two additional rising stars at defensive end in Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard, it’s been Washington who has perhaps performed at the highest level thus far, constantly harassing those quarterbacks and blowing up plays in the run game.
“I definitely want the quarterback to be aware of where I am.”– Adolphus Washington
“I definitely feel like I’ve made a lot of improvement,” Washington said. “My biggest thing is I’ve just gotta be consistent and keep it going.”
The play of Washington and the Buckeyes’ defensive line has allowed Ohio State’s defense to emerge as one of the best in the country. Each of the Buckeyes’ last two opponents — Hawai’i and Northern Illinois — have been held below 200 yards of total offense and have combined to score just 13 total points.
“There is really a main reason why we’re having success, and it’s because of our defensive line,” Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash said. “When we have a quarterback running around back there scared to get hit because Joey Bosa, Sam Hubbard, Adolphus Washington are chasing them, that makes a big difference.”
The strength of Ohio State’s defense a year ago was its defensive line with Bosa, Washington, All-Big Ten performer Michael Bennett and Steve Miller. And even though both Bosa and Washington returned this year, the group was still seen as a question mark because of the caliber of players it lost.
The emergence of Lewis, Hubbard and Tommy Schutt, though — along with Mike Hill and Donovan Munger in backup roles — has allowed Ohio State to pick up right where it left off a year ago up front on defense.
“Without a doubt, this is the best depth we’ve had on the defensive line,” head coach Urban Meyer said.
That’s allowed the Buckeyes to play at a high level through the season’s first three games. And it’s allowed Washington — thought by many to be an early-round NFL Draft pick had he opted to declare after last season — to come back and improve his stock even more.
“Around this time last year, I feel like we weren’t playing as good as we are now,” Washington said. “I think those last three games, we have carried the momentum from those last three games last year and we’ve just gotta keep it going.”
