With Wisconsin facing a 4th-and-goal from the 4-yard line and the game on the line, Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook received the snap then dropped back to pass. Hornibrook took a three-step drop out of the shotgun, looked to his right and raised his arm to throw before quickly pulling the ball down.
There was no way he could get the pass off. Ohio State’s defensive line was right in his face.
Buckeyes redshirt junior defensive end Tyquan Lewis was the one credited with the sack, but in reality, all four of Ohio State’s defensive linemen were lying on top of Hornibrook when the play ended. The Buckeyes got pressure from every angle.
That happens quite often with Ohio State’s ‘Rushmen’ package and this was only the latest example.
“It’s a party,” said defensive end Jalyn Holmes, who slides inside to play defensive tackle when the Buckeyes make the call. “That’s what we just say, ‘A party to the quarterback’ and we just celebrate when we get there.”
Lewis, Holmes, Sam Hubbard and Nick Bosa make up Ohio State’s ‘Rushmen’ package. Hubbard and Lewis man the outside spots while Holmes and Bosa line up in the middle. All four are defensive ends by nature, and because the Buckeyes use this package primarily in passing situations, it’s become an effective way to get after opposing quarterbacks.
Take Saturday night in Madison for example. Lewis got a sack on the final play of the game and it was the fourth by Ohio State’s defense on the evening. The three others belonged to the ‘Rushmen’ packages other members as Bosa, Hubbard and Holmes also got to Hornibrook.
“I think it’s just the fact that they don’t know who to focus on,” Hubbard said of what makes the package so effective. “They don’t know who to double, who to chip, who to max protect because the minute they leave someone else with a one-on-one matchup, they’re going to make the play.”
“The quarterback is watching the rush and not the coverage so that’s pretty scary for them I’m sure.”
The ‘Rushmen’ package was started last year when Ohio State realized it had a group of defensive linemen who could get after opposing quarterback in obvious passing situations. Lewis and Hubbard were the ends in that look while Adolphus Washington and Joey Bosa lined up on the inside.
Hubbard said he wouldn’t go as far as saying the Buckeyes are better off this year with Nick Bosa in place of his brother and Holmes in for Washington, but the redshirt sophomore did note the four players Ohio State now puts out there on passing downs are quite suited to have success.
“We have some good chemistry and we’ve got a lot of different skillsets that [defensive line coach Larry] Johnson has really blended together,” Hubbard said. “We run specific things to what we’re capable of doing and he’s really brought out the best of us.”
The results produced so far somewhat speak for themselves.
The Buckeyes don’t have a dominant pass-rusher like the last two seasons with the elder Bosa. They’re relying more on their depth at defensive end to guide the pass rush this year as all four members of the ‘Rushmen’ package have at least two sacks on the season.
So far, it’s worked.
If Ohio State gets an opponent into an obvious passing situation, the ‘Rushmen’ package is coming. It’s far from a secret at this point, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier for offensive lines to control.
When Holmes was asked Monday if he sensed fear from opposing offensive lines when the Buckeyes send their four defensive ends out on the field, the junior with a pair of sacks this season cracked a smile.
“That’s what we want them to do,” he said.
Opponents may fear it, but Ohio State hopes to have quite a few more ‘parties to the quarterback’ in the future.
