CLEVELAND — The Ohio State Buckeyes ran their 2019 regular-season record to 8-0 with a dominating victory over the Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday thanks in large part to standout performances from defensive end Chase Young and running back J.K. Dobbins.
Young and Dobbins had such strong showings in the Buckeyes’ 38-7 victory over the Badgers that they attracted attention outside of the football world, namely from Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James, a die-hard Ohio State fan.
James shouted out Young and Dobbins several times during the game on his Twitter account.
“Chase Young, stop it man!!” James tweeted. “Absolute MONSTER!! Matter of fact, don’t listen to me, keep going Young #GoBucks.”
James was not done though, as within 10 minutes of the initial post, he fired off two more tweets cheering on Dobbins.
“J.K. Dobbins, don’t show it all to ‘em either!!” James wrote. “Who am I kidding? Man, please don’t listen to me. Keep going Young!! #GoBucks.
“Thank you for not listening to me J.K.! MONSTER!!! Keep going. #OH #IO #GoBucks.”
So what made James tweet about Young and Dobbins?
Here is a look at their production levels against Wisconsin.
Young was unblockable for much of the day, especially when Wisconsin tried to account for him with just one player, be it a tackle or tight end, and registered six total tackles, all of which were solo stops. Young collected four sacks, five tackles for lost yardage and forced two fumbles.
On just 20 carries, Dobbins rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Those 8.2 yards per carry were more than one full yard higher than his 2019 season average. Also, Dobbins caught three passes for 58 yards.
The dominant showings against Wisconsin were just the latest in memorable seasons for Young and Dobbins.
Young has registered 13.5 sacks, 29 total tackles, 22 solo stops and seven assists to go along with five forced fumbles. Young has the most sacks of any player in the country heading into the final four games of the regular season.
Dobbins has rushed for 1,110 yards and nine touchdowns on 154 carries, an average of 138.75 yards per game and 7.2 yards per carry. Dobbins has been on the receiving end of 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
With the win over Wisconsin, the Buckeyes remained undefeated in games where Dobbins rushes for at least 100 yards. Ohio State is 15-0 when Dobbins eclipses the century mark.