COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The invitations are sent from the sideline, usually delivered in person from a couple substitutions eager to get their group back together and celebrate.
The guest of honor doesn’t get one. And if he did, he certainly wouldn’t RSVP.
But Ohio State’s “rushmen” don’t really care what opposing quarterbacks have planned when their package of four skilled pass-rushers are sent into the game. They have their own event planned, and they’re becoming frighteningly good at making sure everybody who is supposed to be there winds up in attendance.
“It’s a party,” Buckeyes defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes said. “You know, party to the quarterback.
“Whoever gets there first, gets there first. And then we just celebrate when we get there.”
The rushmen have had plenty of chances to do it lately, and no party so far quite matches the one they threw Saturday night at Wisconsin, unleashing the pass-rushing package on the game-deciding snap in overtime and delivering a walk-off sack to set off a delirious celebration for unbeaten Ohio State.
Officially, Tyquan Lewis was credited with the takedown. But befitting their mantra of “R2X” -- rush to X, with X being the quarterback -- all four of the Buckeyes were in position to make the play. And that’s exactly how Ohio State draws it up when they send out Lewis and Sam Hubbard on the edge and plug in normal defensive ends Holmes and Nick Bosa on the inside to wreak havoc on offensive linemen on obvious passing downs.
“You can see on that last play: All four of us were at the ‘X’ like we were supposed to be,” Hubbard said. “That’s what we do. Third down is money down, and it’s a defensive lineman’s time to shine. That nickel package has a lot of speed, a lot of skill on the field. We’ve had a lot of success with that ... [because] everybody can make a play at any time.
“I think it’s just the fact that they don’t know who to focus on. They don’t know who to double, who to chip, who to max-protect. 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, and that’s pretty scary for them, I’m sure.”
The ability to bring pressure from all four spots not only makes it difficult to put together a blocking scheme against the Buckeyes, it also makes in hard for any one of the rushmen to stand out individually. But again, that’s by design and not an issue thanks in large part to defensive line coach Larry Johnson’s influence and message that the group shares collectively in the team’s success.
Lewis leads the unit with four sacks, putting him on pace to lead the team for the second year in a row while adding a pair of forced fumbles this season. But all four of those guys have multiple sacks to their credit already -- and each of them had one in the win over Wisconsin that prominently featured their across-the-board speed and power leading up the climactic on the final snap.
“In the timeout [before the last play], there weren’t any words that needed to be said,” Holmes said. “We just looked at each other and we already knew what we had to do. It was a party at the quarterback, a race to get there. Tyquan finished it off, we got the push, and he finished it off and we all celebrated.
“There’s just like a level of excitement when we get another opportunity to rush the quarterback. It’s four defensive ends, and just to get a sack -- it’s probably the best stat, really. Just another opportunity to get a sack, and with the four of us, we’ve got special ways to get there. It’s just fun.”
That’s not true for everybody on the guest list. But at this point, the rushmen parties should no longer count as a surprise for quarterbacks, anyway.