The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was an absolute force on Thursday night. As the Buckeyes kicked off their season against Indiana on the road, the star defensive lineman set the tone with his pace.
He was in the backfield most of the night and finished the night with 3 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 tackles for losses. It was the start he needed as he pushes to be one of the top EDGE defenders heading into the draft next season.
While it took some time for the offense to break out in Thursday night’s game, the defensive did their job and got to the quarterbacks five times on the night. That starts with their leader and everyone followed his example.
Lewis and company will have a big test next week against Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma. The Buckeyes took care of business against the Sooners last year, but they’ll have to be a lot more sharp on offense than they were early this week.
That means that Lewis is going to have to create pressure and consistently win at the point of attack once more. The Sooners have some impressive offensive lineman, including star tackle Orlando Brown. It should be a great test.