Enjoy Young, Dobbins at Ohio State while you can

Enjoy him.

Indians owner Paul Dolan rankled his team’s fan base in March when he used those words in regard to the future of fan favorite Francisco Lindor with the team.

Dolan’s words suggest Lindor’s stay in Cleveland is shorter than longer because of his impending free agency after the 2021 season.

After Ohio State’s 42-0 annihilation of Cincinnati in an instate game on Sept. 7 at Ohio Stadium, Coach Ryan Day talked at length about the performance of running back J.K. Dobbins and defensive end Chase Young.

Day never used the words “Enjoy them.”

But he might as well have.

Because unless something unimaginable happens in the next handful of months, Dobbins and Young are playing their last season with the Buckeyes before the pair of talented juniors head off to the NFL.

Dobbins carried 17 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and Young had a disruptive day well beyond his statistics (three tackles, 1

1/2 sacks) in leading Ohio State to a lopsided win over a Cincinnati team that was expected to challenge the Buckeyes.

Dobbins and Young are game-changers, not only on the college level — as they’ve shown — but also potentially on the NFL level.

In Dobbins, the Buckeyes have a 5-foot-10, 217-pound back who has the speed to run away from defenders, while also having the strength to run between the tackles.

In Young, the Buckeyes have a 6-foot-5, 265-pound terror off the edge who will has spent his young life making life miserable for offensive tackles who line up over him to try — usually in vain — to get a block on him before he pile-drives the quarterback.

Those kind of guys usually find a way to play on Sundays.

The performances by Dobbins and Young on Sept. 7 again reinforced that time is sooner than later.

Or as Paul Dolan said vis-a-vis Lindor - enjoy ‘em.

Dobbins’ credentials are filthy, only two games into his junior season. After rushing for 1,403 yards as a true freshman, Dobbins ran for 1,053 yards as a sophomore while platooning with since-departed Mike Weber Jr.

He came into the season

as the first back in OSU history to have 1,000-yard seasons as a freshman and a sophomore. With another this year, he’ll be the first back in OSU history to run for 1,000 yards three times.

He’s well on his way, with 232 yards rushing through two games.

“I think J.K. was irritated all week,” Day said of his team’s starting running back. “Just the same thing — nothing fit right last week. He just didn’t feel right.”

Dobbins was different against Cincinnati. Not only did he show his patented speed with a 60yard run off the edge for a score. But he also broke tackles and had a key kickout block on a touchdown run in the first half by quarterback Justin Fields.

Dobbins was quoted in the Detroit News recently saying, “I just feel like I’m the best running back in the nation and I want to prove that.”

He’s making his case. The shelf life of an NFL running back isn’t that long. With two 1,000-yard seasons already under his belt and a third well on its way, Dobbins looks bent on putting an exclamation point on what is likely his last year wearing scarlet and gray.

In the case of Young, only two things need to be done to reaffirm that his days with the Buckeyes are growing short.

First, his play every Saturday suggests he’s one of the best players in the nation.

Secondly, every NFL mock draft for the 2020 season has him as a high top-10 pick. CBS Sports has him No. 3 to Arizona, Bleacher Report has him No. 2 to Washington and Walter Camp has him No. 6 to Tampa Bay.

With that kind of sure money on the table, there’s no justifiable reason for Young to return for his senior season.

Just to improve on Top 5 to a sure No. 1?

Naw.

Heck, Young probably would have left after his sophomore year if NFL rules allowed it. Players need to be three years out of high school to declare for the draft, meaning juniors or redshirt sophomores are the earliest eligible.

As a sophomore, Young led OSU in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (15 1/2).

Young is a freak at defensive end, much like the Bosa brothers before him. His speed, athleticismand

versatility make a skill set NFL defensive coordinators dream of and those that make offensive coordinators lose sleep.

In the win over Cincinnati, Young blew by blockers as if they weren’t there. He blocked a field goal attempt and also nearly had an interception for a touchdown.

The near-interception made Young laugh.

“I had it, man. I had it,” Young said, shaking his head with a wide smile on his face. “I left some money on the field today.” Not really.

Rest assured, no NFL team is going to criticize him for dropping a sure pick-six.

In general, it would be difficult to ding Ohio State for anything regarding its dismantling of Cincinnati on Sept. 7.

The offense that bogged down after a fast 28-0 lead over Florida Atlantic kept the pedal to the metal this time, piling up 508 yards against Luke Fickell’s proud Cincinnati defense.

The OSU defense that looked iffy at times against FAU didn’t give up meaningful yards until the game was well out of reach against Cincinnati. Five sacks and seven TFLs don’t tell the full story about the defense’s dominance.

“I don’t think this one was as funky,” Day said, comparing the win over Cincinnati to a less-thanimpressive Week 1 win over Florida Atlantic. “I think we sustained it and finished it the right way this week.”

Ohio State opens Big Ten play next week at Indiana.

It’s the Buckeyes next step toward their goal of a Big Ten championship and college football playoff berth.

It’s also the next step in what is likely a farewell tour for Chase Young and J.K. Dobbins.

So as Paul Dolan says, “Enjoy ‘em.”

John Kampf