Michigan Football vs. Ohio State: Buckeyes Players to Watch
By Jay Meade
Nov 7, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner (7) is knocked to the ground by Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Joshua Perry (37) at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
LB Joshua Perry
Joshua Perry made a huge impact last year on this defense, leading the Buckeyes with 124 total tackles. It’s hard to argue against the beast that this young man is.
While Perry hasn’t had quite the same year this time around, he has still been very effective with 88 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. He also has 2 defended passes and isn’t exactly a guy I would pick on.
Perry isn’t the most athletic of the linebacking core, but he definitely has great intuition to get to the right spot. Penetration isn’t a huge problem for Perry either; he gets to the quarterback and he can disrupt the run. Perry will be a big factor in this game.
Since his numbers aren’t nearly as impressive as last year’s I know he is trying to raise his draft stock. Perry will be a very good linebacker at the next level and I’m sure will be put on a team where he will be able to make an immediate impact. Michigan will have to know where Perry is if it wants to get anything accomplished. He will be looking to make statements in this game and take advantage of any missteps or miscues the offense puts out there.
Next: DE Joey Bosa