Ohio State also relies on its defense, led by Joey Bosa

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fifteen-year-old Joey Bosa was shirtless and shivering, and sitting in Nick Saban's office.

Bosa wasn't sure why Saban had asked to talk to him — he'd just finished up a camp session in Alabama — and suddenly he heard a click.

"He clicks this button that automatically closes his door," Bosa said. "It shut. I was pretty scared."

He paused.

"It's a nice door," Bosa deadpanned. "A super nice door."

Saban offered Bosa his first scholarship, and Bosa was so both intimidated and impressed by the Crimson Tide, he was tempted to commit on the spot. But he waited. The defensive end prospect from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas then became one of most sought-after recruits at his position in the nation, picking up more than a dozen major-conference offers.

He ultimately chose a slightly less intimidating coach — Urban Meyer, who's known to crack the occasional joke — and Ohio State. Together, Bosa and Meyer will face Saban's Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl national semifinal on Jan. 1.

Though much has been made about the Buckeyes offense and its incredible resiliency at the quarterback position, a great deal of Ohio State's success this season can and should be traced back to its defense. Bosa tallied 13½ sacks and 20 tackles for loss, which earned him unanimous first-team All-American honors — as a sophomore.

"When I saw him last spring, I saw a very talented, inexperienced young player," Buckeyes co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash said. "We all talked as a staff that if Joey Bosa started to understand how to play the position, he was going to have a chance to be a dominant player. … The production has continued to improve over the course of the season. He's a great player, and if he continues to improve, he has room to continue to improve and can be an outstanding, dominant player at this level and at the next level."

Bosa, along with the rest of Ohio State's defensive line, has made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. The Buckeyes boast one of the nation's best pass rushes, and as defensive tackle Michael Bennett suggested, it's because of how good each individual player along the line is.

"They have to pay a lot of attention to us," Bennett said. "There's not really any person along the defensive line you can say, 'OK, we'll leave this guy on him and he'll take over.' That helps the linebackers and the DBs and pass coverage. … They stay on receivers, protect their zones, that gives us more time to get to the quarterback."

That cycle repeats itself. As Ash put it, the best pass defense you can have is a great pass rush. Whether that comes from a four-man rush or blitzing and applying various levels of pressure, it doesn't matter as long as it's effective.

Bosa is a huge part of that; that's by design.

"I came here, obviously, to make an impact," Bosa said.