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Bosa done at Ohio State to prepare for pro career

Big 10 Notes

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Injured defensive end Nick Bosa has decided to leave school to focus on getting ready for the NFL draft in the spring, Ohio State said Tuesday.

The junior All-American from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, already had four sacks this season when he suffered a core muscle injury on Sept. 15 in the third game of the season. He had surgery five days later, and no timetable was set for his return to the team.

Considered one of the best players in college football, Bosa had left no doubt that he would leave school after this season to enter the draft. He planned to follow the same path as his older brother, Joey, who left Ohio State a year early and now plays for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Nick Bosa had tied his career high of five tackles twice in the first three games this season, and he was leading the team in tackles with 14, including six for losses.

That came to an abrupt halt when he went down early in the third quarter against TCU in Arlington, Texas, and had to be helped to the locker room.

Coach Urban Meyer said the conversation with Bosa was emotional, but “I can’t say I was surprised.”

“I was hopeful that Nick would be able to return to play again for us,” Meyer said. “I know this was an extremely difficult and emotional decision for Nick and his family, and I wish him well as he moves on to get himself 100 percent healthy and ready for his next chapter.”

Ohio State’s defense hasn’t been the same since Bosa’s departure. The unit has dealt with other injuries, including to Bosa’s replacement, Jonathan Cooper, and has shown a weakness for surrendering big plays.

Bosa was dominating from the start of his Ohio State career.

The 6-foot-4, 263-pounder, who wore the same No. 97 his brother did for the Buckeyes, played in 30 games, with 29 tackles, 17¢ sacks and two fumble recoveries, one of them for a touchdown.

Both Bosa brothers earned Big Ten defensive lineman-of-the-year honors.

“I want to thank Nick for the remarkable efforts he gave for this program,” Meyer said. “He is a first-class young man who we have been honored to coach.”

Past and present teammates were supportive on social media.

“One of the best teammates and competitors I’ve been around,” tweeted former Ohio State and current Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard . “Know this was a tough decision, but made the right one.”

Defensive end Chase Young , who was starting opposite Bosa on the Ohio State line, tweeted: “Get money big brotha … love as always.”

Michigan against history

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — No. 6 Michigan is in great shape if the past truly does not matter when it plays No. 24 Michigan State this weekend.

Shea Patterson has become an effective, dual-threat quarterback and he showed it in a 38-13-win over No. 15 Wisconsin . The defense ranks first in the nation against the pass and second overall. Since losing to then-No. 12 Notre Dame, Michigan has built momentum and gained confidence with six straight wins.

The Wolverines, though, seem to face some intangible obstacles Saturday in Spartan Stadium.

Michigan is 2-8 over the last decade against Michigan State and is 0-17 against ranked teams on the road since 2006. Coach Jim Harbaugh wasn’t around for many of those setbacks, but he is 1-2 against the Spartans and 0-3 against Ohio State, and his record in rivalries is something his players are well aware of this week.

“It is getting old,” fifth-year senior defensive tackle Lawrence Marshall said. “We’re just trying to win this game and shush everybody up. I’m tired of everybody talking about Michigan not being where we was before. And as a team, we want to change that.”

That was perhaps the strongest comment made by Harbaugh or his players Monday as they kicked off the rivalry week by toning down the talk.

“We could all use a break from the cliches that have been plowed thoroughly on both sides,” Harbaugh said.

The fourth-year coach and former Michigan quarterback has plenty of memories — all good ones on the road and mostly bad ones at home — from the series. He just doesn’t want to share them publicly. Harbaugh has not lost a game in East Lansing, Michigan, as a player or a coach. At the Big House, he left the 1984 loss against to the Spartans with a broken arm and is 0-2 against them on the sideline, infamously losing on a botched punt on the final play in 2015.

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