COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tommy Togiai is strong. Right?

“That’s just what they say,” Ohio State’s sophomore nose guard said with a smile Tuesday.

It’s not just words. Togiai said the last time he tested how many times he could bench press 225 pounds, which is the standard measure used for players at the NFL combine, he did it 36 times. That would have tied for the second-most reps among all draft prospects at the 2019 combine. Even if you give a nod to the sometimes slightly inflated numbers for a college’s own testing ... yeah, he’s strong.

He wants to get that strength into Wisconsin’s backfield on Saturday afternoon, when the Buckeyes’ defensive tackles will serve as the first line of defense against Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor. Togiai, the No. 55 overall player and No. 3 defensive tackle in the 2018 recruiting class, has his best football in front of him. He’s typically the third nose guard in the game now behind seniors Davon Hamilton and Robert Landers, but he might have the highest upside of any defensive tackle on the roster. He also might be the strongest Buckeye, and defensive line coach Larry Johnson has been intent of teaching Togiai how to use that.

“The biggest thing he wants me to do is try to wreck the line of scrimmage,” Togiai said, “and try to knock the line of scrimmage back. The biggest thing is create disruption in the backfield.”

That disruption doesn’t always mean making a play. It often means forcing a running back to chop his steps or change direction so another Buckeye can make a play. Check out this play from Friday as Togiai (No. 72) holds his ground inside and linebacker Pete Werner (No. 20) fills the only hole the Northwestern running back could find.

“If we’re able to knock the line of scrimmage back, I think we’ll be able to force (Taylor) to cut to where he doesn’t want to,” Togiai told cleveland.com. “And it’ll open up opportunities for our linebackers to make plays in the backfield.”

That’s not going to happen every time. Wisconsin’s offensive line, one of the best in the nation, features first-team All-Big Ten center Tyler Biadasz. But if Togiai can affect a few plays Saturday afternoon, and short-circuit a couple Badgers’ drives and force a punt or two, that would make a difference. He can also make some plays on his own. Watch this next play from Northwestern’s end zone after the Werner stop. Togiai explodes off the ball, pushes the Northwestern right guard back, and disengages and makes the tackle himself.

“You just have to be able to have a great get-off and be able to use your hands so you can get into the offensive linemen and knock them back,” Togiai said. “You get on the field and line up across from the O-lineman and you really focus on what you’re expecting from that play, and then you use your attributes and technique along with that.”

Togiai brought the attributes from his home in Pocatello, Idaho, where his father, Tala, valued work in the weight room.

“We already know what Tommy can do,” junior defensive end Chase Young said after Friday’s 52-3 win over Northwestern, when Togiai may have played his best game. “He might be the strongest dude in the Big Ten. It’s that Polynesian strength. He was real destructive in the backfield.”

Then, as with every OSU defensive lineman, Togiai went to technique school with assistant coach Larry Johnson, who instructs the Buckeyes in their hand usage.

“I’ve improved a lot. Coach J says the same thing,” Togiai said. “I’ve gotten a lot better with my technique.”

When he does that, the power is put to work. Here’s another snap from Northwestern, where Togiai drives his offensive lineman backward off the snap, holds his ground, and makes the play.

But he’s not only a 6-foot-2, 300-pound force at the point of the attack. He got out and made a tackle on the sideline against the Wildcats as well.

“It’s just another hustle play,” Togiai said. “And that’s what we need on the defensive end.”

More often, what the defense will need is Togiai and Hamilton and Landers standing strong at the point of attack. Friday, especially early in the game, Northwestern was able to get some offensive linemen to the second level to get blocks on linebackers. If Wisconsin does that consistently, that will be a problem for the Buckeyes. If the OSU nose guard can stand his ground and eat up a block of two, those linebackers can run free and take down Taylor before he gets going.

“It’s disrupt and then free up other defensive linemen and linebackers to make plays,” Togiai said.

He said he’s excited to face the Badgers and what they do so well. This is a game for the OSU front seven. This is a game for defensive tackles. This is a game for the strong kid from Idaho who knows the OSU nose guards do the dirty work to allow other defenders to make plays. But the strongest guy in the Big Ten? He should be ready to make a play or two himself.

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