COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Nine plays from Nick Bosa, all from Ohio State's win against Maryland, that show why he's our pick for the Buckeyes' MVP through six games and the best player on the team.

By Bill Landis, cleveland.com

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1. Nick Bosa wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, so he reverted to instincts.

It was his first snap of the game against Maryland, third-and-11, exactly the kind of situation in which Ohio State likes to let loose is collection of elite pass rushers.

They were all there: Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, Sam Hubbard and Jalyn Holmes.

Three of those players knew what the play call was.

“I actually ran on the field and I didn’t know which signal caller was live, because it was my first play of the game and I hadn’t heard anybody say it yet,” Bosa said. “I didn’t even know what the play was. I looked over at Ty, and it was supposed to be a certain play where I was supposed to do something, but instead I didn’t know what I was doing. So I just rushed and I got the sack.”

If you watch Lewis, it appears he’s expecting to run some kind of game with Bosa. Lewis engages with his blocker, then steps to the outside as if he would cross behind Bosa. But Bosa was already gone.

And in his mistake you see the thing that makes him an elite pass rusher. That first step.

With speed and ferocity Bosa quickly swipes away the hands of the left tackle, runs by him and knocks the ball away from Maryland quarterback Max Bortenschlager for a strip sack that was returned for a touchdown.

Normally not doing the right thing within a play gets a player a negative production point when being graded. But not on this one.

"That's a plus-plus," Bosa said. "Fumble, touchdown."

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2. We knew Bosa would be a great pass rusher. That was expected given his pedigree. What he’s done to complement that is what’s made him an elite player as a sophomore. Watch this play above as again Bosa with quick hands gets off the block and crashes down on an inside run, tripping the ball carrier before he’s cleaned up by Jerome Baker and finished off by Bosa -- who recovered to make the hit.

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3. We haven’t seen this often this year, Bosa aligned inside on a third-down play. Maybe it’s because the Buckeyes were expecting run. Look at the initial push Bosa gets to completely cave in the left side of the offensive line, turn the run inside and get it stopped for a 1-yard gain.

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4. Now we get to the best three-play stretch of Bosa’s season. On the play above, he’s actually blocked well, but gets his hand up in the quarterback’s face and tips a pass.

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5. On the next play, Maryland leaves Bosa unblocked, hoping the pull guard can chip him and open the hole for the run. Bosa sees it coming, side-steps the guard and makes the stop for a two-yard loss. He makes the tackle while being blocked. His strength is an underrated part of his game.

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6. Which brings us to this third-down play, and the sign that defenses are starting to plan against Bosa. He’s not the only player up front who demands a double-team. Hubbard got one early in the game with a guard and a running back.

On the play above, though, Bosa gets triple-teamed.

“I’m not sure if I’m the only one who’s playing well, or the only one who’s getting attention,” Bosa said. “I’ll have a good game, then Ty will have a good game, then Sam and Jalyn. It’s pretty good if one of us gets double-teamed because someone else will get to make a play.”

He’s the only one getting the triple-team treatment, and it happened twice in this game. He’s officially entered Joey Bosa territory.

Which now means more adjustments.

“I have to start worrying about just not beating one guy, but getting ready for that second move,” he said.

He nearly got home on this play anyway, driving three players back toward the quarterback with a power rush. This looks like what they were trying to do on Bosa’s strip sack in the first quarter, only this time Bosa does his job on the stunt. He drives the left side back, Lewis delays his rush and then jumps into the throwing lane, nearly getting his hand on the ball. When Bosa’s not making plays, he’s creating havoc.

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7. You can see the second triple-team above. It's more of a double-team that becomes a triple-team after Lewis shoots into the backfield like a mad man for the sack. The center he beat had nobody to block, so he joined in with the right tackle and guard blocking Bosa. But this was the very least a designed double-team on Bosa. He has everyone's attention.

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8. Bosa was demanding double-teams in pass protection, but Maryland felt it OK on the play above to leave him unblocked and chip him with a tight end on a run. Bosa again flashes his skill at stopping his rush, moving laterally and crashing down on a running back.

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9. Bosa's last snap, No. 22 against Maryland, was a show that he's not just a power rusher. With quick feet he dances around the tackle, and bursts into the backfield to hit Bortenschlager as he throws incomplete.

“I felt like I played 100 reps because I played those 22 really hard. I was hurting after that game,” Bosa said.

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He turned 22 snaps into five tackles, two for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. We all expected Bosa would be this good, but this seems like a notch above those projections this early. He’d get drafted tomorrow if he were eligible. He’s not. That’s good news for Ohio State.

One more year of Bosa means continued growth, and getting to watch a player blossom into possibly the best defensive end in the country by the time he’s done.

“He’s playing very well,” defensive coordinator Greg Schiano said. “I think our expectation level is very high for him. No. 1 he’s an incredible athlete in his own right. No. 2 he’s following his brother who was an incredible player. So I think the expectation is high, and I think he’s fulfilling them. We just keep challenging them: If it’s going well, enhance it, make it better. That’s the challenge to Nick, how good can he get?”