After Ohio State's 42-35 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Buckeyes wide receiver Evan Spencer — who threw a touchdown pass on a trick play against the Crimson Tide — was asked if he was Ohio State's new third-string quarterback behind the starter Cardale Jones and backup Jalin Marshall.
The question was asked as somewhat of a joke and Spencer, who was grinning ear-to-ear as he responded, got in on the fun when he answered.
"Oh absolutely," he said. "Absolutely."
But would it really surprise Buckeyes' fans if that was the case? Maybe not, because Spencer can do just about everything for Ohio State's offense and he's a big part of why the fourth-ranked Buckeyes will play No. 2 Oregon on Jan. 12 for the national championship.
"It’s hard for me to say he’s not one of our MVPs the way he's playing for us," head coach Urban Meyer said recently.
Receivers are often measured by number of catches, yards and touchdowns. By that logic, Spencer's 15 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns this year certainly wouldn't make a strong case for him to be called an MVP.
But his importance goes beyond the box score. He knows his role and he does it well.
“Maybe the media or the national news doesn't because all they care about is touchdowns and catches," wide receivers coach Zach Smith said in October. "He's one of the most phenomenal blockers I've ever seen. He's really functional, a little underutilized in the throw game. He's one of better players I've ever coached.”
In the Buckeyes' upset of the Crimson Tide, Spencer caught one pass for seven yards. Hardly a Hall of Fame day for a wide receiver.
But his 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas was huge as it brought the Buckeyes to within 21-20 of Alabama with just 12 seconds remaining in the first half. His block on the Crimson Tide's freshman linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton sprung Ezekiel Elliott free for what turned out to be a game-winning 85-yard touchdown run.
And when Ohio State needed to recover an Alabama onside kick attempt, guess who was there to snatch the ball out of the air for the Buckeyes?
“There was a big hop off the jump and I thought it was going to be too far away from me to really get it on the run so I figured it might hop kind of small afterward but then it jumped up again," Spencer said. "I started to panic a little bit and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got to go up and grab this ball,’ so I went up, snagged it and got back down.”
Touchdown throws, recovering onside kicks and throwing blocks. Not exactly your typical conversation after a game with a wide receiver.
But perhaps that's because Spencer isn't a typical wideout. He's a little bit different and that's OK for Ohio State.
"I just do whatever I need to do to help this team win," Spencer said. "That's all that matters."
