Curtis Samuel received the pitch from J.T. Barrett, sprinted untouched to the 3-yard line before getting tripped up, then stumbled and rolled across the goal line for an Ohio State touchdown. This was far from a rare occurrence Saturday, Samuel finding paydirt, but it essentially symbolized the entire day for the Buckeyes’ talented junior do-it-all offensive weapon.
He spent the majority of his day running over, around and through the Bowling Green defense.
There was Samuel’s first touchdown of the day, a 79-yard catch and run where he beat a Falcons defender on an inside slant route and galloped all the way to the end zone with ease. Then came Samuel’s second score, a 21-yard reception where he ran free across the middle of the Bowling Green defense and caught the ball in stride from Barrett. Finally, the third score, a 12-yard sprint option to the right side of the field that put Ohio State up 49-10 midway through the third quarter.
When it was all said and done, the final stat line looked like this: 13 carries for 84 yards, nine catches for 177 yards, three total touchdowns. That’s 261 total yards if you’re keeping track at home on just 22 touches, a whopping 11.9 yards per play.
“I prepared throughout the whole week expecting the ball so it’s not really a surprise to me when I get the ball more or less,” Samuel said afterward. “When I get the ball, it’s just the things I’ve gotta do with it in my hands.”
Let's hear it for #4
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 3, 2016
177 receiving. 84 rushing. 3 TD.
pic.twitter.com/NHZEJ7L6I7
What he did with the ball Saturday was certainly what Ohio State players and coaches had talked about throughout all of fall camp. Head coach Urban Meyer dubbed the Brooklyn, New York native as the Buckeyes’ No. 1 playmaker on offense a few weeks back, and Samuel certainly backed up that statement in Ohio State’s 77-10 pasting of Bowling Green.
Samuel was perhaps a little underutilized throughout his first two seasons with the Buckeyes so Meyer, offensive coordinator Ed Warinner and Co. spent a lot of time this offseason trying to figure out exactly how to use the talented hybrid running back/wide receiver. There was discussion how he’d line up at both running back and wide receiver and it was discussed how many touches is a good number for him.
If that was the plan Ohio State’s staff came up with, it certainly seemed like the right one.
“He’s the first true hybrid I’ve had in awhile,” Meyer said.
That’s high praise from Meyer, who has longed to find that true fit at Ohio State for his “Percy Harvin role” in the offense. It’s just one game against a non-Power 5 opponent, of course, but Samuel certainly looked to fit that part perfectly on Saturday.
“That’s the great thing about Curtis,” Barrett said. “We’re able to do so much and find mismatches on their defense and just try to exploit things.”
Added Warinner: “We envisioned using him in multiple roles. Deep passes, short passes, perimeter runs, inside runs. Just a whole mixture and he’s good at all of it.”
Ohio State set a school record with 776 yards of total offense Saturday against Bowling Green. Samuel was credited with nearly 34 percent of those yards.
That type of output likely won’t be matched for the rest of this season, but it’s certainly the right formula for the Buckeyes to reach their offensive potential.
“It was great,” Samuel said. “Just coming in, a lot of people didn’t know the people we had on our team, the bunch of playmakers we had on our team. We did a great job today. J.T. threw the ball well, the receivers caught it, the O-line blocked, the tight ends blocked and we did a great job.”
