The question to Urban Meyer from a reporter was about Curtis Samuel, but Ohio State’s head coach couldn’t stop himself from speaking about the other guy, too.
“Dontre had a hell of a day today,” Meyer said following his team’s 48-3 rout of Tulsa on Saturday.
Dontre is, of course, in reference to Dontre Wilson, the Buckeyes’ other talented, versatile offensive weapon. And through two games, Wilson and Samuel have played their roles in Ohio State’s offense perfectly.
“Those two are playing at a high, high level,” Meyer said. “Whenever you have the ability to run inside with guys like that, on the perimeter and catch the ball, we’re going to try to recruit as many of those as we can.”
Samuel was again the focal point in Saturday’s win as the junior from Brooklyn, New York had 13 touches — eight runs, five catches — for 140 yards. But Wilson was also a key contributor with six offensive touches totaling 68 yards with a touchdown. Two players combining for 208 yards on just 19 total touches is something the Buckeyes will take every time.
It’s exactly the type of production Meyer is looking for from the H-back spot.
After the game, Wilson was asked how he would stop the combination of him and Samuel if he was a defensive player or coach. The senior from DeSoto, Texas cracked a faint smile before he delivered his answer.
“I don’t know. I have no clue,” he said. “That’s what I’m glad I’m on that side of the ball, the offensive side of the ball, and I don’t have to face me or Curtis because I have no clue.”
Trust Your Instincts
Ohio State forced an eye-popping six turnovers Saturday against Tulsa, four of which came on via interception. The Buckeyes then turned two of those picks into touchdowns as Malik Hooker and Marshon Lattimore each had a pick-six within mere minutes of each other.
Hooker’s interception came first as the redshirt sophomore safety picked off a pass from Dane Evans and ran it back 26 yards for a touchdown. Afterward, Hooker was asked what he saw on the play that gave him his third interception of the season.
“I was pretty much just reading off my technique and my fundamentals,” he said. “The linebackers forced the receiver to run inside and I just read off the quarterback and made a great play on the ball.”
Buckeyes cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said the play was one Tulsa ran earlier in the game, however, and Hooker’s interception was a result of a slight adjustment made by safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Greg Schiano.
“Coach Schiano is coaching the tar out of them,” Coombs said. “They had thrown that pass earlier on Damon Webb and caught it. We talked about it on the sideline, made a slight adjustment, coach Schiano did, and boom they came back to it and it wasn’t there and Malik came out of left field.”
Shortly after Hooker’s interception, Lattimore picked off his second pass of the game. This time, however, he ran it back 40 yards for a touchdown and gave Ohio State a 20-3 lead heading into halftime in the process.
That pick, too, was a result of a defensive player relying on instincts.
“I knew he was throwing to No. 2 the whole game so I just tried to go over there and make a play,” Lattimore said. “I was waiting on it.”
OKLAHOMA ON DECK
Meyer, Ohio State’s assistant coaches and the players all know what lies ahead next week when the Buckeyes travel to Norman to take on 14th-ranked Oklahoma. There were quite a few questions after the victory over Tulsa relating to the Sooners, so take a look at some of the thoughts:
Quarterback J.T. Barrett: “It’s a big-time game and it’s a great opponent in Oklahoma, at their place, on the road. That’s why you come to Ohio State.”
Linebacker Chris Worley: “We couldn’t look past these two games, but now is the real chance to go watch film and see what they’re capable of. We hear a lot, but you never really know until you go out there and play. We’ve just gotta go in there, attack it and attack it strong.”
Wide receiver/running back Dontre Wilson: “I feel like we’ll be ready. Everybody’s antsy. We’re going to play hard, play the way we always play. I feel like if we get a fast start, I feel like we’ll finish the right way and we’ll have a great game.”
