NORMAN, Okla. — Mike Weber patiently waited his turn, watched his teammates touch the football and a backfield partner put Ohio State's first points on the board. Then he exploded.
With Ohio State up 14-7 and needing a jolt following a penalty that pushed the start of its next drive to its own 11-yard line with 4:20 left in the opening quarter, Weber snatched a handoff from J.T. Barrett, burst through the line and shook a pair of defenders for a 9-yard gain. After an Oklahoma timeout, Weber stuck his foot in the ground and ran through a huge hole on the right side of the offensive line made by Billy Price, Isaiah Prince and Marcus Baugh.
Thirty-five yards later and a tuned up Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium crowd became subdued. The cheers it served up following Joe Mixon's 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown not even a minute earlier grew dull. The drive ended with the first of four Barrett to Noah Brown touchdown passes top push Ohio State's lead to 21-7. But Weber started it all with the Buckeyes deep in their own territory.
“I’m getting real comfortable with the game now. I’m just going to continue to keep working hard, get better every day and hopefully it will work out for me.”– Mike Weber
"I really just want to give it all to my offensive line," Weber said after Ohio State's 45-24 victory against the Sooners. "I played my hardest and anytime I got the ball I tried to read my keys and do everything I can to help this team win."
The Buckeyes aren't asking him to be 2015 Silver Football winner Ezekiel Elliott — that wouldn't be fair. But Weber's potential flashed again on Saturday in his first career road game, tallying a game-high 123 rushing yards on just 18 carries. He isn't going to tote the ball as much as Elliott did a year ago — especially with how well Curtis Samuel is playing for the Buckeyes — but it is clear Weber is getting more comfortable with each snap he takes next to Barrett.
"I learned a lot actually today. I’m learning things every day," Weber said. "It was kind of fast. It was faster than what I expected. It was faster than Bowling Green, it was faster than Tulsa. But I’m pretty used to it now and it’s just football at the end of the day."
Mature words for a 20-year-old redshirt freshman from Detroit who had to swallow his pride and wait his turn behind Elliott a year ago. Weber teams up with Samuel as a terrific 1-2 punch that Ohio State plans to continue utilizing to not only to replace Elliott but give defensive coordinators nightmares.
After all, Weber's 123 yards were more than 40 percent the 291 his team ran for against the Sooners. Oklahoma allowed fewer than 90 yards on the ground against Houston and Louisiana-Monroe in its first two games.
"I thought he played great against a stout, a team that — Houston beat them but they didn't run the ball on them," Urban Meyer said. "They threw the ball all over the place. We ran the ball really well against a defense that's committed to stopping the run. Our offensive line and Mike did great."
Meyer's young and inexperienced group took a major leap forward on Saturday. Weber might have hurdled farther ahead than anyone else on offense, though, being the steady hand alongside Barrett the group needs in order to establish everything else it likes to do on offense.
"I’m getting real comfortable with the game now," Weber said. "I’m just going to continue to keep working hard, get better every day and hopefully it will work out for me."
Weber led the way on Samuel's 36-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1, three minutes before his first carry. His block on linebacker Jordan Evans wasn't the most lethal hit by any means but just enough to spring his teammate to the second level. Elliott's consistency and willingness to block at a high level helped turn him into the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. You must be able to do that in order to start at running back for Ohio State.
"Just sitting on the bench next to Zeke and him coming back to the sidelines saying this and that," Weber said. "I kind of learned from that and kept it in my back pocket for when I started playing and now it’s working for me."
Weber's 351 yards on 54 carries — a 6.5-yard per carry average — is the perfect complement to Samuel's burst of track speed. His rushing total also leads all other Big Ten running backs after three games.
Samuel brings another gear to Ohio State's rushing attack.
"I feel like it takes a toll on defenses," Weber said. "We have two different running styles and we have speed and I think it will work out pretty well."
Though Weber only has one touchdown so far in his career, his total yards on the ground are nearly 100 yards more than the two players tied for second-most in the Big Ten — Samuel and Northwestern's Justin Jackson. And, it is a safe assumption the Buckeyes will lean on him more once the weather turns cold.
For now, Weber is growing more into the back Ohio State needs. Growing more as a runner, growing more as a blocker and doing all while remaining patient and capitalizing on his chances. As long as he and Samuel both stay healthy, it won't be easy to defend them — particularly when you toss Barrett's running ability into the equation.
"I thought Curtis Samuel is a guy that waited his turn. He's a talented guy and I think a 1-2 punch is a correct way to identify what's going on with those two," Meyer said.
