COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel fielded questions on the steamy indoor practice facility at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center without breaking a sweat.
He wore a scarlet shirt with a white eagle between the Buckeyes logo and the state of Ohio, perhaps a fitting motif for the first two weeks of the season.
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Samuel, who ranks second in the FBS with 401 yards from scrimmage, is flying high with No. 3 Ohio State heading into Saturday’s showdown at No. 14 Oklahoma.
He’s a running back, receiver and, if needed, a returner all rolled into one. That’s come with 162 rushing yards on 7.7 yards per carry and 239 yards on 17.7 yards per catch. He averages 11.5 yards per touch — best among players with at least 30 touches. He’ll have a chance to build on that early-season breakout against the Sooners.
“I know what I’m capable of doing,” Samuel said. “The coaches put the ball in my hands, and it’s time for me to make plays. I just can’t go out there and get the little plays. I have to go out there and do what the coaches see in me.”
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer sees a player coming off his first full healthy training camp who fits at a time when the Buckeyes were looking for playmakers. He called it the “perfect storm” on the Big Ten teleconference after Week 1.
Wide receivers coach Zach Smith, however, said this process didn’t just happen in the opener against Bowling Green, when Samuel scored three TDs. Samuel caught a TD in the opener against Virginia Tech last season but was a bit player in the offense.
Now, Smith says Samuel might be the best blocker on the team. It’s not common for running backs to block in space on the perimeter. Samuel can do that. He can do about anything the coaching staff asks right now.
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Asked about how the Buckeyes found Samuel — a Brooklyn native — Smith simply said, “You can find athletes anywhere.”
Samuel played mostly running back as a freshman and slot receiver as a sophomore. Now, well, he’s just playing.
“The biggest difference is he's healthy and has an expanded role in the offense,” Smith said. “He's really playing well, and he's doing a lot of things well that we want him to do."
The inevitable Percy Harvin comparisons come next. Samuel said Harvin was a player he enjoyed watching in Meyer’s offense at Florida, and Ohio State hasn’t had a player quite like that since Meyer’s arrival. Harvin had 1,622 yards and 10 TDs from scrimmage in 2007 and 1,304 yards and 17 TDs the following season for the Gators.
At his current pace, Samuel could flirt with a 1,000/1,000 season. That’s not a concern, but Samuel isn’t afraid to give himself at least one description.
"I feel like both running back and receiver because I can motion off running back to receiver and go to the linebacker, which is a mismatch,” Samuel said. “Or I could go to receiver and play against a safety, a corner or a linebacker, which I feel like is still a mismatch. I feel comfortable at both positions.”
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Samuel’s early-season breakout is a welcome sign for an offense that lost playmakers Ezekiel Elliott, Braxton Miller, Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall to the NFL, but the next step is developing a more consistent vertical attack with Heisman Trophy candidate J.T. Barrett.
“We just gotta show we can take the top off of defenses,” Samuel said.
That will be part of the plan in a playoff-caliber game against the Sooners on Saturday, and Samuel figures to be in the mix. The early-season highlight reel is impressive, and there’s room for more film. Samuel is nearly finished with the media session when he’s asked if he expected to be this good this fast.
He smiled.
“I don’t set a limit on myself,” Samuel said. “I feel like I have much more to show.”
