Ohio State Football’s Secret Weapon Is Curtis Samuel

The Ohio State football team’s next work horse has paid his dues.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has had many positions to fill prior to the first game against Bowling Green State University. Since positions were needed to be filled, players have had to step up. One such position where a replacement is needed is at H-Back where they have to replace Braxton Miller.

Miller was one of the most successful players in both Ohio State and Big Ten history. Miller won more Big Ten awards than anyone before him with seven. He also is only the fourth player in Big Ten history, and the first since 1989, to win the Chicago Tribune Big Ten MVP.

All of that came though as Miller was a QB. As an H-Back, last season was not as stunning, but it was certainly one to not just throw to the wayside.

Miller ran for 261 yards on 43 attempts. On the receiving end Miller was also very effective catching 25 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns.  

More from Ohio State Buckeyes

• Ohio State losing Quinn Ewers a week after the Michigan loss is bad optics
• Ohio State football: CFP still possible as long as defense not hot mess
• Ohio State football: Once C.J. Stroud settled in, Minnesota was done
• Ohio State basketball: Aaron Craft back in uniform for Buckeyes
• 2021 NFL Draft chatter: Justin Fields falls into Patriots laps after trade up?

Now the questions still stands as to who is going to fill Miller’s shoes. Curtis Samuel is the one person that coach Meyer is going to use as his replacement.

Before last season started and the injury bug bit the Buckeyes, Meyer had planned for Samuel to touch the ball 15 plays a game and be on the field for at least 40 plays. Unfortunately, due to injuries, that wasn’t possible. A lot of Samuel’s playing time was at wide receiver.

2016 is a new year though and the role for Ohio State’s Samuel is much greater this year. Against Bowling Green, Samuel will be the starting H-Back, while also being the backup to redshirt freshman Mike Weber.

This will be Weber’s first year as the starting running back. Yes, that means he is the player who gets to replace Ezekiel Elliott. Weber’s touches to start the season should be limited. Once he gets used to the college game, expect his number of touches to go up.

More from Factory of Sadness

• Bet $1 on ANYTHING to Unlock $200 Guaranteed with Crazy Bet365 Ohio Promo!
• 3 reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers have a good shot to win the East next year
• It might be too soon to say it but it looks like the Cleveland Guardians are back
• Are the Cleveland Browns a Top 10 roster heading into the 2023 season?
• Eastern Conference Solidarity: Back the Heat with $5 Bet, Win $200 Bonus INSTANTLY with DraftKings Promo

Meyer told Samuel that he is going to have a huge role in the opening game against the Falcons. That said, expect his role to become even bigger as the season progresses.

“He tells me to be ready to be prepared during game day because I am going to touch the ball a lot.” Samuel said. “I’m going to be prepared whether I’m catching the ball, running the ball or blocking for teammates.”

Samuel is going to be something that Ohio State fans are going to want to see. The skill set that Samuel brings to the team is something to that of Miller’s: Speed, ability to catch the ball and ability to run with the ball.

This will be the first year that Samuel really gets to display those talents; Showing everyone why he is the real deal.

It will be interesting to see exactly how much coach Meyer uses Samuel when Bowling Green rolls into town. If Meyer uses him as much as it sounds like, then Samuel is going to be a work horse.

Next: OSU Football 2016 Defense Season Preview

Watch out for Samuel. He is going to be big part of the offense for the Ohio Sate Buckeyes.