Former Ohio State star called out the Buckeyes’ coaching staff regarding a current player amidst loss to Oregon
Former Ohio Stare WR Curtis Samuel was not happy with what he watched from his Buckeyes in Week 10 against Oregon.
Not much went right and a lot went wrong for the Ohio State Buckeyes in their Week 10 game against the Oregon Ducks. Ohio State took a 41-28 loss at home, and the final score doesn’t capture how lopsided the game really was. The Buckeyes trailed 38-14 before putting up some garbage-time points to make it look respectable.
Coming off a road loss to USC, the Oregon game was unacceptable for Ohio State. The Buckeyes had their College Football Playoff hopes hanging in the balance heading into the matchup, and they watched those hopes slip away. Oregon beat them down defensively, Ohio State had major special teams miscues, and the offense simply wasn’t good enough against a three-loss Ducks team.
Curtis Samuel questions Ohio State’s usage of freshman RB Legend Bey
There’s a lot of frustration coming out of this loss in Columbus, and that includes former players taking to social media to rip the team. Former Buckeye Curtis Samuel hadn’t posted on X since 2023, but the loss to Oregon brought him out of social media retirement.
Samuel had a couple of posts, and one stood out above the rest. He questioned the staff’s decision on how much it plays freshman running back Legend Bey. Bey had one carry for 12 yards and two catches for 10 receiving yards against Oregon. That production came after the game was already decided, so Samuel wanted to know why Bey wasn’t getting snaps when it mattered.
“Last thing you telling me Legend Bey isn’t good enough to get offensive snaps in meaningful parts of the game? I think the kid is super talented.”
Bey is a talented player, and it’s hard to argue against the idea that Ohio State needed some kind of explosiveness against Oregon. The Buckeyes were unable to find it.
Bey hasn’t broken out yet, but the ability is there
Bey hasn’t been that player for Ohio State this season. Still, he has flashed what he can do, most notably early in the year against Ball State when he scored his only touchdown of the season. He has just 18 rushes for 74 yards and four catches for 47 yards, and he hasn’t been the player folks expected when he arrived in Columbus as a freshman.
Samuel and Bey are a similar type of player. Both can catch passes out of the backfield and take a handoff, and Samuel appears to recognize what Bey brings to the table. Coming from a former Buckeye who thrived in that hybrid role, the comment carries some weight.
Ohio State’s run game disappeared against Oregon
Overall, Ohio State just wasn’t able to run the ball. After some early success with Bo Jackson, the team finished with 53 rushing yards when factoring in sacks. Jackson finished with 11 rushes for 48 yards.
Once the Buckeyes fell behind big, freshman quarterback Luke Fahey was forced to drop back and attempt 50 passes against Oregon. That kind of volume on a young quarterback against a quality defense is a recipe for disaster, and it played out exactly that way.
Ohio State now has to pick up the pieces with three games left in the season. It won’t be easy after back-to-back losses to USC and Oregon. If things don’t turn around soon, Samuel won’t be the last alum to take to social media and voice frustration with the state of the program.
