Jon Spencer

Michael Thomas, the flashy receiver for the Buckeyes, wouldn't much like Michael Thomas, the by-the-book interviewee.

Thomas, surrounded by reporters after catching two touchdowns in Saturday's 66-0 rout of Kent State, was straightforward, never veering off course into best-soundbite-of-the-day territory, polite but fairly bland in his responses, almost as if he was reading off a script.

He certainly didn't get his uncle's charismatic gene. Uncle Keyshawn, as in Johnson, was one of the most flamboyant receivers in NFL history (it's a long list), as reflected in the title of his autobiography, "Just Give Me The Damn Ball."

Johnson now makes his living in front of the cameras as a football analyst. Somehow, I don't see Thomas headed in the same direction.

• Reporter Michael, how did it feel going out there and 'prime-timing' it against Kent?

• Thomas It was a great feeling.

• Reporter Was this explosion more of what you expected from this offense?

• Thomas Yessir.

Straight and to the point. Exactly what two of his four touchdown catches already in this young season have not been. He took a modest pass from quarterback J.T. Barrett 53 yards for a score in last week's loss to Virginia Tech. It was the longest reception of his equally modest college career until Saturday, when he took another intermediate pass across the middle from Barrett, made a defender miss and ran 63 yards down the right side for a touchdown that made it 31-0 and put the game out of reach.

Actually, it was out of reach as soon as Thomas caught a 14-yard scoring strike from Barrett less than two minutes into this glorified practice.

"I felt like we were playing angry," Thomas said, reflecting on the 35-21 loss against the Hokies that essentially knocked the Buckeyes out of College Football Playoff contention. "A lot of guys went out there with something to prove. We always have to go out there and play with that same demeanor and go out there ready to make plays and play fast."

Under different circumstances, with less-talented skill players, Thomas would have another reason to play angry. Being part of a six-man receiver rotation wouldn't have gone over well with his ball-demanding uncle, but Thomas is making the most of whatever snaps he gets.

Both of his catches went for touchdowns and more than a third of his team-high receptions (11) have gone for scores (four). He had six catches for 98 yards against Virginia Tech, both career highs, and followed up with his first two-touchdown game.

Granted, it wasn't much of a career until this season, especially if you throw out his 12 catches for 131 yards in the 2012 spring game. Remember, that performance came on the heels of a forgettable 2011 when 14 receptions was the season high for an Ohio State receiver.

Throw in his bloodlines and expectations went through the roof for Thomas.

But then he disappeared. Despite playing in 11 games, he caught only three passes for 22 yards in 2012. Worse, he redshirted in 2013, an unusual move with a sophomore who is not hurt. It painted a bleak picture, but Thomas somehow survived.

"I definitely felt my time was going to come," the product of Woodland Hills, Calif., said. "I just needed to keep working hard on developing and just grow up and mature and do what the coaches tell me and trust in them."

So what advice has his uncle given him?

"He just tells me: 'Finish blocks,' " he said.

After this performance, Johnson also would tell his nephew to hang on to the (expletive) ball. Sandwiched between his touchdown grabs was a Barrett pass that bounced off Thomas' chest inside the Golden Flashes' 5-yard line and got picked off.

"I told him J.T. I owe him one," Thomas said, grinning. "When I got the ball (the next time), I was just thinking touchdown."

There were plenty of Buckeyes thinking the same thing against overmatched Kent State. Six different players scored, with Thomas and backup tailbacks Rod Smith and Curtis Samuel each scoring twice. Eight different Ohio State players caught passes in the first quarter alone.

Easy to get lost in this fast crowd. Instead, Thomas — after two years in purgatory — seems to be breaking away from the pack.

jspencer@nncogannett.com

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Twitter: @jspencermnj