COLUMBUS, Ohio – Curtis Samuel trotted onto the field with the first team offense Saturday unnoticed because Ohio State's starting running back is Ezekiel Elliott.

So before the Buckeyes' first play from scrimmage when Samuel took a step forward before the snap – which could have been flagged as a false start – he drew attention to the running back position.

Where is Elliott? Is something wrong?

No. Nothing was wrong. Everything was right, except for perhaps Samuel's first-start jitters. Let's just say he was in a hurry to get going.

Everything about Samuel is fast. His literal speed, sure, but also how quickly he became acclimated to Ohio State's offense and how swiftly he became an impact player for the Buckeyes. That deserved a reward. A start.

"There's nothing quite like competition," coach Urban Meyer said of Samuel and Elliott after Ohio State's 55-14 win over Illinois. "And those two guys, I don't micromanage that position. I certainly listen and give my opinions.

"But (running backs coach) Stan Drayton came to me in the middle of the week and said, 'I'd like to start Curtis Samuel this week, he's doing everything right, and practices at an extremely high level.' We still have great confidence in Zeke. We have two guys who can play."

2. Making the most of his carries – Though Samuel only had nine carries, the freshman made the most of them. He finished with 63 yards (7.0 yards per carry) and two touchdowns, including a 23-yard score to get the Buckeyes on the board early in the first quarter.

"The first touchdown, it was a sweep play and there was nobody there," Samuel said. "It was surprising that it was that easy."

3. The real surprise – When Ohio State initially recruited Samuel from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Erasmus Hall, it thought it was getting a small speedster in the mold of Dontre Wilson. But when Samuel enrolled early for spring football, he proved immediately that he was a running back at this level. Why? Because the 5-foot-11, 196-pounder packs a punch.

Ohio State Buckeyes running back Curtis Samuel (4) looks to run against Illinois, Saturday, November 1, 2014.

"I was very surprised in the spring," offensive coordinator Tom Herman. "I think (H-Back) was where we ultimately saw him transitioning just because of his body type and skillset, speed, quickness and ball skills.

"But he's a legitimate tailback. He has great vision, great explosiveness through holes. He probably still needs to gain a little bit of weight as he continues to grow up, but we're very happy that revelation was made in spring ball. That gives us another quality tailback."

4. Depth issues at RB being eased by Samuel's emergence – Senior Rod Smith was recently released from the team and Bri'onte Dunn still isn't ready, so the Buckeyes' depth at running back has been a concern. Samuel's ability to step in as a freshman has been a saving grace for Ohio State.

"You can't quantify it," Herman said. "Where that depth has gone, I don't know where we'd be right now had Curtis not been what he is. He's developed and Coach Drayton does a helluva job developing him and coaching him, but I think it was apparent early in spring that it was like, 'Whoa boys, we may have a real tailback here.' That certainly added to where we're at right now through eight games, needing that depth."

5. Elliott and Samuel support each other – Samuel and Elliott are hotel roommates, so one may think that there could be tension between the two given the swap in the starting lineup. Samuel said nothing changed.

"Not at all - no tension between me and Zeke," Samuel said. "We are brothers, we go out there and work for each other. If he's starting I got his back, and if I'm starting he's got my back."

And it's not like Elliott didn't get his touches. He finished with nine carries for 69 yards, and now Herman feels as if the Buckeyes have one heck of a running back tandem heading into next week's Michigan State game.

6. Looking back at Samuel as a recruit – Whenever a freshman starts at any position at Ohio State, they must be special. At running back, it's almost impossible. But considering Samuel was a former four-star prospect and 247Sports' No. 8 overall athlete in the 2014 class, this shouldn't be a surprise. Samuel chose the Buckeyes over scholarship offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Notre Dame, USC and others.

"I just knew Ohio State was a successful program," Samuel said. "I just wanted to be a part of that."

7. Best 1-2 punch at running back in the Big Ten? Herman hasn't studied the Big Ten closely, but he has an idea of which two running backs he'd want on his team if he had his pick.

"Those guys - two of the best backs in the league," Herman said of Samuel and Elliott. "I know this league is full of really good backs and I haven't seen enough of the other ones play to form a very educated opinion, but I like our two that we got."