Mike Weber, Curtis Samuel

Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel combined for 397 yards in Saturday's win over Bowling Green.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A lot crazy things can be said after a team beats another 77-10. Such was the case after Ohio State's season-opening win over Bowling Green on Saturday.

So Mike Weber, the redshirt freshman running back, said a crazy thing when asked about the combination of him and Curtis Samuel in the Ohio State backfield.

"Lendale White and Reggie Bush," Weber said. "We can get there. We can probably even be better. I think we can be a really good 1-2 punch."

White and Bush, the former USC running back tandem, might be the best running back tandem ever.

I asked offensive coordinator Ed Warinner if that was a little premature.

"A little," Warinner said, flashing a smile because he knows what a power and finesse combination like that can do for an offense.

Here's what it did on Saturday:

* Weber carried 19 times for 136 yards in his college debut.

* Samuel had 13 carries for 84 yards, and nine receptions for 177 yards and three total touchdowns.

OK, good start. Great start, even.

Lendale White and Reggie Bush? In their final season together in 2005, White and Bush combined for 3,739 yards rushing and receiving, and 44 total touchdowns.

That's absurd.

Bush won the Heisman Trophy that season.

So let's back off the stat comparisons, and talk about style.

White was a beast (6-foot-2, 235 pounds), and powered his way to 1,302 rushing yards that season. On Saturday, Weber (5-foot-10, 212 pounds) ran hard, bouncing off defenders and finishing runs. Fair to compare running styles there.

"That's how I run the ball mostly all the time," Weber said. "I try to impose my will on defenses so they feel it in the fourth quarter. Really just run hard, that's my motto right now."

Bush is one the most elusive people to ever touch a football. Samuel had a stellar game in his first real time in the spotlight. He's clearly a special talent. Let's back off on Bush comparisons for a few more games, though.

Weber and Samuel aren't White and Bush. Not even close.

But it's not a bad thing to aim for.

"We laugh it off, but a lot of people know it can be that way," Weber said.

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