When Sam Hubbard stepped into the Ohio State postgame interview room late in the 11 p.m. hour Monday at Lane Stadium, it was hard to determine if he or Cardale Jones — who had exited the room a few minutes before — was wearing a bigger smile.
Jones, of course, had quarterbacked the Buckeyes through three-plus quarters against Virginia Tech mere hours before, finally getting word he'd won the starting job over J.T. Barrett. He played well in front of a national television audience to help Ohio State avenge it's lone loss from 2014, 42-24, before yielding to Barrett — who kept the offense humming right along — and enjoying himself on the sideline.
The Buckeye quarterbacks had a microscope on them all offseason and into training camp. That focus continued remained on them as the Lane Stadium clock ticked away prior to kickoff Labor Day Night.
Only it was Hubbard, the converted All-State safety turned defensive end, who also heard his name called throughout the game against the Hokies.
"Early indications are that he played very well," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said of Hubbard Tuesday afternoon on the Big Ten teleconference.
“It was definitely tough, never stepping on the field as a defensive end in my life. This was the first time, and on a pretty big stage. That was a nervous, but a good nervous.”– Sam Hubbard
Meyer hadn't had a chance to dissect the film with his staff at the time of the call, but Hubbard knew what'd he'd been able to accomplish in place of suspended All-American Joey Bosa.
"I forgot how good playing in a game actually feels after taking the year off last year," Hubbard said, exhaling with a toothy grin as he donned a black T-shirt that read The Grind. "It means a lot to me."
Ohio State's 2015 motto is "The Grind," a mantra intended to reflect the team's plight to run the table and get back to the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season after winning it all in 2014.
It's been a grind for Hubbard too, though, these last 15 months. A stud athlete blessed with a horde of gifts, Meyer and the coaching staff didn't know where he'd be best suited to help them win football games. Hubbard bounced from tight end, to linebacker, to defensive end and back to tight end all in his first year on campus, resulting in a redshirt year.
He's finally found a home at defensive end with Larry Johnson and made an impact early in the game against the Hokies, his first collegiate start.
Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer tried to set up a quick pass early on his team's second drive, but Hubbard wasn't fooled. He twisted away from the right tackle and blew up the play right away, all but assuring the Hokies weren't going to get much going in that set of plays.
The first sack of his career assisted the Buckeyes in jumping out to an early 14-0 lead, and he finished the night with four additional tackles.
"Nobody really knew who I was and I wanted to come out in the game and make my name known," Hubbard said. "Think that first series really gave me some confidence to do my thing and do what I know I can do."
Hubbard started making a name for himself at Ohio State's spring game in April, where he sacked Stephen Collier twice, forced a pair of fumbles and batted down two passes at the line of scrimmage. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder from Cincinnati Moeller looked the part against his teammates as part of the intrasquad scrimmage, but Monday was his first opportunity to show the world what he could do against an opponent.
Under the watchful eyes of Johnson and Bosa, Hubbard is set to thrive at DE for Ohio State.
He didn't disappoint.
"It was definitely tough, never stepping on the field as a defensive end in my life," Hubbard said of his journey. "This was the first time, and on a pretty big stage. That was a nervous, but a good nervous."
Bosa's all but assured a starting spot in the team's home opener Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Hawaii, but Hubbard's certainly earned time along the defensive line alongside both the All-American, Tyquan Lewis (six tackles, two for loss Monday) and Jalyn Holmes (six tackles, forced fumble).
Depth is crucial for any team, and Hubbard provides that for Ohio State. It could allow Johnson to get creative with how he uses the bullets in his gun that is the Buckeye defensive line, particularly with Bosa set to return.
Monday, though, Hubbard finally got his chance to excel after all the hard work he'd put in to transition to a new spot and smile as he did it.
"I've been trained, Coach Johnson and everybody got me ready and just thankful to be where I'm at," Hubbard said.
