Facing 3rd-and-goal at the 1-yard line in a scoreless game against Notre Dame, Ohio State turned to a surprising candidate to try to lead Miyan Williams into the end zone.
As the Buckeyes took their wide receivers off the field for their goal-line rushing attempt, defensive lineman Caden Curry entered the lineup as a fullback in the I-formation.
The play didn’t work, which Ryan Day said was because “it wasn't really quite identified properly,” and Ohio State ended up turning the ball over on downs after an incomplete pass on 4th-and-goal. But that didn’t stop the Buckeyes from turning to Curry in another short-yardage situation in its subsequent and most recent game against Maryland.
In his second offensive snap as a Buckeye, Curry helped lead Ohio State to a 4th-and-1 conversion as he stuck a block on a Maryland defender with Chip Trayanum running behind him for a first down.
Curry’s primary role for the Buckeyes remains playing on the defensive line, where he’s rotated in behind starters JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer at defensive end while also occasionally lining up at defensive tackle in third-down pass-rush situations. But he’s enjoying the opportunity to contribute on the other side of the ball, too.
“It's a great time. I did it in high school, and just doing it again at a higher level, I love it,” Curry said of playing fullback. “I've always kind of been teasing (the Ohio State coaches) about how I've always done it a little bit, kind of just throwing it out there, and then they eventually just kind of picked up on it and then it kind of just took off from there.”
While Mitch Rossi played the role of fullback for the Buckeyes in recent years, Ohio State doesn’t have any tight ends who naturally fit into that role this season. Trayanum has also seen some work as a fullback in short-yardage and goal-line situations this year, but the Buckeyes are encouraged by Curry’s upside to help the offense in that capacity.
“He's got a lot of power. He's a really good football player. We see certain things in special teams that he can bring to the table,” Ryan Day said last week. “And when we were putting a couple packages together, we felt like he gave us some power. He's a really good athlete. He can catch the ball well.
“So he's gonna see an increased role on defense, but this is something that he can handle. He's a really good football player. And we think he gives us something … We've seen good things in practice that lead us to believe that he'll do a great job. He's strong, he's powerful, he's got good quickness.”
Since he added the situational fullback role to his responsibilities, Curry says he has been “always switching from side to side” between defense and offense in practice, specifically in goal-line situations. He’s had to learn part of the offensive playbook in addition to knowing all of the defensive plays, but Curry says that hasn’t been too hard.
“(Special assistant to the head coach Tim) Hinton helps me a lot with it,” Curry said. “He sits me down and lets me watch film with him. So I mean, he definitely helps me through it.”
Curry says he’s “watched a lot of Mitch Rossi film” and has exchanged text messages with Rossi to get advice on how to play the position. That said, Curry believes the most important thing he needs to do to be successful in his new role is to just play hard.
“Just having a hard nose and getting off the ball quick,” Curry said when asked what makes a good fullback. “I mean, how I kind of play defense is just wreaking havoc in the offense. I kind of just flip it and kind of wreak havoc on the defense and kind of just make a hole for my running back behind me to get through.”
Curry has also been a staple of Ohio State’s special teams units since last season, playing on both the kickoff coverage and kickoff return units, and he says that experience has prepared him for his new role.
“Special teams really helped me out with that a lot,” Curry said. “Kind of just doing the (kickoff return) and the kickoff, kind of just having that flipping my switch. So it kind of just goes with the offense and defense, too.”
Curry is the only Ohio State player who’s seen action in all three phases of the game so far this season, and Ohio State’s coaches say that’s a testament to his high motor and his willingness to do anything to help the team.
“I said it day one when I recruited him, watched him play in the stands in a championship game, I said to myself, ‘That guy's a football player,’” defensive line coach Larry Johnson said. “You saw him do it in high school, catch balls in the back of the end zone. Then go play fullback, and then go sideline to sideline (on defense).
“He's a great kid, hard worker, wants to be great. And he's willing to do anything to help our defense. That's what I like about him.”
Whether Curry’s role on offense will expand beyond just coming in for an occasional snap to make a block remains uncertain. Curry was seen catching passes inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center before his interview session on Wednesday, and Curry – who scored five touchdowns (three rushing, two receiving) as a senior at Center Grove High School (Greenwood, Indiana) – hopes he will get the chance to get the ball in his hands at some point.
“I hope so,” Curry said. “I mean, I don't really make the plays, but if I did, I'd give it to me.”
Regardless of whether he’s lining up on offense, defense or special teams, however, Curry says he’s only focused on one thing: Doing whatever his coaches ask him to do.
“What I’ve focused on a lot this year is just doing my job. Because I mean, if you do your job, there's no reason why not to be out there,” Curry said. “And that’s all I focus on is just doing my job and making sure I do what I need to do to get the play done.”
“I said it day one when I recruited him, watched him play in the stands in a championship game, I said to myself, ‘That guy's a football player.’”– Larry Johnson on Caden Curry
Curry, who has five tackles with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup on defense this season, will have some extra motivation to make an impact wherever he plays this week as the Indiana native said he expects to have 15 or 16 family members at Ross-Ade Stadium to watch him play against Purdue. And since he grew up rooting for the Indiana Hoosiers, Curry has always seen the Boilermakers as a rival.
“I was always an IU fan growing up, so I was never a Purdue fan,” Curry said.
