Former Buckeyes have been playing football on Sundays and current Buckeyes have joined them on Saturdays.

It was a weekend full of Ohio State football as the then-No. 5 Buckeyes defeated Nebraska 52-17 on Saturday with several players showcasing their NFL-caliber talent.

The NFL saw seven games decided by eight points or less this past weekend, and former Ohio State players had their hands in plenty of those contests.

Here are several Buckeyes who stood out during Week 7:

Curtis Samuel

The NFC South is home to a handful of Ohio State alum, including No. 40 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Curtis Samuel.

Samuel missed last week's game against the Chicago Bears due to a knee injury, but returned for Carolina this week against the New Orleans Saints.

The 2016 All-American caught two passes on the Panthers' first drive of the game, including a spectacular 22-yard haul on a third-and-eight play to set up a field goal later.

With 5:39 remaining in the first half and the Panthers down 14-10, Carolina quarterback Teddy Bridgewater found Samuel again on third down and the former Buckeyes H-back took it 11 yards into Saints territory. Carolina would score that drive to take the lead.

Samuel wasn't just a passing target for Carolina on Sunday as he proved why he was such a dynamic player when he donned scarlet and gray.

With 0:08 left in the third quarter, Bridgewater handed the ball to Samuel, who ran his way into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown of the season.

Samuel totaled six receptions for 48 yards and one rush for five yards, which was also his touchdown score.

Ohio State note: Samuel caught 74 passes in his final season with Ohio State in 2016, which stand third-most for a single-season in program history.

Terry McLaurin

One wide receiver who has been on a tear so far in the 2020 season has been Terry McLaurin, and he further lit up the box score in a matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Despite Washington having made a quarterback change from former Buckeye Dwayne Haskins to Houston product Kyle Allen, McLaurin remains the favorite target as he saw 11 passes thrown his way.

McLaurin's first catch of the game nearly was a touchdown reception as he caught a two-yard pass early in the first quarter, but officials reviewed the play and determined it was a one-yard catch, putting the Football Team one-yard shy of the end zone.

McLaurin made up for it later in the game, and made sure he'd find pay dirt.

With 9:54 in the second quarter, Allen looked to his left and heaved a pass and connected with McLaurin, who ran it down the numbers for a 52-yard touchdown.

The second-year wide receiver also caught an 11-yard reception on third and 11 coming out of halftime to extend the Football Team drive.

McLaurin finished the game with seven catches for 90 yards, which stood 16th-most for a receiver during Week 7.

He also addressed his team in the locker room following the Football Team's 25-3 victory and prior to Washington approaching its bye week.

Ohio State note: McLaurin has totaled 577 receiving yards this season; he caught 701 yards in his final season at Ohio State in 2018.

Carlos Hyde

It's been seven years since Hyde last carried the football for Ohio State, but now with his fifth team in Seattle, he's still finding his way into the end zone.

Hyde hadn't seen a carry in almost a month, with his last time holding a football in-game coming in Week 3 against Dallas. But he led the Seahawks in carries on Sunday in a close 37-34 overtime loss to Arizona.

The seven-year veteran was handed the football first in the second quarter and carried it for three yards. He rushed immediately after for a two-yard play, but only ran once on the next Seahawks drive.

As Russell Wilson and the Seahawks drove downfield with a 13-7 lead, Wilson handed the ball to Hyde with 4:04 left in the first half. On that second-and-10 play on the Arizona 24 yard line, Hyde ran the distance to the end zone for his first score since Week 1 at Atlanta.

On Seattle's first offensive drive of the second half, Hyde ran 13 yards for a first down on the first play, and he finished the game with 68 rushing yards, his most since Week 15 of last season when he ripped 104 yards on the ground against Tennessee.

Ohio State note: Hyde owns two of the top-10 single-game rushing yards records in Ohio State history with a three-way tie for No. 4 (246 yards at Illinois in 2013) and No. 9 (226 yards at Michigan in 2013).

Defensive barrage

A plethora of former Buckeyes defenders had impressive individual performances and the following six players totaled 37 tackles.

Safety Vonn Bell led the Cincinnati Bengals with eight tackles against the Cleveland Browns, and three of them were solos.

Jose Bosa had his hand in plenty of statistics as the fifth-year defensive end recorded three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sack.

Rookie DaVon Hamilton recorded a career-high eight tackles during Jacksonville's loss to the Chargers. The defensive tackle also had two quarterback hits and a stuff.

Cornerback Marshon Lattimore tied for the most New Orleans tackles as he made six of them, including a team-high four solos.

Cornerback Denzel Ward recorded six tackles, five of which were solos and one for loss. He also had three passes defended.

Defensive end Chase Young tied for the most Washington tackles with six, but led his team in solo tackles with five.

Ohio State note: All of the players mentioned above were drafted no later than the third round, and four of them (Bosa, Young, Ward and Lattimore) were selected within the first 11 picks.