Trending News

Braxton Miller Highlights: Ex-QB Puts on a Show in Anticipated Return to Field With New Position

By

When Braxton Miller took the field in Blacksburg, Va. for the Ohio State Buckeyes, he was no longer wearing the no. 5 jersey he worse as a quarterback who won back-to-back Big Ten offensive player of the year awards.

And after his performance as a wide receiver/hybrid back, that new number on his jersey - no. 1 - may well represent his position as Ohio State's top offensive playmaker.

"I love Braxton Miller," Bleacher Report quoted Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer telling reporters in his postgame press conference. "I'm honored to coach him again."

Miller played three seasons as a QB at Ohio State and was nothing short of explosive when he tucked the ball and ran from the backfield. Miller's shoulder injury kept him out an entire season last year and the emergence of J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones may have let some Buckeye fans breathe easier in their QB's absence.

Despite the year off, Miller was not confident enough in his shoulder's strength to throw the ball, so he took himself out of Ohio State's unprecedented QB competition. Given his unquestionable ball-carrying skills and elite athleticism, he made for an intriguing option at wide receiver/hybrid back.

But no way was he supposed to settle into his new role right away, and certainly not against the staunch Virginia Tech defense, in Blacksbug, Va., to boot. (Highlights below)

Miller's first reception was a 24-yard completion in which he found himself wide open in the middle of the field, laying out to save Jones' low throw. Again in single coverage, Miller caught a 25-yard pass on an out route before shaking his defender to stay in bounds and taking the ball 25 more yards for a score. Then there was the play of the game: a perfectly executed spin move on a QB keeper run out of the wildcat formation to shake two defenders en route to a 53-yard touchdown run.

Miller only had eight touches in the Buckeyes' 42-24 win, two as a receiver and six as a running back, but he accumulated 140 yards and two touchdowns. Whether Jones holds the starting QB position or not, Miller gives the Buckeyes a home run threat any time he is on the field.

© 2024 University Herald, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics