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Braxton Miller goes from experiment to Ohio State’s secret weapon and Heisman candidate

By Jeremiah Sharpe

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Braxton Miller had his coming out party at the expense of the Virginia Tech defense.

For three months Ohio State and Braxton Miller worked hard to get Miller ready to play his new position as a wide receiver/H-back. For most people going from quarterback to a different position would be very difficult to nearly impossible but Miller is not most people.

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Miller was one of the best college football players in the nation before he suffered two shoulder injuries. After sitting out the entire 2014 season to recover he was ready and willing to do anything he had to do to get on the field. Realizing that playing quarterback in 2015 was probably not in the cards Miller went to Urban Meyer and asked for a position change. To get on the field he knew he had to do it and worked hard to put himself in a position to succeed.

The “Braxton Miller experiment” was on from that point forward. Meyer worked personally and closely with Miller to help him catch up to where he needed to be to play in 2015. Some people forgot just how good he is with the football in his hands. Miller was the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and a Heisman candidate before he was injured. No one could have guessed that Miller would so seamlessly succeed at H-Back. Ok well at least one guy did.

Miller made an immediate impact as a receiver and runner and went from experiment to Heisman candidate. On his first catch of the game Miller showed just how much control of his body he has.

He stretched out and went low to scoop up a pass from Cardale Jones that most people wouldn’t have caught let alone in the same motion twist his body so he landed on his back not chancing having the ground knock the ball lose.

Miller’s next big play couldn’t have some at a better time. After OSU had a disastrous second quarter the team made adjustments at halftime to make sure they get their stars in positions to succeed. Miller was covered by a safety with no help and Jones lofted a ball for Miller to go and get and he did just that.

The amazing part though was he stumbled and most players would have ended up out of bounds but not Miller who got the safety to miss the tackle and walked into the end zone. This gave OSU the lead back that they would never relinquish again.

Miller’s greatest play though was still to come. With the ball and the lead Ohio State was hoping to step on the neck of the Hokies. Miller took the direct snap in the Wild Buck formation went to the left made a few moves and then the world stopped. It was like time froze and only Miller was moving as he spun and made two Virginia Tech defenders whiff badly at their attempt to tackle Miller who scored his second TD of the game and helped stretch OSU’s lead.

Those three plays put the college football world on notice. Miller is back and ready to dominate. He is no longer an experiment and is a full-blown Heisman candidate.

The numbers he put up in his first game in his new position: Six rushes for 62 yards and a touchdown, two catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Quick math tells me he had 140 yards and two touchdowns. Which is just as impressive as it sounds for a guy playing a position for the first time.

Welcome back Braxton, you were missed.

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