Braxton Miller: Ohio State's Next Terrelle Pryor, or Overrated Recruiting Bust?

[caption id="attachment_58" align="alignright" width="233" caption="Quarterback Braxton Miller goes down in the 10-7 loss to the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday."][/caption]

Ever since the departure of Terrelle Pryor, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been scrambling to find a replacement to be the new man under center.  The Buckeyes got the chance to recruit Ohio’s own Braxton Miller, who was the top rated quarterback recruit in the nation. Three games into his freshman year, Miller became the third true freshman in the program’s history to start a game.  The comparison of Miller and Pryor began early, and will continue as long as Miller remains coach Luke Fickell’s starting choice, but how much longer will the freshman hold on to the prestigious position?

The year started with Fickell naming the 25-year-old Joe Bauserman as starting quarterback, much to the chagrin of Buckeye fans everywhere.  Bauserman, a former pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization who had a devastating off-speed pitch, has been a career backup, sitting behind Terrelle Pryor and Todd Boeckman.  After a win against Akron (who are rightly named the Zips, according to many post-game scoreboards) Bauserman struggled mightily against a Toledo squad, completing 53.3 percent of his passes for a total of 189 yards, when Kellen Moore out of Boise State put up 455 yards against the same defense a week later.  When Bauserman went an astounding 2 for 14 with a total of 13 yards against The U, freshman Braxton Miller got the call.

Miller had an easily forgettable performance against Miami, but the next week against Colorado, Miller became the starter.  The young quarterback ran 4 more times than he passed, gaining 83 yards on the ground, and 83 yards in the air, including two touchdown passes.  However, he completed only 5 of his 13 passes, making spectators cringe.  Compared Terrelle Pryor’s first start in 2008, completing 10 of 16 passes for four touchdowns and a single pick, and netting 66 yards on the ground.  Seems pretty similar, doesn’t it?

Despite a winning performance against Colorado, Miller could do nothing against a stellar Michigan State defense, going 5/10 for 56 yards before being pulled in favor of Old Man Bauserman.  It was not only the sub-par performance that was alarming, but also the plays that were being called.  In third down situations, draw plays and short screens were run instead of attempts to gain substantial yardage.  This is a red flag signaling that the coaching staff does not yet trust the young quarterback to lead the team to victory.  This was also seen during the Colorado game, when Miller was still splitting time with Bauserman at the end of the game.

The fact that Miller was pulled for somebody who is equally incompetent, if not worse, shows that Miller may not be the saving grace that this team is looking for.  Pulling Miller after the third quarter does nothing to help a young player learn how to handle tough/losing situations, and hinders his leadership abilities, which is what a young quarterback for a top-notch program needs in spades.

Miller’s career is only just beginning.  When Terrelle Pryor began his reign as starting quarterback, high expectations were held surrounding him, and he finished the year with just over 1000 yards, holding a 60.6 completion percentage.  As his career progressed, he became a much better quarterback.  The only way to go for Braxton Miller is up.  As of October 2^nd, Miller remains the starter.  As he matures and progresses he will become more accurate and a more reliable option, much like Pryor.  Playing against top defenses that the Big 10 has will only make him a better quarterback for future seasons.  Do not panic, fellow Buckeyes, he can only get better.

But for Buckeye fans right now, the quarterback situation is almost like a Simon and Garfunkel song: “Laugh about it, shout about it, when you’ve got to choose, every way you look at it you lose.  Where have you gone, Terrelle Pryor, Buckeye Nation turns it’s lonely eyes to you.   What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson, TP has left and gone away?  Hey hey hey.  Hey hey hey.”