WR Braxton Miller (B1G POY, National Champion)

[Gatorubet]

Not having seen the game, did Brax meet, not meet, or wildly exceed expectations?

I mean, throwing in the quality of the opponent, his inexperience, limited play selection or instructions to run after the first read or two, etc. I get the many variables, including the all important "W", but...


On a 1-10 rating, how would y'all rate his first start?

 

[sepia5]

Not having seen the game, did Brax meet, not meet, or wildly exceed expectations?

I mean, throwing in the quality of the opponent, his inexperience, limited play selection or instructions to run after the first read or two, etc. I get the many variables, including the all important "W", but...


On a 1-10 rating, how would y'all rate his first start?

He's incredible with his feet. Much different than Pryor, but arguably as effective. Pryor had freakish strength and straight-line speed. Miller has to be one of the shiftiest players I've ever seen at the QB position.

Early in the game, his limited passing attempts were worrying. He was throwing a wobbly ball. Later in the game, he made a handful of really beautiful throws that were right on the money.

Overall, I'm happy with what I saw yesterday. However, he's not going to be able to go through a Big Ten slate running the ball that many times and taking that much punishment. He clearly was looking to run first and throw second much of the game yesterday, and that needs to change. He also needs to do a better job sliding and getting out of bounds. He took a couple hits that had me pretty worried. Still, yesterday was probably the best indication yet that he's a special talent. I give him a 6 or 7 for yesterday's game.

 

[sandgk]

Not having seen the game, did Brax meet, not meet, or wildly exceed expectations?

I mean, throwing in the quality of the opponent, his inexperience, limited play selection or instructions to run after the first read or two, etc. I get the many variables, including the all important "W", but...


On a 1-10 rating, how would y'all rate his first start?

My scorecard - based on your categories - reads:

Expectations - met and exceeded.

Play level - taking into account opponent's quality - High

Play level - taking into account limited playbook (read or run) - Good

Play "intelligence" - less than excellent, needs to be less prone to put himself at risk, protect himself. It is obvious the Buckeyes are a better team with him at the helm - cannot afford to lose him to injury.

Play selection - got better as the game went on. First pass attempts were wobbly and gave his receivers fits or problems. After he got a couple of completions under his belt he appeared to settle down.

Overall - for his first full start, I'd give him an 8.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I love the way he runs. I know the comparisons have already been made between him and Shoelaces. I always said that they way Shoelaces runs, we would not have to worry about him during The Game because he most likely will be injured by then. I am starting to feel the same way about Miller. He was taking some good hits out there.

Miller is about 30 pounds heavier than Hairlice, and I doubt Miller will be running as much as he starts settling down and getting more comfortable.

 

[shiznit7]

Miller doesn't know the playbook very well yet and it shows. I was very happy with the game plan and how he executed it though. While Denard has much better break away speed & Pryor was a physical freak, Braxton takes shifty to a whole different level. If he can progress through is reads and the game slows down for him, two things that I'm confident will happen since Miller seems to want IT so badly, he will be one for the ages.

I give him an 8.5

 

[HorticullyBuck]

I thought he would have completed 10 % more during the thick of things. i thought he did decent-good. Getting posey back will help? 6.95

 

[Mrstickball]

He got us first downs when we needed them, and made some great passes as the game went on. One great pass was ruled ineligible, although was a great competition.

Needs a lot more work, but in a good way. His potential as an Ohio State quarterback is nearly unlimited. If he can continue to develop, he'll have a Heisman, National Championship or both before his career is done at OSU.

I'd give him a 6.75. 9/10 for his commitment to making plays and moving us down the field, and a 5/10 on execution due to getting hit too often and his roughness on passes.

I expect him to start every game this year until he gets hurt or goes to the NFL.

 

[MD Buckeye]

Based on the opponent, his first start & limited playbook, my expectations were met & exceeded. He obviously still has a few things to work on, but he didn't turn the ball over & is absolutely ridiculous with his feet. Granted, I don't want him to become Shoelace and end up getting destroyed by running the ball, but I think as the season goes on, we'll see less & less of him running the ball. The sky is the limit with Braxton & I'm VERY excited for the remainder of the season & beyond.

As long as the solid defense & running game continues and we limit turnovers, I'm very confident we can win the B1G. LET'S GO BUCKS!!!!

 

[stowfan]

Not having seen the game, did Brax meet, not meet, or wildly exceed expectations?

I mean, throwing in the quality of the opponent, his inexperience, limited play selection or instructions to run after the first read or two, etc. I get the many variables, including the all important "W", but...


On a 1-10 rating, how would y'all rate his first start?

IMO, Miller was a better passer in high school than Troy Smith. He also had and has, a field marshal quality Jacory Harris knows nothing of. Yesterday he was finding his way, different speed of the game, new team, new surroundings, new wide receivers.

To me he was great, no bone headed throws, did what was needed. When they showed him in the huddle he seemed remarkably calm. Colorado was the perfect first opponent for him. Y'all would give him an 8.5 for the day.

 

[cincibuck]

The team obviously responded to him. Unlike Pryor, he is not someone who's going to suddenly score from 80 yards out. His passes are uglier than Pryor's and that's not easily accomplished. He's not a showboat -- a real plus in my mind -- and he doesn't get into trash talk contests with the other team. The RB position is full of talent so he doesn't have to carry the load by himself, but I sure wish the bucks had a back who could get into the passing game on something like the level of Saine.

My overall impression is that if he plays only as well as he is now he'll keep the Bucks in every game except Nebraska and Wisconsin. If he gets better each game he could get them by Wisconsin.

Let's just hope he stays healthy as Guitton and Graham have yet to take a snap in game situations.

If you give out points on a 3/3/3 level, plus 1 for factoring, leadership, running, passing - he gets a 3 for leadership, a 2.5 to 3 for his running and a 1 for his passing. A 7, maybe 7.5, overall. I'd rank him no higher than the middle of the Big 10 class of QBs overall, but the ceiling seems to be pretty far up there.

Win or lose, he's going to be fun to watch.

 

[Gatorubet]

Thanks for the responses. That he got better passing as the game progressed is a good sign. Getting more comfortable. Brantley against Kentucky is one thing, next week against Bama quite another. Sparty is not Bama, but not Kentucky either. But if Notre Dame can kick their ass, Brax and your defense should be able to take control early. The Nebraska game seems like his first real test.

 

[Bill Lucas]

The team obviously responded to him. Unlike Pryor, he is not someone whose going to suddenly score from 80 yards out.

I don't agree with this. Pryor never had an 80 yard touchdown run and it was primarily because he was so concerned about getting to the sideline and avoiding the big hit. Don't get me wrong. He did tremendous things with his feet but he was always looking to stretch plays east and west. He did not attack the first hole he saw. Example. The fumble against Penn State that cost Ohio State the game. He never really changed from that style of running.

Miller looks for the first crease he sees and looks to explode through it. Yes he dances at times but when he hits that crease he is looking to go north and south. He's going to bust that crease and run one straight down the field for a long touchdown. IMO.

 

[Sportsbuck28]

His passes are uglier than Pryor's and that's not easily accomplished.

Disagree 100% with the bolded.

 

[jwinslow]

Pryor threw a better spiral. He threw a good deep ball. His polish on intermediate throws as a junior was comparable to miller this past spring.

I disagree strongly about Pryor going eighty yards. He had more speed than anyone on the field, but it was so easy to force him to the sideline. He ran away from traffic, which led to so many fifteen or twenty five yard gains instead of cutting inside the boundary corner for six.

Braxton is the opposite of Pryor. He is a slasher with great quickness and decent speed. He leaves you grasping for air in the pocket but can't run through you, while Pryor was very mediocre at slicing inside a tackler, but remarkable at treating arm tackles - 300 lbs or 180 - like stuffed animals.


What has folks excited about miller is he makes OSU defenders look just as overwhelmed, even when cornered on three sides. That wasn't a byproduct of bad defenders yesterday

He has a long way to go, but once the game slows down he is a much more natural and developed passer than Pryor. He just lacks that rare presence that Pryor had way earlier than most youngsters.

 

[Bestbuck36]

His first 5 or so passes were pretty ugly. After the long TD pass he seemed to really get the ball in a tighter spiral and his mechanics are a world better than Pryor.

Lets see how he progresses. I'm very excited about the future in all of our skill positions really.