When someone in the Ohio State football program is asked about Braxton Miller, usually their responses fall along the lines of "most electric player in America," or "phenomenal athlete," or simply "impact player."
All of those phrases are accurate for the man with a pair of Silver Footballs in his trophy case. Expectations for Miller are of a different variety this season with his switch from quarterback to H-back, but they rose even higher 12 days before the Buckeyes visit Blacksburg, Va., and Virginia Tech.
Noah Brown went down with a broken leg during Wednesday's practice, adding another name to Ohio State's list of inactive playmakers for the season opener against the Hokies Labor Day Night.
Brown was expected to take over a starting role following the departures of Devin Smith and Evan Spencer, particularly in Week 1 with Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson and Corey Smith all suspended.
“Braxton already is the most electric player in the country. He proved that for two years. That’s not gone away.”– Zach Smith
Now, he's gone for the season. Even more so than before, it's Miller's time to shine and pick up the slack.
"My plan is to try and get him ready to do that," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said last week of Miller's potential to start. "He's getting close."
Meyer touched on Miller's hamstrings and legs being sore after the most grueling days of training camp, mainly because of how much wide receivers and H-backs have to run during a normal practice. It's quite different than quarterback.
"Basically put on track shoes and go for two hours," Meyer said of a typical wide receiver day. "So his body, next week is a big week for Braxton."
That week's came and gone, and Meyer hasn't been made available to update the media on his star's progress since last Saturday. He's set to speak Monday to preview the game against the Hokies.
Miller complained about the soreness during Wednesday's episode of Scarlet and Gray Days, too.
"I'm sore, man. I ain’t the only one. I’ve never been this sore in my life," Miller said on the show, as he put on his socks and laced up his cleats prior to practice. "Not even after a game."
Miller figures to get plenty of work against the Hokies, whether it be in the slot, on the outside against man-to-man defense, on jet sweeps, punt returns or even in the backfield.
That's a lot of areas to be effective, but just as many places Miller must adjust to in order to be ready. And, adjust quickly.
"Probably the biggest adjustment is just going against somebody every play," Miller said at Ohio State Media Day Aug. 16. "Virginia Tech, they’re playing man-to-man so going against somebody every play is the main thing that’s different from quarterback to receiver."
With Brown's injury, though, that takes out another talented wide receiver who was set to figure largely into Ohio State's offensive game plan. Younger players are available to step in, but none of them have the veteran prowess — or frankly, talent — Miller does.
"Braxton already is the most electric player in the country," wide receivers coach Zach Smith said on Scarlet and Gray Days. "He proved that for two years. That’s not gone away."
Brown was primed for a big season before going down with a leg injury.
"If there's better athletes in the country, I don't know where they are," cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs added Tuesday. "He's got tremendous ability to make moves in space that are extraordinary. He's learning every day, leaps and bounds, about the receiver position. If you make a mistake when you cover Braxton Miller you're going to pay for it."
Miller did that for two years at quarterback, but now with an even deeper vacancy present at wide receiver, the Buckeyes are going to need him to be that again — and more.
"How great of a receiver, a true receiver, he becomes? Time will tell," Smith said. "Before when he was a quarterback, he was confident in that, he was doing his thing on the field, he was executing, performing at a high level. So he was Braxton Miller. Now when he moved positions there’s a lot of uncomfortable aura around that for him. Just because he’s not sure about things quite yet."
