BLACKSBURG, Va. — After the postgame celebration had concluded and Carmen Ohio had been sung, Braxton Miller headed toward the tunnel at Lane Stadium as the last Ohio State player to leave the field following the Buckeyes’ 42-24 win over Virginia Tech.
Miller had a larger-than-life smile plastered on his face and a towel draped over his head. Fans were cheering his name as he greeted some diehards with high-fives. Smiling ear-to-ear, it was easy to tell Miller had missed this.
This was a moment Miller had been waiting for for quite some time. Thanks to two major shoulder injuries, he hadn’t played in a game since Jan. 3, 2014. After a pair of surgeries and a position change, he was finally back out on the field.
“It feels great, man,” Miller said afterward. “The coaches believed in me, my brothers believed in me and just keep improving from here on.”
It didn’t take long for the two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year to announce his return to the college football world, either.
With the Buckeyes trailing the Hokies 17-14 at halftime, Miller caught a deep pass from quarterback Cardale Jones on Ohio State’s opening drive of the second half. He broke one tackle, and practically walked into the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown that put Ohio State back on top. The Buckeyes never trailed again after that.
But Miller’s night was far from over. He already made a diving reception in the first half — the first catch of his career — that figured to be a shoo-in for his top play of the night. It turns out, Miller had much more in store.
Going back to his old roots, Miller lined up at quarterback a couple of drives later for the Buckeyes. The fifth-year senior took the snap, danced around a bit in the backfield before bouncing the run outside and heading up the sideline. Two defenders converged and Miller spun around both, leaving both in the dust and ran the rest of the way to paydirt for a 53-yard score.
“I set them up,” Miller said, smiling. “I acted like I was looking straight then I saw them out of the corner of my eyes and hit the B button.”
Overall, Miller had eight total touches in the game for a total of 140 yards and the pair of scores. But this was about much more than that. This was about one of college football’s best players returning to the game.
“I love that kid, man,” head coach Urban Meyer said. “The negative about football is that you don’t see their faces. You see their helmet and sometimes a visor and you don’t get to see what this kid is all about. This kid is all about the right stuff. Honored to coach him again for the fourth year.”
Miller’s sense of relief after the game had concluded was evident. His teammates saw it. His coaches saw it. The Buckeyes finally had “their guy” back.
“It was a blessing to see him do that and come back,” wide receiver Michael Thomas said. “I just love to see him happy, see him smiling again and having fun.”
Miller figures to be a huge part of Ohio State’s offense this year, even in his new role. He’s one of many weapons the Buckeyes will have to use on what very well could be the best offense in the country. And if Monday night’s performance was any sort of preview for what’s to come next, Ohio State fans should be pretty excited.
Inside the Buckeyes’ locker room after the game, Meyer said Miller was overcome with emotion and it’s easy to understand why. Miller has been through a lot over the past year and a half and finally it all hit him at once as he walked off that field at Lane Stadium.
“I was just emotional, man. Tears running down my eyes, I couldn’t really talk,” Miller said. “Eyes got super red and I was just thanking God. I love my teammates, man. They believed in me and they raised me up since I was injured so I was just happy to be out there.”
Ohio State fans are quite happy, too.
