Sep 7, 2015; Blacksburg, VA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Braxton Miller (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the third quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
JT? Cardale? Braxton. Miller.
Amid all the off season speculation on who would be the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes, the one that relinquished that throne to become a hybrid player proved to be the X-factor in the game.
Miller led the Buckeyes offensively with two touchdowns, one on the ground and one from a strike from starting quarterback Cardale Jones.
Despite reports that Meyer would tell both Barrett and Jones who the starter would be this past Saturday, neither guy knew who the starter was until seconds before the first play. Both guys were on the field taking snaps and throwing just as if they each were the starter, but Meyer, shocking to most including myself, picked Jones. If I had asked 100 random people outside the stadium who they thought would have been the starter, 90 of them would have said JT.
After a rather comparatively underwhelming noise level to Enter Sandman from the Orange Effect crowd of 65,632, Ohio State’s offense was on fire in the first quarter. The first touchdown of the game went to Curtis Samuel who caught a 24 yard pass from Jones despite being interfered with. After a defensive stop, Ezekiel Elliott gave Buckeye Nation an encore of his infamous run through Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl with what I like to call – 80 yards through the heart of The Burg.
After jumping out to a quick two touchdown advantage, mistakes plagued the Buckeyes thus opening the door for the Hokies who scored 17 unanswered points. The Bucks turned the ball over twice, one from Elliott bobbling the punt and the other from a tipped pass from Jones.
Both Hokie touchdowns came on their signature play where everyone moves one direction while one guy is released on the opposite side of the field. First it was Sam Rogers who ran 51 yards down the sideline for the score, and the second was to Ryan Malleck from the one yard line.
Trailing 17-14 at the half, the Buckeyes came out with a point to prove. The third quarter belonged to the most dynamic and athletic player in the country, Braxton Miller, who caught a 54 yard touchdown pass from Jones and beating the last defender with his legs.
On the next possession came the highlight of the night. Miller, channeled his supernatural Madden abilities, by pressing the circle (O) button on the controller and waking up the college football world to what they missed last season.
After dominating the second half, Barrett made an appearance and threw a gorgeous ball to Michael Thomas, who put All-American cornerback Kendall Fuller on skates with a stutter and go move:
But above all else, this was a team effort. From having a team captain that had to take the blow of having to sit on the bench, to a selfless and sacrificial Braxton Miller, the Buckeyes could not have handled this quarterback conundrum any better than they did. All of the hype and questions surrounding this team have been put to rest, and the rest of the college football world knows that the Buckeyes mean business.
Though a couple of mistakes were made, the team played as Meyer preaches – nine units strong. The slobs did not allow a single sack all game long, and they helped the offense compile 360 yards on the ground. The Silver Bullets made an impressive showing as well as they managed to force two turnovers all without defensive end Joey Bosa.
Scarily enough, this team will be returning Bosa and three other dynamic playmakers into the mix next week in the home opener against Hawaii. I weep at the thought of envisioning how Hawaii’s defensive coordinator is going to stop an offense like this. But to whoever it is that I owe that thought, I have one thing to say to you – Good luck.
From the moment Meyer accepted the job to coach at The Ohio State University, he has gotten every player to buy into his team mentality – of being committed to the team, for the team, and for the best interest of the team. And that is what championship teams are made of.
Last but not least, selfie with King Jones!
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