After his team’s all-time abominable passing performance last weekend, Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell had to make a change at quarterback. Thursday, Fickell named highly touted true freshman Braxton Miller as his starter for Ohio State’s upcoming game against Colorado. There was really no other choice after senior starter Joe Bauserman went 2/14 in an abysmal 24-6 loss at Miami on primetime national television.
Bauserman’s season numbers actually don’t look too awful. 30/60, 365 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs. However, the numbers don’t tell the entire story. Sometimes, all it takes is one game to realize a seismic change needs to take place to change the course of a program. Although Miller wasn’t much better against Miami – 2/4, 22 yards, 1 INT, 1 fumble – he needs to be Ohio State’s quarterback for the present and the future. It is this stat from Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer regarding the Miami debacle that shows why a change needed to be made:
“Joe Bauserman took 37 snaps, Ohio State offense gained 94 yds (2.5 avg). Braxton Miller, 18 snaps, 115 yds (6.4 avg)”
Luke Fickell might as well have turned in his resignation if Joe Bauserman started another game for the Buckeyes. Miller has a lot to learn as has been evidenced by his play in his first two games (he sat for mysterious reasons vs Toledo), but he has to be the answer to the Buckeyes’ quarterbacking woes. Ironically, Game 4 is also the same point in his career that Terrelle Pryor began starting for Ohio State, and Miller can expect those comparisons to continue.
The decision might have come three weeks too late though. The image of a helpless Luke Fickell watching his offense play like decreped zombies will be hard to overcome. Starting Braxton Miller is the last card Fickell can play to keep his job, and it’s telling he had to make this change after only three games. If Miller is able to grow up fast and Ohio State can string wins together in Big Ten play and finish with eight or nine wins, Fickell may have a chance to stay. Then again, Craig James may win sportscaster of the year award too.
Ohio State is clearly in a mini-rebuilding mode, and who can blame them after losing a national championship winning head coach and a Rose & Sugar Bowl MVP quarterback? Fickell’s mistake was not playing Miller from the beginning. As I hinted before the season began, the decision to start Bauserman from the beginning was the ultimate “coach not to lose my job” move.
It’s easy to say now, yet the truth of the matter is clear that Braxton Miller should have been starting from Day 1. The Buckeyes never had any sort of future with Joe Bauserman as their starting quarterback, so why did they waste valuable development time for 2011 and beyond? It did Ohio State no good in the big or small picture for Bauserman to play most of the snaps against Akron and Toledo, only to get railroaded when they went to Miami. Miller needed all those snaps to more fully prepare for the Canes, Buffaloes, and the Big Ten schedule. He clearly gives Ohio State a more dangerous offense and a better chance to beat good teams. Instead, Miller was thrown into the fire at Miami and appeared nervous, knowing a quick hook was on its way when he made a mistake.
What Ohio State must do against Colorado is combine the straight ahead running success that has been favored under Bauserman with Miller’s athletic ability. For his part, Miller has to protect the ball much better as well. It may sound crazy, but if Miller settles in as the starter… with the talent on defense and the suspended players returning soon… I’m not even ruling out the odd chance that Ohio State can still win the Big Ten this year. Crazy, I know. Braxton Miller is going to have Ohio State’s rebulding project firmly on his shoulders. Although we haven’t seen it on full display, he is talented enough to do the job. How quickly Miller progresses in that rebuilding may decide his coach’s fate.
