MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – If that was the final image of Braxton Miller, how will he be remembered?
Will it be as the electrifying playmaker who led Ohio State to 24 consecutive wins, or the quarterback who couldn’t quite seal the deal in what would be his final two games as a Buckeye?
For a long night and early morning, Miller became a close acquaintance with the plush Sun Life Stadium grass field. An offensive line that had kept him in an upright position and his jersey scarlet had trouble corralling the athletic front four of the Clemson Tigers. It left Miller frequently writhing in pain on the turf.
“The first sack they had against me, I injured my shoulder. I landed on my elbow, but it shot right up to my shoulder,” Miller said. “It hurt real bad. On a scale of 1-10 it was a 9.5. It affected my running, planting on my back foot and scrambling.”
When all was said and done the scoreboard read Clemson 40, Ohio State 35. Miller was sacked five times and planted on the ground umpteen others. His three second-half turnovers, all in the game’s final 20 minutes, played a massive part in the Buckeyes’ second defeat in as many games.
But then there was Miller dashing 33 yards for a touchdown and using stutter steps to avoid Tiger defenders. There was a beautifully thrown 57-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Heuerman and several crucial completions to Philly Brown.
It was vintage Miller and the all-too-familiar inconsistent Miller wrapped into one. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 234 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Five sacks contributed to his 35 yards rushing. Otherwise, it would have stood at 84.
The 60-minute thrill ride wasn’t quite what Miller envisioned. He drops to 0-2 in bowl games and the aura of bring indestructible faded. It almost seems impossible that Miller and head coach Urban Meyer could fall in consecutive games with such significance linked to each outing.
Suddenly, the 24-game win streak will be looked at through a different prism. Asked about the luster being removed, Miller smiled and gave a diplomatic response.
“That’s kind of tough,” he said. “You might want to ask Coach Meyer about that one. I don’t want to say too much about it.”
Many already have. The national media is in the process of removing shine from Meyer’s coaching acumen and Ohio State’s brand. Miller is suffering from the same critical response. One night showed why Miller wants to bolt for the NFL and why he’s nowhere near the level needed to succeed as a quarterback in professional football.
It’s no secret the hits are taking a mental and physical toll on the signal-caller. But he held the ball too long at times, remains an inconsistent passer and doesn’t have the wherewithal of a top-line NFL starting quarterback.
“I thought I had Philly on a bender and it was my mistake,” Miller said of the game-ending interception. “I’m not going to complain about anything. I’ve just got to fix it.”
Whether he fixes it in an NFL training camp or Ohio State’s spring practice is anyone’s guess. He has 11 days to make a decision. According to Miller, the procedure will include his parents, Meyer and Mickey Marotti. He enters decision-making time not leaning in either direction.
“I’m just going to think it out throughout the whole process and how it will go,” Miller said. “I don’t want to make a decision I didn’t do my research on.”
Moments later, Meyer ushered Miller into his office deep in the bowels of Sun Life Stadium. And with that, Miller was gone.

ou1980;1562362 wrote:Bleacher Report breaking: Braxton Miller expected to return senior season...

j_crazy;1562375 wrote:Just came to post about shazier and miller. Wish it was reversed.

HighRoller74;1562367 wrote:Which is the best for him, and this team, unless you feel like rolling with a Freshman and going 7-6 next season.

wildcats20;1562508 wrote:@brdispatch: I have it on very good authority that Braxton Miller has NOT made a decision on whether to enter the NFL draft.

se-alum;1562476 wrote:Agree. Freshman can't win in CFB, that's obviously been proven.

LJ;1562517 wrote:Thamel is very tight with Meyer. This is the kinda thing where you gotta take Thamel's word for it right now because reporting incorrect info would hurt their relationship

HighRoller74;1562521 wrote:So JT Barrett, is the next Jameis Winston, or Johnny Football. Thanks for the info.

se-alum;1562525 wrote:How do you know he isn't?

WebFire;1562565 wrote:The Braxton hate here is ridiculous.

WebFire;1562565 wrote:The Braxton hate here is ridiculous.

HighRoller74;1562570 wrote:Its quite sad.

It seems ever year people feel our Backup QB is better than our starter. Going back to Krenzel, except for maybe 03, and 06.

And its starting already, now we've got people claiming JT Barrett is the better option for next season.

LJ;1562574 wrote:There are people who have called into 97.1 when Krenzel is on to tell him that he should have been benched in favor of McMullen in 2003.

WebFire;1562565 wrote:The Braxton hate here is ridiculous.

centralbucksfan;1562596 wrote:Its beyond that IMO. Anyone wishing he would leave is insane and just flat out stupid! Him leaving leaves OSU as a 3 loss team. Him returning, puts OSU in top 5.

Also, those wishing Herman leaves are stupid as well. OSU just obliterated offensive records left and right this season! What are some of you thinking! Oh wait, you want Bohlman back! I knew it! ha! Idiots!