When Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer spoke of Braxton Miller before this season, the first thing that came to mind was one word—athlete.
“Number one is an incredible athlete, and number two, he is a competitor,” said Meyer at Big Ten Media Days earlier this year. “Those two things separate him. He’s an incredible athlete.”
The challenge to Miller from Meyer and his critics was to become more than that; to become a quarterback that happens to be an athlete.
It’s what drove him to work with a quarterback guru in the offseason in the hopes of adding to his athletic ability at the position.
As we head into the final month of the regular season, some may say mission accomplished.
So far this season, Miller is completing 70 percent of his passes for 1,083 yards and, most importantly, 11 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He is averaging 180.5 yards a game through the air.
Miller has added 403 yards with two touchdowns on 83 carries for an average of 67.1 yards a game.
Add it all up, and Miller is first on the team with an average of 247.7 total yards a game this season. That average is nearly identical to the one he put up last season, 275.8 yards a game.
Yet, when you break it down, Miller has gotten there in very different ways in 2013.
The real story is in the improvements Miller has made in the passing game, and they have been dramatic.
Last season, he completed just 58.3 percent of his passes for 2,039 yards and…
Continue Reading: Ohio State’s Braxton Miller Has Gone from Athlete to Quarterback This Season
