Ohio State Football: Report Card for Braxton Miller's First Start

The day finally arrived for Ohio State fans.

The day where true freshman quarterback Braxton Miller was given the keys to the Buckeyes car.

Miller's era as the Ohio State starting quarterback officially began Saturday with a 37-17 victory after visiting Colorado.

So how did the freshman fare? Here's a look at the report card on Miller in his first career start.

Passing

Miller completed only 5 of 13 pass attempts for 83 yards on the day, or in simpler terms, he completed one more pass than Ohio State did as a team in last week's loss to Miami.

While his passing numbers aren't eye popping, he did throw two touchdowns, both to wide receiver Devin Smith. That was also a relief for Ohio State, considering that the Buckeyes didn't complete a pass to a wide receiver at all a week ago.

He looked shaky at times in the pocket, but that is to be expected.

He also looked good at times, especially hitting Smith in stride on a post route for a 32-yard score.

Grade: C

Rushing

What Miller brings to the lineup as the Buckeyes starting QB is the ability to be a playmaker, something he did more with his legs than with his arm on Saturday.

Numerous times during the game he showed the ability to do the little things that helped the offense out like getting back to the line of scrimmage or gaining a couple yards on plays that likely would have been bigger losses.

That alone helped keep the Ohio State offense in manageable situations.

On the day, Miller finished with 83 yards on 16 carries, some on designed runs and some off improvisation.

Ignore the numbers though, the biggest thing Miller did was add an element that previously wasn't there in the Ohio State offense.

Grade: B

Overall

The true freshman looked like an upperclassman at times during his first start. His numbers were by no means dazzling, but his overall direction of the Ohio State offense was impressive.

Overall, it's a step in the right direction and a sign of good things to come.

Grade: B-