Ohio State Spring Game: Urban Meyer Needs Huge Performance from Braxton Miller

Obviously, there is never a ton of pressure on a QB with a secure job heading into a spring game against his own team, but there is no question Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes need a big-time effort from rising sophomore Braxton Miller.

One of the first orders of business Meyer attended to as Buckeyes head coach was to assure Miller he was his guy moving forward. He was almost over-the-top with all of his gushing (via ESPN):

"

I've watched him compete in the big game. And to tell you I'm excited to coach him, I'm not using the correct adjectives. And because there's mixed company around I'm not going to use the correct adjectives, how excited I am. So I think you get it, right? Really excited. 

We've been blessed to have some great quarterbacks. And I'm really thinking this guy can be -- I'm putting a lot of pressure on this cat already -- but he's special. What I've seen on film, he's special.

"

Meyer said it himself—there is an abundance of pressure on the 19-year-old, and putting up a stinker in the spring game would make fans across the Buckeye state ultra-weary. 

With five starters departing from an offense that ranked 81ST in points scored (24.5) last year, the expectations are high for Miller to take the next step.

As a freshman, he struggled with his play in the pocket, completing just 85 of 157 passes for 1,159 yards, 13 TDs, four interceptions and a 54.1 completion percentage. It wasn’t until a 235-yard performance against Michigan in the last regular season game of the year did you really get a sense that Miller was going to be a prolific passer.

On the ground, there is no question he has star potential. In 2011, he had 159 attempts for 715 yards (4.5 avg) and seven TDs. He has explosive speed and created something out of nothing on multiple occasions when his receiver couldn’t get open. This guy is a playmaker and is incredibly dangerous in the open field.  

But before he can become a Heisman candidate, he needs to develop his pocket presence and accuracy. Thanks to Chris Leak and Tim Tebow, Meyer has developed a reputation for having an explosive offense with a running QB. Miller fits the mold, and now, the expectations are sky-high.

Riding the momentum of the Michigan game with another strong performance in the Gator Bowl against Florida (162 yards, two TDs), Miller needs to have a big game against the strong Buckeyes defense to keep up the progress. To make Meyer and the rest of Buckeye Nation sleep easy, an outstanding performance from Miller in the pocket will be required.

The defense is going to be just fine. It always is.

It’s all about the offense, which starts and ends with Miller. 

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter.