Ohio State Spring Game: Major Focuses for Buckeyes Other Than Braxton Miller

Everyone will be focused on Braxton Miller and what type of progression and/or transformations he's made in Urban Meyer's offense, but there is a lot more to learn from the Ohio State spring game than just that.

The new coach has his work cut out for him, as the Buckeyes enter a bowl-banned season, but he's made his presence felt since day one on campus and there is absolutely no reason to doubt him.

In fact, he's already pumping up the expectations despite no potential for postseason play.

Here's a look at some things to focus on other than Braxton Miller and Urban Meyer.

Expectations/Crowd

As stated earlier, Meyer has done some work already on boosting the typical sky-high expectations of Buckeyes nation.

In fact, he was quoted by Doug Harris of the Springfield Sun News saying:

"

I hope we fill it. Wouldn’t that be fun? It’s what you expect from Ohio State. You had about 100,000 for one spring game (actually 95,722 in 2009). I just hope the weather is nice and they have a good day.

"

With nothing to technically play for, it would be an impressive feat if Meyer could fill the stadium near capacity.

Wide Receiver Consistency

This is as close as we'll get to talking about Braxton, but he'll be a big part of the game, as coach Meyer will have his quarterback put the passing attack on display.

As much as his quarterbacks are accustomed to running, he wants to be able to throw the football as well, and they have no returning receivers they can truly depend on.

They have a tight end in Jake Stoneburner, but they have no definitive No. 1 receiver yet.

It appears Corey Brown has been the best of the bunch, but the receiving group as a whole has to step up and make plays consistently.

Against this defense, they'll be put to a serious test.

Dominant Defense

Speaking of the defense, they've basically manhandled Meyer's offense to this point of the spring. Led by defensive lineman John Simon, one of the top players in country, they'll be a formidable force—especially with last year's head coach Luke Fickell and former Patriot Mike Vrabel coaching the front seven.

The secondary has a ton of talent too, returning talent at that, and they'll be busy with Meyer testing his offense.

Expect a few big plays on both ends, but don't surprised when it's the defense that wins out.