Ohio State Football: Week 1 Suspensions Put Braxton Miller in Spotlight at WR
The Ohio State Buckeyes' quiet offseason was interrupted Thursday with the news that superstar defensive end Joey Bosa and three key pass-catchers—Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson and Corey Smith—have been suspended for the team's season-opening road game against the Virginia Tech Hokies.
The news, as first reported by Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch, adds a new twist to the highly anticipated showdown between the Buckeyes and the Hokies. The absence of Ohio State's best pass-rusher and defender carries huge significance, but losing three of the team's most dangerous perimeter playmakers is a huge blow as well.
And that blow has put Braxton Miller in the spotlight.
The two-time Big Ten MVP made recent headlines as well when he announced his transition to wide receiver from quarterback—the position he played and starred in during his first three years in Columbus. But after missing last season following a pair of surgeries to his throwing shoulder and a lengthy recovery process, Miller announced his position change in an interview with Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated.
“It’s a long process to get back totally to throwing and throwing every day," Miller told Thamel. "This is the smarter thing for right now, God blessed me with a lot of talent and different opportunities. I’m going to have fun with that and still score a lot of touchdowns and help the team out and be dominant at that.”
He may have to contribute sooner—and in a larger capacity—than many envisioned at the outset.
In his interview with Thamel, Miller said that he will start the season playing H-back, the position made famous by the electrifying Percy Harvin at Florida. The Buckeyes were already loaded at that position with three capable playmakers on the depth chart, but two of those players—Marshall and Wilson—won't make the trip to Blacksburg.
That leaves Curtis Samuel, Miller and a host of unproven underclassmen to fill the void.
The Buckeyes know just how difficult it is to throw the ball against Virginia Tech's aggressive defense. In the home opener last season, the Hokies invaded Columbus and shut down Ohio State's offense, limiting quarterback J.T. Barrett to just 9-of-29 passing while forcing him to throw a season-high three interceptions, the last of which was returned for a touchdown to seal a 35-21 Virginia Tech victory.
That was with a wide receiver corps that included Devin Smith, the best deep-threat receiver in college football last season, and Evan Spencer, a reliable wideout who was eventually named the team's MVP. Both have moved on to the NFL, so the Buckeyes were already working to replenish the receiver unit.
Now, that receiver unit will be without three top-flight options when it goes up against one of the toughest defenses it will face all season.
Will Miller be ready to help the Buckeyes avenge their sole loss from 2014?
Head coach Urban Meyer isn't so sure.
When Miller announced his position change, Meyer told Doug Lesmerises of the Plain Dealer that Miller had a lot to prove in fall camp.
"We won't know enough until practice starts how we can use him and what he can do," Meyer said, per Lesmerises. "I just don't know. He's a great athlete, but he's never caught a pass for us. So we'll know more and we have plenty of time when practice starts."
But with these suspensions, there's more urgency to get Miller up and running in his new position. The suspended trio has diminished Ohio State's experience at wide receiver—a group that starts and stops with Michael Thomas now.
Can Miller provide a lift on the perimeter to mask the losses of Marshall, Wilson and Smith? If not, the Buckeyes could have a hard time moving the ball against Virginia Tech.
David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
