Ohio State Football: The Key to Victory vs. Wisconsin Lies Within Braxton Miller

It's no secret that Ohio State true freshman quarterback Braxton Miller possesses a ton of raw talent. He's expressed this quite clearly on the field thus far into the 2011 campaign, occasionally showing signs of pure excellence.

The phenom has completed 26-of-51 (51.0 percent) passes for 403 yards, five touchdowns and just two interceptions, while rushing 61 times for 243 yards (4.0 yards per carry). He is 2-2 as the starter, including a 10-7 loss to No. 11 Michigan State—who knocked off the previously undefeated Badgers last week—and a 34-27 loss to Nebraska, where he was forced to leave with a 14-point third quarter lead after injuring his ankle.

But it hasn't all been hunky dory for the 19-year-old QB. When Terrelle Pryor announced his departure from the team, plans for this season drastically changed, and a three-way battle for the starting position took place between fifth-year senior Joe Bauserman, sophomore Kenny Guiton and Miller.

However, when Bauserman proved he wasn't fit for the job (see: Week 3), it was then the decision was made to throw the freshman into the fire.

Miller was forced to learn the collegiate level of play brusquely at a high level, something he, nor the Buckeyes, was prepared to do. This, and the lack of experienced wide receivers, is the main reason we haven't seen much of a passing game in the Buckeyes' lifeless offense.

But this should all change on Saturday.

“That’s a really good football team that we’re playing,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said of the Badgers. “You’ve got to go in there with the idea that you’ve got to throw the ball around some. You’ve got to have some balance, no question about it.”

The Buckeyes offense has had games in which it completed four (University of Miami), six (Nebraska) and one (Illinois) passes. Everyone on the coaching staff, including Bollman, knows that wouldn't work against a Wisconsin team that scores over 47 points per game.

Coach Luke Fickell acknowledges that his football team spent a lot of time making strides towards a more efficient passing game during the bye week. He also stated that Miller and the young receiving corps has made some nice developments in this time.

“The Braxton I see now and I saw at Illinois and Nebraska as opposed to the Braxton against Michigan State and Miami are two different guys,” center Michael Brewster said. “That’s what you want to see from a good player that’s growing. It gives me a lot of confidence in him to see him taking those steps.”

Bollman also added that Miller has shortened his ball release and gotten much better with consistency.

“We can all see it. We can all feel it. It’s got to transform onto the field (on game days), but if you don’t see it on the practice field it’s not going to go on the field very often. It doesn’t work that way. I think things are moving along in the right direction," said Bollman.

Miller now has four starts under his belt, three of which have come against ranked opponents. Wisconsin is coming off a controversial upset loss to Michigan State, but is still No. 15 in the BCS standings.

The Badgers allowed Spartans QB Kirk Cousins to complete 22-of-31 passes (71.0 percent) for 290 yards and three TDs last week. Luke Fickell and the Buckeyes are hoping that an extra week of practice can help Braxton Miller do the same.

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