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Throwing a “Hail Mary”
Braxton Miller.
After Miller re-injured his throwing shoulder yesterday in practice, just a couple weeks out from the season opener against Navy, there was a collective gasp that could be heard in every corner of Buckeye Nation. Potentially a season-ending injury, some are already deflating into a puddle of disappointment before the team has rushed into the Horseshoe for the first time this Fall. Understandably so, people are concerned. They should be. Braxton Miller is already a Heisman candidate based on his past successes, but we should look no further than just one year ago to find comfort.
Does the name Kenny Guiton still cause a Buckeye fan to smile?
Yes, it was in Berkeley, California last season against the Cal Bears when Kenny Guiton had a sensational display of throwing prowess for the Scarlet & Gray. Was it expected? No. Did it happen? Yes. For so many years when Jim Tressel was the head coach of the Buckeyes, literally everybody knew what play he was going to call (ironically, it rhymes with “fun”), regardless of age. Tressel had a system and, well, it worked pretty damn well. But it was predictable. These days, with Urban Meyer as the head coach (and the issue of dealing with restrictive sanctions), Ohio State has had to deal with adversity and many, many surprises. Few things in life, despite precise preparation, go exactly as planned. It’s not whether something negative will happen, but whether or not you can turn that negative into a positive (like when defensive lineman are chasing you with the game on the line).
Recall Ohio State v. Wisconsin in Columbus, Ohio in 2011?
Braxton Miller was not expected to make that kind of throw or for that to become a broken play. But it did and he had to adjust under pressure. Yes, that same Braxton Miller may miss this season because of a re-injured shoulder. It is still a “TBD” situation at this moment. However, on that same note, there are a couple backup quarterbacks who are ready and yearning for that spotlight.
And usually unforeseen greatness comes from people and situations we rarely expect.
Just ask Braxton Miller.
Two Quarterbacks Walk onto the Field…
The Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Berkeley, California this Saturday to battle the aerial arsenal that is the Cal Bears for an early season match-up between the Big Ten and the Pac-12 conferences.
It’s the Midwest vs. the West Coast.
Before the 2013 season, nearly all the hype for the Buckeyes was dedicated to their star quarterback, Braxton Miller. However, after a nasty hit in last week’s game against San Diego State that left Miller’s helmet on the field after just nine plays, head coach Urban Meyer has yet to definitively clear him to start this weekend. Miller is considered to be a game time decision.
And yet, this is, potentially, not even the biggest headline going into the game.
The most intriguing question is how much playing time will backup sensation Kenny Guiton receive? Guiton has proven to play with a style very close to that of Miller, which could open up the offensive playbook for some very fun, unusual play calls where two quarterbacks are lined up in a spread formation.
Sound familiar Buckeye fans?
The storylines for the game in Berkeley consist of many aspects, like:
- Cal’s passing offense vs. Ohio State’s active (or reactive) nature in the secondary
- Ohio State’s diverse rushing attack
- Will Braxton Miller start? If so, how much will he play? How effective will he be?
- Does Kenny Guiton start? If not, how much time might he see?
- Will Cal’s capable rusher deflect the young “Silver Bullets?”
- Will defense, ultimately, be a factor? Or will the Bears and Buckeyes engage in an old fashioned western shootout?
- How influential is Cal’s home field advantage?
Still, beyond the suspected pregame analysis, what would the Buckeyes look like with two athletic quarterbacks lined up in a spread formation? Imagine the possibilities…
Everyone is talking about Plan A (with Miller) or Plan B (with Guiton).
I’m thinking of a more dynamic formula. How about A + B?
Playing with the starting quarterback and backup quarterback in formations would be a very liberal approach to the offense and I can think of no better place to experiment with such an endeavor than Berkeley, California.
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