What was pretty much assumed and reported on throughout Tuesday became official in the late afternoon as Ohio State released a statement confirming that senior quarterback Braxton Miller will miss the 2014 season due to a recurrence of the shoulder injury he originally sustained in the 2014 Orange Bowl. Miller re-injured the shoulder on Monday during his first significant snaps of either spring or fall camp. He will have the option of taking a medical redshirt, and all indications are that he intends to return in 2015 instead of entering the NFL Draft.
Already, the news of Miller’s impending season-long absence has had ripple effects from a prognostication standpoint. Ohio State’s odds of winning the national championship took a massive plunge, with LVH Sportsbook dropping them from 12/1 to 50/1. Michigan State has suddenly become an overwhelming favorite to win consecutive Big Ten titles for the first time since 1966.
Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett will most likely get the start when the Buckeyes take on Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore next Saturday. His play over the course of spring ball and the first few weeks of preseason camp vaulted him over Cardale Jones, the only quarterback on the roster with any meaningful game reps. As is generally the case with quarterbacks who commit to Ohio State, Rivals.com rated him as the seventh best dual-threat quarterback and 20th best prospect out of the state of Texas in 2012. He does have durability issues of his own after a torn ACL ended his senior season of high school.
The loss of Miller makes Urban Meyer’s task of getting this influx of new starters on offense ready for crunch time that much more challenging. There are a plethora of potential playmakers, including J.T. Barrett, but all are relatively unproven. Everything begins and ends with the battle in the trenches up front, and the Ohio State offensive line comes into the season as the most inexperienced unit on the team. Factor in a quarterback with zero starts who sat out 2013 and you have a perfect storm of uncertainty.
Despite the general sense of dread, there is precedence recently for college quarterbacks in their first year rising to the occasion and realizing immense levels of success. Both Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston led Texas A&M and Florida State respectively to unimaginable heights right out of the proverbial gates of their college careers. If you follow college football even remotely, you are well aware of the accolades these two athletes have garnered in such a short period of time.
The overarching factors working against Barrett possibly mimicking such lofty heights are the aforementioned issues up front. Having a battle-hardened physical force on the offensive line was a key component in what Manziel and Winston were able to accomplish. Irrespective of Manziel’s various issues from size to character, his top blocker Jake Matthews went 16 places ahead of him in the 2014 NFL Draft. Meyer has stressed the necessity of the linemen to make significant strides in August after a disappointing spring, and the sense of urgency in this regard should be even more pronounced given the situation.
There can’t be any argument whatsoever that a highly elevated level of intrigue has suddenly arrived in Columbus. Buckeye fans weren’t expecting to see Barrett unveiled in 2014, but Miller’s injury combined with his stellar showing in preseason practice points to him being unexpectedly thrown into the limelight. Though wins and losses trump pretty much all else at a program with the expectations Ohio State has on an annual basis, part of college football’s beauty is watching highly touted prospects blossom into stars. As the season looms in less than a fortnight’s time, J.T. Barrett will undoubtedly get his chance to shine.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter @LWOS_JB3. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at sports injury alert.
Football fans… check out our two partnered NFL podcasts – Thursday Night Tailgate Radio and Overtime Ireland. Both shows bring you interesting commentary, critical analysis and fantastic guests including former and current NFL players, coaches and personalities.
Main Photo:
