By PAUL GOTHAM
The story lines leading up to Monday’s season opener between No. 1 Ohio State and Virginia Tech revolved around the Buckeyes’ current quarterback decision. It was Ohio State’s former signal caller who grabbed the spotlight in Ohio State’s 42-24 victory. Braxton Miller scored two touchdowns catching a pair of passes for 78 yards and rushing for another 62 as OSU erased a halftime deficit to extend the nation’s longest winning streak. Miller, a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback of the Year, was on the receiving end of a 54-yard pass play on the first drive of the second half as the Buckeyes took a 21-17 lead. Two drives later, the H-back busted a 53-yard run, and Ohio State never looked back.
How it happened
After converting their first two possessions of the game into touchdowns, Ohio State trailed 17-14 at half. The Buckeyes then found the end zone on four of the second half’s first six drives for their 14th straight win. Cardale Jones completed nine of 18 tosses for 186 yards and two touchdowns. The junior netted 99 yards on 13 rushes. Ezekiel Elliott gained 124 yards on 11 carries including an 80-yard rumble to give the Bucks a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Striking quick
The Buckeyes scored twice on first down. Their longest drive consisted of 3:55 – the eight-play possession which Jones connected with Curtis Samuel on a 24-yard strike to give OSU a 7-0 lead. They had one more eight-play drive (ended in a missed field goal). Ohio State faced nine third-down situations in 15 possessions (one of those was a fumbled punt). Va Tech had a time of possession of 32:52 to OSU’s 27:08. The Hokies converted eight of 17 third-down situations. OSU went 3-for-9.
QB quandary?
Jones is now 4-0 under center. He took over when J.T. Barrett, the 2014 Big Ten Quarterback and Freshman of the Year, broke his ankle in the fourth quarter of last year’s game against Michigan. Barrett was 11-1 at the time. Miller suffered a shoulder injury in the final game of 2013 and sat out the entire season a year ago.
They said it
OSU’s Urban Meyer on Braxton Miller:
“He’s [Braxton Miller] a guy that started his career that didn’t want to run around college and lift weights. He wasn’t a grinder and he is now. If you say I’m going to put you against that guy, he won’t lose. His greatest gift is he’s a competitor and I saw that I missed that. … If Braxton left we’d have been just above a .500 team.”
Getting revenge?
Virginia Tech was the only team to beat OSU last year – a 35-21 Hokie win at Columbus in the second week of the season.
Looking ahead
Ohio State hosts Hawaii next weekend.
***Meyer quote courtesy of Ohio State Athletic Communications.
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