CLEVELAND TEAMS

Image source: Ohio State Football Facebook page

That pretty much describes the Ohio State Buckeyes so far in 2012.

The special teams have been terrible. Last week they gave up a punt return for a touchdown. This week it was a pathetic blocked punt.

The defense has been disappointing. They’ve had their moments, and the unit has real potential, but we don’t see a dominating unit, at least not yet.

Meanwhile, on offense, the Buckeyes can’t seem to get much going until Miller start cutting a spinning his way to some incredible runs. His passing has improved, so now he’s a legitimate dual threat quarterback, but he excels when he’s running with the ball.

He doesn’t have quite the speed of a Denard Robinson, and he isn’t quite as strong as Terrelle Pryor, but as a runner Miller is just as good as both of them. He has the natural moves and cutting ability of an elite running back as he seems to effortlessly cut through defenses.

We’ll see if this Ohio State team can get better as they work their way through a mediocre Big Ten schedule, but so far they’re being carried by Braxton Miller.

We’ve seen flashes of Braxton Miller’s talent, but last night we saw the freshman quarterback win a game with his ability and his moxie, as he beat the Wisconsin Badgers with his legs and his arm in spectacular fashion.

The kid has incredible cutting ability, so it’s fun to watch him run. He also has breakaway speed. And, last night he showed he can throw the ball. He may not be Andrew Luck, but he has the ability to be an excellent college quarterback.

Finally, the kid has ice in his veins. Here’s his response to a question from Doug Lesmerises:

Braxton Miller is remarkably unexcitable. When I asked him about his emotions as the players and fans stormed the field, he said his main focus was to make sure he didn’t get hurt in the scrum. When I asked if anything in his life makes him nervous, he said maybe giving a speech in class.

Word is he also winked to Coach Fickell before going onto the field for the last drive, signaling he had it covered.

Few people gave them a chance, but the smart money in Vegas saw the opening line of Ohio State +9.5 and started pushing it down as money flowed to the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes reasserted their rightful place as one of the powers of the Big Ten by reminding Wisconsin who was boss last night with a thrilling victory over the Badgers.

The Buckeyes dominated the line of scrimmage all night long, and all the hype around Wisconsin melted away as the game went on. The Badgers then came storming back and almost won the game, but Braxton Miller came of age with a stunning 40-yeard TD with 20 seconds left to seal the victory for the Buckeyes.

Some idiots on Twitter tried to criticize Ohio State fans for storming the field after beating a 15th-ranked team, but this has become a real rivalry, and the Bucks had a score to settle after last year’s loss in Wisconsin. It’s also been a rough year for the Buckeyes, so the elation was real after Ohio State fans had to listen to the Badger hype all year long.

Luke Fickell deserves credit for his own growth in the job. He’s slow to figure things out, but he eventually seems to get things right.

Great win!

This one could get ugly. The Ohio State offense is so anemic right now that everyone around the country seems to think this game is over before it gets started.

One key will involve the Buckeye defense. This unit has been pretty strong all season. They will have to keep it up this week and probably force some turnovers. Nebraska has it’s own problems with interceptions, so we might see the defense carry the load this week.

On offense, the Buckeyes just need to be competent, and that hasn’t been the case against good teams. Luke Fickell and Jim Bollman need to understand that they don’t have Troy Smith or Terrelle Pryor running this offense. They either need to go with other quarterbacks, or they need to craft a game plan that makes sense for Braxton Miller. They need to wake up.

Luke Fickell may not have figured it out during the debacle in Miami, but with more time to study film and think about the matter, he has decided to start Braxton Miller at quarterback this Saturday against Colorado in place of Joe Bauserman.

Maybe it’s inexperience, but he should have done more to address the situation during the game against the Canes. It was clear that Bauserman’s abilities couldn’t carry the Buckeyes against a talented defense. Miller got some playing time, but it was clear that Fickell and the coaches wouldn’t let him do much besides running a wildcat-type offense.

It’s time to let Miller play and learn under pressure. If the Buckeyes lose some games along the way – so be it.

At least Fickell did the right thing. Many of us are down on him after last week’s game, so now he has a chance to resurrect his head coaching career. He’s young, just like Miller, and he’s going to make mistakes. Hopefully this is a sign that he can recognize mistakes and correct them quickly.