Urban Meyer knows a thing or two about quarterbacks.
Shortly after he began his head coaching career at Bowling Green, after two years as an assistant coach at Ohio State, he molded dual-threat quarterback Josh Harris into an all-conference performer and one of the school’s all-time great players. Harris ended his Falcons career as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (43) and currently ranks third in passing yards and touchdowns.
After Meyer moved on to Utah, he developed Alex Smith into one of the best signal-callers in the country. Smith posted a 21-1 record as a starting quarterback and was named the Mountain West Player of the Year during the Utes 12-0 season in 2004. Smith finished fourth overall in the Heisman voting that same season and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
Following a brief stay in Salt Lake, Meyer migrated to the University of Florida. There, he had the pleasure of working with Tim Tebow, who developed into one of the best college players to ever play the game. Not only did Tebow win the Heisman Trophy under Meyer’s watch, but he also won two national titles and set five NCAA, 14 SEC, and 28 Florida statistical records. To date, Tebow is the SEC’s all-time leader in career pass efficiency (170.8), completion percentage (67.1), passing TDs to interception ratio (5.5 to 1), rushing yards by a quarterback (2,947), rushing TDs (57) and total touchdowns responsible for (145).
Enter Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller.
When Meyer accepted the Ohio State job on November 28, 2011, Miller was one guy the first-year Buckeye coach knew he could build a team around. Not only was Miller gifted athletically, but the physically imposing playmaker was a perfect fit for Meyer’s spread offense, which relies on a running and passing threat behind center.
Just one year removed from being named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year after rushing for a school record 13 scores and passing for another 1,159 yards and 13 touchdowns, Miller became one of the nation’s most dynamic players in leading Ohio State to a perfect 12-0 record in 2012.
Not only did the 6-2, 220-pound sophomore lead Ohio State in rushing with 227 carries for 1,271 yards (the most ever by a Buckeye QB) and 13 touchdowns, but he had six 100-yard rushing games, which included a school-quarterback record 186 yards against Nebraska, was second in the Big Ten in total offense (275.8 yards per game) and topped 300 yards of total offense five times, which tied the school record. He also became only the third Big Ten quarterback to surpass 1,000 yards rushing, joining Antwaan Randle El and Denard Robinson as the only other players to do so.
“Braxton is a hard guy to contain because he is so big and physical,” former Cal head coach Jeff Tedford said. “He is fast, accurate and a great athlete.”
“(Braxton) Miller is a fantastic football player, he fuels this Ohio State team with his ability to make guys miss,” Illinois head coach Tim Beckman said.
In addition to his dynamic running ability, Miller also proved to be a capable passer. The second-year QB completed 148 of 254 passes for 2,039 yards and 15 touchdowns. Combine those numbers with his impressive rushing stats and that was a big reason why No. 5 set a school-record with 3,310 yards of total offense. For his efforts, Miller earned the Big Ten Conference’s Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year Award and the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year Award, which were announced at the end of November.
“I’m grateful for this moment and this honor,” Miller said after receiving the two postseason honors. “And I am very thankful for the coaches we have and for their working so hard with us.”
“Winning this award is quite an achievement for this young man because he can still get better,” Meyer said. “I am happy for him and very proud. This is a terrific honor for a Buckeye to receive.”
Although the Buckeyes opened the season 4-0, it wasn’t until the game at Michigan State that Miller felt that his team had the potential to do something special. Trailing 13-10 late in the third quarter, Miller connected with wideout Devin Smith for a 63-yard touchdown pass, which put the Buckeyes up 17-13.
Meyer’s team went on to win the game, 17-16, and that was when Miller knew he and his teammates had a shot to be the Big Ten’s best team despite not being able to win the league or go to a bowl game.
“After we beat Michigan State – the toughness we showed in that game – I thought we could have a chance to take it the whole way.”
Following the Buckeyes comeback win over the Spartans, Ohio State rolled on to five more wins, which left only Wisconsin and arch-rival Michigan in the way of an undefeated season.
The Buckeyes went to overtime to take down the Badgers, and they had to scrap and claw to hold off the Wolverines in front of the largest crowd (105,899) in the history of “The Game.” But behind the outstanding play of Miller, Ohio State was able to fend off all comers en route to going undefeated.
“It’s a perfect season, you can’t ask for anything better,” Miller said. “You have to get all the wins you can, especially against The Team Up North and at home.”
Added Miller: “I’ve never been around a team like this. The toughness and the swag we have had throughout the whole year, I’m just thankful this team is 12-0.”
The question now with Miller becomes: what will he do for an encore?