When Urban Meyer was named Ohio State’s next head coach, Buckeye fans knew their football team was in for a change offensively.
Meyer inherited a quarterback who is perfect for his system in Braxton Miller. Meyer has raved about Miller since the day he took over the OSU program.
And so far this year Miller, and the entire offense, has been outstanding for the most part.
Sure, OSU has gotten off to its fair share of slow starts and has looked lost at times. But, for the most part, the offense has been the reason why the Buckeyes are currently 9-0 and have a shot at 10-0 when they take on Illinois on Saturday in Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State is averaging 38.6 points per game in 2012–good for second in the Big Ten behind Nebraska. Last year, the Buckeyes averaged 24.5 which was eighth in the conference.
This year, OSU is averaging 431.8 yards per game, which is currently third in the Big Ten. Last season, the Buckeyes were 11th in the conference in total offense at just 318.2 yards per game.
Ohio State is second in the conference in rushing offense with 247.9 yards per game. The Buckeyes also have the conference’s leading rusher in Miller (1,093 yards and 12 touchdowns) and the Big Ten’s tenth leading rusher in Carlos Hyde (600 yards and 10 touchdowns).
The 22 touchdowns between Miller and Hyde lead any duo in the conference and the only duo to rival the two Buckeyes are Northwestern’s Kain Colter and Venric Mark, who have rushed for a combined 20 touchdowns.
The passing offense is still a work in progress with the sophomore quarterback. Miller still has a ways to go as a passer, but that will come with time and familiarity in Meyer’s system.
So far this season, Miller has thrown for 1,527 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Those numbers put Miller on pace for roughly 3,500 total yards and 32 total touchdowns for the 12 game season. Not too bad for a sophomore in his first year of a system.
We’ve seen different formations, plays and trickery we are not used to seeing as Buckeye fans. The offense will only continue to get better too.
And, with most of the starters returning next year, the sky is the limit for OSU’s offense under Meyer.
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