ON THIS DAY: Braxton Miller Spin Move at Virginia Tech in 2015
Ohio State coaches, players, fans and even opponents might not have been exactly sure what converted quarterback Braxton Miller was going to contribute at wide receiver (or H-Back) entering the 2015 season, but the Dayton native quickly stymied any concerns during the team’s season opener at Virginia Tech on September 7.
Most people outside of the program didn’t even know who would be the starting quarterback for the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes that opening Monday night in Blacksburg, but Cardale Jones (fresh off his 2014 national championship run) emerged from the sidelines as the opening signal caller against the Hokies.
That left Miller, a former three-year starter behind center with 82 total college touchdowns on his resume, to find a different position. The freak athlete took one half to get comfortable before showing out at his new role, corralling a 54-yard TD pass from Jones to begin the third quarter and help Ohio State regain the lead at 21-17.
His kodak moment, however, occurred later in the period as the Buckeyes hovered around midfield. Miller took a direct snap with Ezekiel Elliot as his lead blocker and was forced wide to the left.
He slipped free on the edge and, with a Hokie defensive lineman barreling down at the second level, Miller hit a filthy spin move faster than you could have pressed the ‘B’ button on Xbox to deliver the same movement.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound versatile specimen saw nothing but space in front after that agile display, sprinting the final 40 yards to put OSU ahead 28-17. It prolonged a stretch of four-consecutive touchdowns as the top-ranked Buckeyes never looked back.
Miller helped Ohio State compile a 12-1 record that season, including a victory over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, before getting drafted in the third round by the Houston Texans.
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