Buckeyes waiting for results
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - No news is truly no news in the case of Ohio State and the shoulder of Braxton Miller. On Monday night the world learned that the Ohio State senior quarterback re-injured his throwing shoulder during a non-contact portion of the Buckeyes' afternoon practice. Now Ohio State fans, and to a larger extent, college football fans wait to hear the latest.
Ohio State canceled Tuesday media availability via a press release. In the same release it was stated new information on Miller would be provided once enough information was gathered to share.
Miller had been limited during fall camp as Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes worked to limit the "volume" of throws that the Huber Heights (Ohio) product was subjecting his surgically repaired shoulder through. Miller did not throw in the morning session of practice on Monday and met with the media between sessions and seemed upbeat about where he was with his shoulder.
"I am doing fine, it is just progression in my shoulder and a precaution, I don't want to overdo it before the first game and have to sit out the first game because my muscle is too sore in the back and it is just a part of playing," Miller said on Monday after the morning practice session. "I do exercises to get it strengthened back up and I will be good."
Sadly for Miller and the Buckeyes, something went wrong with the shoulder and the severity of the injury will not be known until a Tuesday morning MRI is conducted and read.
Any likely loss of Miller for part or all of the season elevates J.T. Barrett to the starting role after overtaking Cardale Jones on the depth chart within the last week of practice. Barrett is a redshirt freshman from Wichita Falls (Texas) and has never played a down of college football. Barrett has several similar skills to Miller in his developing bag of tricks but obviously lacks the experience and running ability that the All-Big Ten signal caller possesses.
Miller's limited role in practice has allowed both signal callers the chance to see significant first team snaps throughout fall camp and that obviously will continue with Miller's future in doubt. The Buckeyes open the season on August 30th in Baltimore (Md.) against Navy before returning home for a big non-conference game against Virginia Tech.
The Buckeyes return to practice on Tuesday without Miller and hope to learn more about the fate of their signal caller later in the day.
The odds makers are already preparing for a different look from the Buckeyes with the Las Vegas Hilton reportedly taking the Buckeyes game against Navy along with several other bets off the board until more is known about Miller while online sportsbook Bovada has dropped the Buckeyes from 10/1 to win the National Championship to 18/1 as of Tuesday morning.
How does the reported loss of Braxton Miller change the outlook of the Buckeyes in 2014? Let your voice be heard in The Horseshoe Lounge and let us know your thoughts if this changes the outlook of the team.
Update: 12:25 pm
There still has been no release from Ohio State as of this point but all indications lead to bad news coming for Miller and the Buckeyes. Long-time VP of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys, Gil Brandt, went to Twitter with news that most Buckeyes fans are expecting.
Was told Ohio State expecting Braxton Miller to miss entire season. Release expected later today. Big blow for that team.— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) August 19, 2014
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