Ohio State junior quarterback Braxton Miller is thinking about bypassing his senior season to turn pro and told reporters Friday night he will sit down soon with Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer to discuss his plans.
The meeting will come in the wake of a disappointing Orange Bowl for Miller and the Buckeyes, who lost 40-35 Friday night to Clemson. Miller threw two interceptions in the final 3:12 to help Clemson to the victory.
The final interception came with 1:18 left, two plays after Ohio State got the ball after picking off an ill-advised Clemson pass. When he threw that interception, Miller told reporters, he said he thought, "Everyone is going to hate me."
Ohio State led 29-20 with five minutes left in the third quarter, then saw Clemson score twice in a bit more than two minutes for a 34-29 advantage. Ohio State retook the lead on a TD pass from Miller to tailback Carlos Hyde, but the Tigers scored the eventual game-winner with 6:16 left, and Miller imploded thereafter.
Miller finished 16 of 24 for 234 yards, two TDs and the two picks. But he was surprisingly ineffective on the ground, finishing with just 35 yards.
Miller was hit early and often. Ohio State's offensive line, a team strength for much of the season, had trouble stopping Clemson's pass rush and also found it difficult to carve out running lanes. Clemson's defensive strategy was to stymie the Buckeyes' rushing attack and make Miller beat them through the air. He couldn't do it.
Ohio State tailback Carlos Hyde managed 113 yards and a TD on 25 carries, but he found it extremely tough going. It was his second-lowest rushing performance in the Buckeyes' final nine games of the season; he gained 111 yards against Purdue but on just eight carries and didn't play much in a 56-0 rout.
Ohio State finished with 427 yards of offense, its third-lowest output of the season. They managed 374 in a loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten title game and 390 in a narrow regular-season win over Wisconsin. The Buckeyes had 193 rushing yards, their second-lowest total of the season; they had 192 against Wisconsin.
The Buckeyes' defense was shredded to the tune of 576 yards. It was the third time this season Ohio State had allowed 500 yards; the Buckeyes had allowed 500 yards just three times in the previous 12 seasons combined.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
