Miller on the spin move: ‘One of the best moments of my life’ – 247Sports

Posted: September 9, 2020 at 10:53 am


without comments

Special Offer

Two Months for Only $1

Go VIP - Two Months for Only $1

On Sept. 5, 2015, Braxton Miller made a play Buckeye Nation isn't soon to forget. Going against Virginia Tech in the season opener on Labor Day night, with the whole country watching, Miller, the two-time Big Ten GrieseBrees Quarterback of the Year, made his debut at H-Back in Urban Meyer's offense.

The story is well known by now. Miller suffered a shoulder injury just days before the start of the 2014 season and had to have surgery on the shoulder for the second time in eight months. Miller was sidelined for the year as he watched J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones lead Ohio State to a national championship.

After returning for his fifth year with the Scarlet and Gray, Miller elected to move positions, becoming a wide receiver in one offseason. When he stepped on the field at Lane Stadium that night in 2015, Miller was just happy to be healthy and back playing.

Recently on FOX Sports' Ring Chronicles series, Miller and Meyer joined host Rob Stone and discussed that game and the spin move, which Bucknuts remembered on Labor Day 2020, that had the college football still hasn't forgotten.

"I think that was the first time I opened up and cried in front of a whole group of men like that," Miller told Stone. "Because, you know, I didn't know what to expect and I think the good Lord willing, I was praying the whole week ahead of time and having the guy that we're talking to tonight, the king of college coaching (Meyer), have him behind you and just telling you how good of a game you gonna have, I believed him but I've got to go out there and perform myself. And he gave me chance after chance after chance and every chance that I got I took advantage of. I don't know what it was, man. I think I was just so determined to showcase my talent. I think coach Meyer was too. He knew what was inside of me, man, because he is one of the greatest coaches."

Miller was relatively quiet leading into the third quarter, and with just over two minutes to play in the period, Eli Apple recovered a fumble, giving Ohio State the chance to build on its 21-17 lead.

It didn't take long for Miller to take advantage of this chance. The H-Back took the ball to his left and found a hole. The play might have been done after about 12 yards except that Miller had other ideas. He wanted to find the endzone. That's when he hit the spin move.

"I remember we were coming out the huddle," Miller began recounting the play. "It was an H-Back sweep but who knows what to expect, man. I was supposed to go to the C-gap and I went way out there to the Z-gap. So it's like, here we go. And I just turned it on, man. It was just like a moment in my life that slowed down for me and honestly I did see those two guys coming and something just told me to spin and that was honestly I think like the spirit that hopped inside of me and that's what it was. And if you remember, when I put my feet down, I'm looking like, woah, I ain't touched. So I just kept running. So I'm like, 'Wow, this is crazy.' Then having that whole game just in my hands. I'd scored a regular touchdown. I'd been doing that in practice, little league, it is what it is. But when somebody sees you do that at a different position, the whole world erupts."

Standing on the sideline, Meyer was overjoyed. After coaching players at the position like Percy Harvin and others, Miller was a unique athlete who he envisioned making plays such as this one. But Meyer also knew what Miller had overcome with the two shoulder surgeries and the position change and was happy to see him doing his thing on the field again.

"Well, to this day, the worst part of coaching to me is when a player gets hurt, the injury factor," Meyer told Stone. "And Braxton's like family, man. I love Braxton Miller. I always will. That's my guy. I used to yell '5' at him all the time and I love Braxton Miller. So I'm always that way. When I see a player do what he did, the selflessness, he changed positions, and to have him rewarded. You know, at the end of the day why do you coach? That's why I coach. That's why I was doing this for 33 years because of guys like that and to see that."

What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for ourFREE Buckeyes newsletternow!

Want the latest scoops and news on the Buckeyes? Try our 7-DAY FREE TRIAL AND BECOME A BUCKNUTS SUBSCRIBER!

For Buckeye Nation, that was a special moment and one fans will likely think of any time the 2015 Virginia Tech game is mentioned. For Miller, that game, that play meant a whole lot more.

"It was probably one of the best moments of my life, honestly," Miller said. "Because without that, I don't know if I would go as high as I did in the draft as a receiver/athlete. That was like an emotional game for me. So it was a blessing, I'm very thankful and I'm always grateful."

Special Offer

Two Months for Only $1

Go VIP - Two Months for Only $1

Continue reading here:
Miller on the spin move: 'One of the best moments of my life' - 247Sports

Related Posts

Written by admin |

September 9th, 2020 at 10:53 am

Posted in Life Coaching




matomo tracker