Braxton Miller Named Big Ten Freshman of the Year

Standout from Huber Heights honored with Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year award

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State freshman quarterback Braxton Miller, from Huber Heights, Ohio, was today named the Big Ten Conference’s Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year. The award is named in honor of Darrell Thompson, from the University of Minnesota, and Indiana University’s Antwaan Randle El.
 
Miller, who became Ohio State’s starting quarterback in the fourth game of the season, threw for 997 yards this season with 11 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He completed 50 percent of his attempts (67 of 134), and he capped his season with a 14-for-25 effort for 235 yards with two touchdowns – all season highs – in the regular season finale against Michigan.
 
Dangerous as a runner, Miller led the Buckeyes with 695 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Included was a school-record (by a quarterback) 81-yard touchdown run vs. Indiana.
 
Here’s more on Miller:
 
§  He rushed for more than 100 yards a team-best three times with 105 yards against Indiana and Penn State, respectively, and 100 vs. Michigan.
§  He accounted for 13 rushing and passing touchdowns in the last five games of the season, including all seven of his rushing scores and six of his 11 passing touchdowns.
§  He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice. The first time was after the dramatic win over Wisconsin when he completed a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith with 40 seconds to play and rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
§  Just this past week he earned the award again after his 335 yards of total offense vs. Michigan.
§  His late-game heroics also included leading the Buckeyes to a game-tying touchdown with 55 seconds left to play against Purdue. On fourth-and-13 he found Jordan Hall in the end zone for the dramatic score.
§  He led the Buckeyes on a five-play, 80-yard touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter to help the Buckeyes close to 37-34 against Michigan.
 
Miller will be presented with the Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year award Friday at a gala event in Indianapolis as part of the Big Ten championship game’s weekend of activities.
 
Ohio State’s Big Ten
Freshmen of the Year
1990    Robert Smith, RB
1992    Kory Stringer, OT
1994    Orlando Pace, OT
1996    Andy Katzenmoyer, LB
2002    Maurice Clarett, RB
2008    Terrelle Pryor, QB
2011    Braxton Miller, QB