Urban Meyer has good news for Ohio State fans.
During his weekly press conference, Meyer said Braxton Miller has a sore neck, but the coach expects his star quarterback to play against Penn State this week. Even better, Miller will hit the field with team tomorrow for practice in preparation of the game this Saturday.
“All the test results came back negative, which is positive,” Meyer said. “He is very sore, he has a sore neck. We expect him to practice tomorrow.”
Miller’s availability for the Penn State game looked very much in doubt Saturday afternoon when the sophomore quarterback was brought down hard at the end of a 37-yard run in the third quarter against Purdue.
Miller was on the turf for over four minutes before members of the medical training staff gingerly helped him off the field. He was carted back to the locker room after failing to stand without assistance, and was later transported to the Wexner Medical Center located nearby Ohio Stadium.
In that instant, Ohio State fans saw the chances of a perfect season plummet dramatically. According to AP writer Rusty Miller, Urban Meyer shared that feeling:
Some feared Miller suffered a concussion when replays showed his head slam hard on the Ohio Stadium turf. After showing no signs of a concussion while being cleared of any sever back or neck injuries, it was revealed that Miller experienced more of a whiplash-type injury.
Miller has experienced a variety of injuries during his career, but never experiencing whiplash startled the quarterback.
"It was his neck. He got, like, whiplash. He was rattled. Once he settled down he was fine," Meyer said.
The coaching staff will likely give Miller more rest this week to aid his recovery, but having him back on the field against Penn State is huge for the Buckeyes.
After starting the season with back-to-back losses to Ohio and Virginia, Penn State looked destined for a miserable season. Since then, the Nittany Lions have posted five straight wins with an average margin of victory of 20 points during the stretch.
Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman is bracing for the toughest test his unit will face to date this season:
"They will be the best defense that we will have played so far," Herman said.
Having Braxton Miller back on the field should help.
(Photo credit - Jim Davidson - TheOzone.net)