OSU Notebook

Braxton Miller ‘fine’ after getting hurt

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller grimaces in pain as he is helped by trainers after getting injured in the third quarter Saturday.

COLUMBUS — Ohio State survived the scare of its season on Saturday — and it has nothing to do with a 29-22 overtime escape over Purdue.

Quarterback Braxton Miller is "symptom-free" and was released from the hospital Saturday night after suffering an apparent head injury late in the third quarter, a school spokesman said.

“He is doing fine,” the spokesman said.

The sophomore was tackled to the turf by Purdue’s Josh Johnson at the end of a 37-yard run late and remained on the ground for three minutes before staggering to the bench. He was transported via ambulance to Wexner Medical Center on campus, where doctors examined his head, shoulders, and neck because of concerns of a possible concussion.

Miller’s status for practice this week was uncertain.

KEEP COOL: Count coach Urban Meyer among those who wasn’t surprised by Kenny Guiton’s composure in relief of Miller. The fourth-year junior completed 6 of 11 passes for 77 yards and respectively found Chris Fields and Jeff Heuerman for a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion with three seconds remaining.

“I just can’t say enough about him, but it’s kind of a recurring theme every time we bring up his name,” Meyer said. “It’s the same thing as a coach. He prepares. Competitive excellence is simply when you work so hard, when your number’s called, because of so many reps, you can make a play.

“It’s just a tribute to that kid. He’s a special guy. I hate to say it but even if he doesn’t complete that pass, he’s a special kid. He’s all Buckeye now. That family ought to be very proud. I know they are —are you kidding me?”

AN APPEAL FOR HELP: Purdue coach Danny Hope was largely gracious afterward, but he did wonder aloud why his defensive line did not put more heat on Guiton during the Buckeyes’ eleventh-hour TD drive.

"I thought they were able to give their quarterback good protection and I felt like our guys were doing a good job of rushing the quarterback,” Hope said. “I felt like we had a lot of hands on our jerseys. That made it tough to manufacture the pass rush.

“I felt like we should have been in a position to put more pressure on their quarterback and sack their quarterback on that drive. I felt like we probably would have if we didn't have quite so many hooks and so many hands on our jerseys.”

BREAKOUT GAME: Where is Chris Fields?

The junior provided a resounding answer Saturday. After failing to record a catch in the first seven games, Fields had three for 44 yards and a touchdown —a 2-yard catch that set up the game-tying two-point conversion.

“Chris Fields is a product of our program,” Meyer said of Fields, who had eight career starts before sliding down the depth chart this season. “That means three weeks ago, he wouldn’t have been on the field. But he just changed his whole dynamics, the way he works, his practice habits and his performance. … He’s earned that right to be on the field.”

EXTRA POINTS: Marc Loving of St. John’s Jesuit, who has committed to play basketball at OSU took in the game as part of his official campus visit. … The Buckeyes improved to 38-14-2 all-time against Purdue and 2-1 in overtime games in the series. (OSU beat Purdue 16-13 in 2003 and fell 26-23 last season.) … Ryan Shazier led OSU with 12 tackles. Zach Boren, in his second game as a linebacker since switching from fullback, had five tackles.