OSU Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A glance at the Ohio State players named to preseason watch lists and how they performed in a 35-28 win over California on Saturday:

QB Braxton Miller, So. (Maxwell, O'Brien): There wasn't nearly as much room to run, so Miller simply went to the air to put points on the board. He set a career high with four passing touchdowns, and for good measure created some space with an incredible juke to spring himself for a 55-yard scoring rush.

DE John Simon, Sr. (Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski, Lott IMPACT): Limited by a shoulder injury that nearly caused him to miss the game, the captain gritted his way through the afternoon and picked up his first sack of the season in the process. Simon's numbers aren't overwhelming through three games, but his importance to the Buckeyes can't be overstated.

DT Johnathan Hankins, Jr. (Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski, Outland): The big man had been having an impact early in the season without having many personal statistics to show for it, but that dramatically changed against the Golden Bears. Hankins had a hand in 10 tackles and broke through for a sack in a dominant outing on the interior.

WR Corey "Philly" Brown, Jr. (Biletnikoff): The leading receiver for the Buckeyes was largely held in check, coming up with just three catches for 31 yards and only getting one carry for 5 yards. The emergence of Devin Smith as another viable threat at receiver could help him down the line as it gets harder for opponents to defend multiple targets on the perimeter.

TE Jake Stoneburner, Sr. (Mackey): Every catch was meaningful for the Buckeyes, just as usual with Stoneburner. Of the three grabs against Cal, the senior turned two of them into touchdowns and the other was an explosive 40-yard gain.

SS C.J. Barnett, Jr. (Thorpe): The defensive back had a hand in 10 tackles and made one behind the line of scrimmage, easily his best performance this season in a small sample size. Barnett has broken up three passes so far this year, but he's still looking for a few turnovers to try to get his name back in any awards conversation.

K Drew Basil, Jr. (Groza): Other than his tackle on a kickoff, there wasn't much for Basil to look back and remember fondly from the win over Cal after missing an extra point in the first quarter and not even attempting a field goal for the second time this season.

LB Etienne Sabino, Sr. (Butkus): Fellow linebacker Ryan Shazier isn't making it easy to keep pace for the team lead in tackles, but Sabino is still finding ways to contribute at the second level. He chipped in seven tackles and his first sack of the season in the victory.

RB Jordan Hall, Sr. (Walker): Understandably lacking crispness in his first outing since offseason foot surgery, Hall still came off the disabled list to lead the Buckeyes with 87 yards rushing. He combined well with Miller on the option, and the rushing attack should only improve as Hall gets acclimated to the offense moving forward.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first weekly award of the season arrived for Braxton Miller.

His coach still isn't ready to discuss the Ohio State quarterback as a candidate for a yearly honor.

Miller's hot streak to open the season earned some recognition from the Big Ten on Monday. His five-touchdown performance in a win over California earned him offensive player of the week honors. It was a dynamic outing that only added to the possibility he could wind up in the conversation for more serious hardware this season. But Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer isn't ready to have that discussion just yet, though when the time is right, he suggested he'd acknowledge it.

"I don’t think he’s played well [enough]," Meyer said. "Let’s put it this way, at some point if he does, I’ve been asked and I’ve been lucky enough to have guys go to New York, it’s been kind of fun to be part of that and have Heisman candidates. Three or four have been mentioned and all that, and I think at the appropriate time, I won’t say he’s not.

"I don’t believe he is now -- he’s not playing well enough yet."

There could still be room for improvement, but few quarterbacks have enjoyed a better stretch to open the season than Miller.

The sophomore is 10th in the nation in rushing, 12th in total offense and improved to No. 2 in the country in points responsible for after throwing for four scores and adding another rushing touchdown in the 35-28 victory Saturday. But Miller might just be getting started as he and Meyer's spread offense keep growing together.

"We’re getting close," Meyer said. "I am pleased with his progress. He’s a much different player than he was a year ago, and that’s just coming from [running backs coach] Stan Drayton, who was on the staff a year ago since I didn’t know. I mean, Braxton Miller showed up in training camp and wasn’t in the conversation about playing, and ability-wise he should have been. That tells you he wasn’t a great practice player. Tthat’s why I think he’s improved the most because freak athletes have got away with it for so long from little league to high school because they’re just so much better than people.

"That’s probably where I’m most pleased. I think he’s on schedule."

Bumps and bruises: John Simon did his best to hide the pain in his shoulder last week, and Meyer almost wound up without the defensive end on game day.

The Buckeyes don't want any surprises against UAB on Saturday, so Meyer is looking for straight answers as his team hits the practice field again this week.

"He says he feels a lot better," Meyer said. "I asked him to be honest, and he said he feels a lot better than a week ago. I said, ‘You didn’t tell me that a week ago, John.’ He goes, 'My shoulder is a long way from my heart.'

"I get it, Braveheart, just tell us so we can get you treated and get you right."

There are two Buckeyes still getting treatment that appear unlikely to play against UAB on Saturday: defensive end Michael Bennett (groin) and running back Carlos Hyde (knee).

Team honors: Devin Smith showed up yet again in the Champions Club. This time, the Ohio State sophomore didn't even limit himself to just one award.

Smith was tabbed as the offensive player of the game after his two touchdown catches and 145 yards receiving, but he also picked up recognition from the coaching staff as the standout on special teams, according to the weekly grades and honors handed out by the Buckeyes.

Other honorees:

• Defense: Tackle Johnathan Hankins (player of the game), cornerback Bradley Roby and linebacker Ryan Shazier
• Offense: Running back Jordan Hall, fullback Zach Boren, tight end Jeff Heuerman and Smith
• Special teams: Smith

There are only 14 weeks in the college football regular season. This is one of them.

That's about the nicest thing I can say about this week's slate of Big Ten games, which makes me yawn every time I scroll through it. But that's not to say there aren't any interesting contests on tap. Here's a quick preview of what's coming on Saturday in order of most to least interest (all times ET):

No. 18 Michigan (2-1) at No. 11 Notre Dame (3-0), 7:30 p.m., NBC: No doubt this is the headliner of the week, a game that has taken on even more prestige given the strong start this season by the Irish. Can the Wolverines do what Purdue and Michigan State couldn't and topple the Golden Domers? They do have Denard Robinson, who has caused more nightmares in South Bend than the bogeyman. With the game under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium, this should be a whole heap of fun.

Syracuse (1-2) at Minnesota (3-0), 8 p.m., Big Ten Network: A game that didn't seem all that interesting in the preseason now looks like maybe the second-best option for Week 4. The Gophers look to get to 4-0 but will have to do so without the injured MarQueis Gray. The Orange are 1-2 but played Northwestern close and hung with USC, and they rank third in the nation in passing yards behind Ryan Nassib. This will be a real test for Minnesota.

Temple (1-1) at Penn State (1-2), 3:30 p.m., ABC: The Nittany Lions finally got a win last week against Navy and need that mojo this week to avoid losing to Temple for the first time since 1941. The Owls didn't inspire a lot of confidence in losing to Maryland last week, but they nearly pulled off the upset of Penn State last year in Philly.

Louisiana Tech (2-0) at Illinois (2-1), 8 p.m., BTN: It says something when this is the fourth best game of the week, but I actually think this could be a good one. The Bulldogs are better than you think, having won eight games last year and playing TCU close in their bowl. Their opener against Texas A&M got postponed by weather, but they've averaged 56 points and nearly 290 rushing yards in wins over Rice and Houston. If the Illini are still banged up and not at their best, they could lose here.

UTEP (1-2) at Wisconsin (2-1), Noon, ESPN2: Fun fact: UTEP is ranked 106th in scoring offense. Wisconsin is ranked 113th. OK, that's not much fun if you're a Badgers fan. But the point is, Wisconsin has played so poorly that no game is safe at this point. The Miners gave Oklahoma a minor scare in Week 1.

South Dakota (1-1) at Northwestern (3-0), 3:30 p.m., BTN: After playing three straight BCS AQ teams, the Wildcats get a bit of a break here and should improve to 4-0. South Dakota did win at Minnesota two years ago, but the Coyotes lost to Maine in their season opener.

Central Michigan (1-1) at Iowa (2-1), Noon, BTN: Yes, we've reached the real snoozer portion of the schedule. The Chippewas got drilled at home by Michigan State two weeks ago. Iowa found a little bit of an offensive rhythm against Northern Iowa and should not have much trouble if it can keep that up.

UAB (0-2) at No. 16 Ohio State (3-0), Noon, BTN: This is little more than a tune-up for the Buckeyes before their showdown at Michigan State on Sept. 29. The Blazers have been outscored 88-35 in their first two games, losses to Troy and South Carolina. Have fun, Braxton Miller.

Eastern Michigan (0-3) at No. 21 Michigan State (2-1), 3:30 p.m., BTN: The Spartans will also just be tuning up before that Ohio State game, not to mention relieving some frustration from the Notre Dame loss. Eastern Michigan was last seen losing 54-16 to Purdue and ranks nationally in rush defense. Good luck stopping Le'Veon Bell this week, fellas.

Idaho State at No. 25 Nebraska (2-1), 3:30 p.m., BTN: Just about the only storylines for this one are Bo Pelini's health and Rex Burkhead's availability. The FCS Vandals lost to Air Force in the opener but then rebounded to beat Black Hills State, which is apparently a real team. Conference season can't get here soon enough.

Byes: Indiana, Purdue

Run it back ...

Team of the week: Penn State. No matter what you might think about the school and the football program after the Jerry Sandusky scandal, it was hard not to root for the current Nittany Lions players to finally get a win after so many obstacles. Penn State busted out with an easy, feel-good 34-7 win over Navy. The Midshipmen are hard to root against as well, but this one time was OK.

Game of the week: You might have missed it, because it ended late and was on at the same time as much bigger games. And, OK, it was Indiana. But the Hoosiers' game against Ball State was the most exciting Big Ten contest of the weekend. The teams traded touchdowns in the first half, with Ball State leading 25-24 at the break. Indiana looked done when it trailed 38-25 late in the fourth quarter and starting quarterback Cameron Coffman went out with a hip pointer. But freshman Nate Sudfeld threw a 70-yard touchdown pass and then led the team on another scoring drive with 49 seconds left. Ah, but the Hoosiers made the PlayStation mistake of scoring too fast. Ball State completed a controversial, hard-to-believe pass to the IU 25 with one second left, and Steven Schott booted the game-winner as time expired. It was a tough, tough loss for Kevin Wilson's team, but a fun game to watch.

Biggest play: If it's late in a close game, the last thing a defense wants to see is Braxton Miller scrambling. The Ohio State quarterback burned Wisconsin with a long touchdown throw after things broke down last year, and he did so against Cal on Saturday with a 72-yard strike to an unbelievably open Devin Smith for the game with 3:26 left. Safeties have to respect Miller's explosive running ability, but they get can burned when they leave their receivers. That's why the Miller scramble is becoming one of the most dangerous late-game plays to defend.

Best call: Wisconsin was supposed to be in punt safe mode in the third quarter against Utah State, and its returners would usually call for a fair catch in the situation Kenzel Doe found himself in. But Doe, who was only returning punts because Jared Abbrederis was injured, saw a small opening on the sideline and decided to go for it. He was in the end zone 82 yards later, finally giving the Badgers the spark they needed to eventually beat the Aggies 16-14. Doe? More like Woo-Hoo!

Big Men on Campus (Offense): How about some love for the backups this week? Minnesota's Max Shortell stepped in for the injured MarQueis Gray and threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Gophers fend off Western Michigan for a 3-0 start. And as Iowa's running back curse reached new, ludicrous heights, walk-on Mark Weisman came out of nowhere to run for 113 yards and three touchdowns as part of the Hawkeyes' much-needed win over Northern Iowa.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): Minnesota cornerback Michael Carter had an 18-yard interception return to set up a touchdown early. He also broke up Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder's pass late to help preserve the 28-23 victory.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): It's hard to run 99 offensive plays before scoring your first touchdown, but that's what Northwestern did against Boston College. Luckily, they had kicker Jeff Budzien, who made all five of his field goal attempts to give the Wildcats all the points they'd need in a 22-13 victory.

Worst hangover: Michigan State, by a mile. The Spartans were carrying the banner for the Big Ten for one week before they tripped, broke the pole and set the flag on fire against Notre Dame. Although Michigan State bounced back from a bad loss to the Irish last year, Saturday's offensive showing was so inept that it makes you wonder if this team can overcome those limitations going forward. Just a bad, bad performance on a national stage.

Strangest moment: Playing UMass is good for your offense, and just about everyone got involved in Michigan's 63-13 win. That included left tackle Taylor Lewan, who got to live out an offensive lineman's dream by recovering a Denard Robinson fumble for a touchdown. Or did he? At least one teammate claimed that center Elliott Mealer actually recovered the ball. And Robinson said Lewan was mad about his score because the play broke down and he didn't get to complete his block. But the box score says it was a Lewan touchdown, and that's something we probably won't see again.