COLUMBUS, Ohio — Even if the rest of Columbus is, Tom Herman isn't one for "What could be?"
Which is why when asked how his unit would be different this season with the injured Braxton Miller starting in place of J.T. Barrett, the Ohio State offensive coordinator opted not to compare the past two Buckeye quarterbacks.
"I get that question quite a bit," Herman admitted on Monday. "You guys like to deal in what ifs and hypotheticals. I like to deal in what is and reality. So I don't think it would be much different."
But as Herman's answer continued, the coach speak eroded as he admitted that there are some plays that Miller's presence allowed him to call and that Barrett's presence doesn't permit. "Obviously the home run ability of him when he tucks the ball and runs with it, whether on a design run, scramble, read, whatever, is going to be there when Braxton's in and as opposed to when he's not," he relented.
Home run ability.
That seems to have been the phrase of choice for the Buckeyes staff on the many occasions that it's been asked to discuss what the Ohio State offense misses without Miller at the quarterback position. After all, in two seasons under Urban Meyer, Miller compiled 2,339 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns, en route to twice being named the Big Ten's MVP.
But even as Miller has stood on the sideline, nursing a season-ending torn labrum this year, the Buckeyes offense has hummed along under the direction of Barrett.
Through the first five games of the 2014 season, Ohio State ranks 12th in the nation in yards per game (524) and fifth in scoring average (44.5 points per game). Those numbers are comparable to the Buckeyes' averages a year ago of 512 yards and 45.5 points per game, which ranked eighth and fifth in the country, respectively.
So without Miller's ability to run the ball, how has Ohio State kept its offense on track? It hasn't been with the legs of Barrett, who has attempted 14 fewer rushes for 122 less yards than Miller did in his first five full games of the 2013 campaign.
Rather, the Buckeyes have maintained their home run ability with a plethora of emerging playmakers and the steady hand of Barrett, who ranks third in the country with a passer rating of 186.3. In his first five starts, the redshirt freshman has completed passes to 12 separate receivers—in 12 games in 2013, Miller connected with a total of nine different pass-catchers.
Drawing back on a conversation with former Notre Dame head coach and current ESPN analyst Lou Holtz, Meyer was more honest while discussing the difference in this year's Ohio State offense. As Holtz sees it, Miller's injury has required others to step up, leading to a more balanced approach for the Buckeyes.
"[Holtz] said it's a much different offense now than it was last year, and it's because there's a void," Meyer said. "We're using skill. Ezekiel Elliott is a different player than [running back] Carlos [Hyde] was. You got Dontre [Wilson] and Jalin [Marshall] starting to develop, which gives you a little more flexibility on the perimeter run game too."
The numbers in the Buckeyes' box scores back that up, although that may be selling Barrett's ability short. While he may not be as explosive as his predecessor, Barrett has proven efficient as a runner with 55.2 yards per game, in addition to completing a higher percentage (66.2 percent) of his passes than Miller did a season ago.
Which begs the question: Does the improvement of the Ohio State offense have more to do with the talent around the quarterback position or the person playing it?
There's a compelling argument for each.
On the one hand, Barrett doesn't have Hyde or Corey "Philly" Brown to rely on, but he has been gifted with improved versions of Elliott and Wilson, as well as Marshall, Michael Thomas and Corey Smith—each of whom redshirted a season ago. In fact, Miller entered this season expecting to play the role of distributor, stating it was his preference to not run the ball as much as he has in the past.
That's of course something that we'll have to take his and the Ohio State coaching staff's word for, as the latter showed a propensity for relying on Miller's legs when games have gotten tight in the past two seasons.
Is it Barrett's ability as a seemingly more natural passer that has allowed for the Buckeyes' new spread-it-around approach? Or would Miller be finding similar success, while also adding his dynamic running ability to the equation?
These are the hypotheticals that Herman isn't interested in dealing with, as he insists that his focus solely remains on the Buckeyes' upcoming matchup with Rutgers. But regardless of what he says, there's no denying that the Ohio State offense has been different this season than it has been in the past two—regardless of whatever the reason for that may be.
"What we do well, our offensive staff, is we adapt to the personnel—I've been asked that question, 'Is this the vision we have?'" Meyer said. "I'd like to have really fast players that create big plays. We're kind of developing that right now. But I don't mind having what we had last year either.
"As long as there's good quality players to work with, which you should always have at Ohio State, it's up to the offensive staff to develop the plan around those players. I think our guys have done a really good job."
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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