Braxton Miller vs. Iowa

Braxton Miller's play against Iowa showed Urban Meyer what he needed to see after the coach nearly pulled his starting quarterback against Northwestern.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS - Urban Meyer made the decision to stick with Braxton Miller during the Northwestern game, and the Ohio State coach feels like that has paid off.

In the moment, when he decided to not put in Kenny Guiton after the backup had been told to warm up, he wasn't thinking long-term.

“The reason he stayed in, it wasn't loyalty. I had to find out what was the best option for the scarlet and gray to win that game. And it was Braxton Miller at quarterback,” Meyer said on Tuesday’s Big Ten coaches conference call. “It’s not that I don't have confidence in Kenny, but what I saw in Braxton’s eyes and what I know about his ability level.”

Meyer said he then saw what he wanted and needed to see in Saturday’s win over Iowa as well.

“The ball was out of his hands very quickly and he knew what he was doing and where to go with the ball on checkdowns,” Meyer said. “He was really good, and we need to build upon that.”

Also from Tuesday’s call:

• Meyer praised Penn State receiver Allen Robinson, whom the Buckeyes will face on Saturday, and then talked about how impressed he was with Wisconsin receiver Jared Abbrederis after facing the Badgers. He said he nominated Abbrederis for several awards after he saw him “live and in color.” As for Robinson, Meyer said, “He’s a very fast and talented guy who goes up and high-points the ball.”

• On the continuing question of freshman H-back Dontre Wilson, who was more involved in the gameplan on Saturday, Meyer said, “He’s playing a position that’s relatively new to our offense and we've adapted that just for him.”

• Meyer talked about the improvement of corner Doran Grant. “He had that bad name attached to him – potential. And that’s turned into ability.”