Senior QB battles to start for OSU

By Tim May

The Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS

Amid the buzz over freshman Braxton Miller’s rise in Ohio State’s quarterback competition, the refreshed play of fifth-year senior Joe Bauserman has often been lost.

The backup to Terrelle Pryor the past two years, Bauserman turns 26 in October and is perhaps staring at the end of his football career if he doesn’t make something happen this month.

He has stepped on the gas, quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano said.

“He’s got a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel, where before he really didn’t have that,” Siciliano said. “He has stepped up his game from a preparation standpoint. He wants to get better. It is very important to him to be the quarterback here.”

Bauserman made that clear in conversations with Siciliano, offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and coach Luke Fickell before preseason camp started.

“I asked the coaches about some of the things they were looking for, and I have done my best to give them what they want to see from me,” Bauserman said. “I’ve tried to be that leader and that quarterback they want.”

The urgency in his approach is something he didn’t always show in the past few years. But his new approach isn’t just designed to draw attention.

“I can’t change who I am; I am always going to go out there and be who I am,” the soft-spoken Bauserman said. “I don’t go out there to each practice trying to switch things up. I just go out there and try to make sure I do the right things as best I can.”

He knows his every move is being studied, and that when he and Miller have taken turns with the first team, like they did in Saturday’s jersey scrimmage, that judgments are being made.

Miller has brought some excitement to the competition, like on a scramble for a first down early in Saturday’s scrimmage. His 58-yard touchdown pass to Chris Fields was the first big play of the day.

But Bauserman came right back with a well-thrown, 55-yard fade pass to Devin Smith. He followed with a short TD toss to tight end Jeff Heuerman.

But Bauserman, who pitched for three years in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league system, left dwelling on the one bad throw he made. His pass thrown to the wrong side of a curling Corey Brown was intercepted by Travis Howard.

“It sucks because one of my last throws was the pick, so that kind of took away from what I thought was a pretty decent day,” Bauserman said. “Some things didn’t go as well, some things went well. You always wish you had a few throws back. But overall it went well.”