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Michigan State touchdown pass validates Devin Brown’s preparation to be ‘ready at any moment’

Posted on by angelo
Michigan State touchdown pass validates Devin Brown’s preparation to be ‘ready at any moment’

Devin Brown’s rapid transition from sitting on the bench to throwing a touchdown pass last weekend at Michigan State gave him an adrenaline rush unlike any in his Ohio State career.

With Ohio State leading by just 10 points and going down the field in the final minute of the first half, Brown didn’t expect to enter the game. When starting quarterback Will Howard took a hard hit over the middle and was blown away, however, OSU called on Brown to enter the game as he faced a crucial 3rd and 10 on the 17 yard line.

Brown only had time to take a few warm-up throws before running onto the field for the play, so his legs were still stiff after spending the entire first half watching from the sidelines. But when Ryan Day and Chip Kelly called on Brown to take a shot into the end zone with the goal of taking a 17-point lead into the locker room, Brown placed the ball where only Jeremiah Smith could catch it, resulting in gave rise to a spectacular shot. -hand-touched by the freshman phenom.

Brown was so excited about this moment that he didn’t know what to say and his body didn’t know what to do either.

“Me and (running back TreVeyon Henderson) were laughing about it Sunday morning during our lift, and, like, we didn’t even speak English to each other,” Brown recalled Wednesday. “We were yelling at each other, like we were yelling at the play. And I got to the side when I sat down, and I was shaking because I had so much adrenaline. It was just a crazy moment.

“I thought I was going to throw up. I was so excited. … My mom said I was jumping and doing the splits or something, like in the air. I really don’t even remember it. It was just a blur.

As Ohio State’s backup quarterback, Brown isn’t where he’d like to be on the depth chart in his third year as a Buckeye. When Brown decided to stay at Ohio State this season after backing up Kyle McCord last season, even after OSU brought Howard out of the transfer portal, he did so with the belief that he would still win the job of holder.

However, Brown doesn’t shy away from still being a backup. Instead, he’s working harder than ever to make sure he’s ready to play whenever his number 33 is called.

“Obviously there’s going to be a little disappointment,” Brown said after learning in August that Howard would be the starter. “But at the end of the day, I’m here to be a Buckeye. And I knew they were going to make the best decision for this team. So I have to continue to do everything I can to improve and help this team.

Brown says he will arrive at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center as early as 6:30 a.m. to meet with Ohio State coaches and watch film. Knowing there are only a limited number of reps for him and Ohio State’s three other backup quarterbacks since Howard is the starter, Brown tries to work as much as he can outside of the lineup. training to continue perfecting his craft.

Although his spot on the depth chart hasn’t changed from last year, Brown believes his approach to the quarterback position is completely different than it was a year ago.

“1,000 percent,” Brown said when asked if he feels like a different quarterback than last year. “My mental state was different. My attitude towards the game has been different. I feel like my whole approach has been completely different.

Aside from that snap at the end of the first half last weekend, Brown’s other 47 snaps this season came late in the game after the Buckeyes began pulling their starters out of the game. While Ohio State created some opportunities for Brown to enter the game with the first-team offense last season to provide a running threat from the quarterback position, it is likely he will only play with the game on the line if something happens to Howard this season since Howard is an adept runner himself.

That play at Michigan State and the result that followed, however, served to validate for Brown why he must remain ready to play at all times.

“I think last year there was never a situation where I had to do that,” Brown said of suddenly entering a game due to an injury to the starting quarterback. “So going through it and understanding what it’s really like, I think it definitely puts into perspective that I really need to be ready at all times.”

“I got to the sideline when I sat down, and I was shaking because I had so much adrenaline. It was just a crazy moment.– Devin Brown on his touchdown pass at Michigan State

Although he threw two touchdown passes as a backup and also ran for a touchdown last season, he said last week’s touchdown was his favorite play as a Buckeye due to the circumstances in which he performed.

“I think just knowing that I didn’t know I was going to go, you know, I didn’t know when I had to be ready or anything,” Brown said of what made the very special touchdown pass to Michigan State.

Although he would like to start himself, Brown supports Howard’s success, saying he thinks his bond with Howard is one of the closest between two players on the entire team. And Howard couldn’t have been more proud of Brown for stepping up and throwing a touchdown when Howard had to leave the game to play.

“I thought Devin did an incredible job of being ready when his number was called, and that’s competitive excellence,” Howard said after the game. “We talk about it all the time. I really think that throw and that catch right there that those two made, really sealed the game, and I think it kind of put them out of it. I’m so proud of Devin for stepping up and being ready. You never know what will happen. I just took my breath away, and you need to come see a play. So that’s how it is. And he went in there and played the game, and it was a great moment.

Although they chose Howard to replace him, Day and Kelly showed their confidence in Brown by setting up a play for Brown to throw a touchdown pass rather than making a conservative call to preserve a field goal attempt. Kelly, who is in his first year as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, said he’s pleased with the development he’s seen from Brown this year.

“Devin did a great job,” Kelly said Tuesday. “I think obviously not being a starter is tough for anyone, but he’s been incredible as a backup in terms of what he is in the room. And he is, as we talk about all the time, one jugular away from the game. And he was. Will was taken out, we need to have another quarterback in the game, he comes into the game and throws a 17 yard touchdown, avoiding a blitz from behind. I’m really happy where he is right now.

Brown says it’s a big confidence booster for him to be called upon to play with the game on the line and prove to himself that he can do it, and Day sees that as something he can build on at as its development continues. .

“We talk about trust all the time. What is true confidence? There is false confidence and there is real confidence. Real confidence means you’ve actually done it, you look someone in the eye and you know I’m going to do it again. And so when you do it physically, I think it builds real confidence in you,” Day said Wednesday. “So for him to step up in that moment in an important spot, not only was it a two-minute drill, but it was also in the red zone at the end of the half, two big situations to win right away. And so, you know, it’s got to give him some juice this week I feel like that’s the case, I think he had a good week. training.

It remains unclear whether Brown – whose first and so far only start as a Buckeye in last year’s Cotton Bowl was cut short by an ankle injury – will ever get the opportunity to play quarterback -long-term starting guard at Ohio State. While Howard is a fifth-year senior in his final season of collegiate eligibility, current freshman and third-string quarterback Julian Sayin is considered by many to be Ohio State’s future at the position and will be a major contender for the starting job next year.

For now, all Brown can do is continue to prepare to be ready whenever opportunities to play come his way. And he views every opportunity to play, regardless of playing time or situation, as another opportunity to show he can be trusted to play more if needed in the future.

“Every time you step into the game, I think it’s an audition for next year or even for this year because you never know what’s going to happen,” Brown said. “You never know when you’ll need to be ready and when your number will be called.”