COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State senior running back Carlos Hyde and junior quarterback Braxton Miller were named today as finalists for the Chicago Tribune Most Valuable Player award, along with Wisconsin senior linebacker Chris Borland. The newspaper announced the finalists today on its web site. The winner receives the Silver Football Award.
Ohio State's dynamic duo has been the force – along with one of the best offensive lines in the nation – for the Buckeyes' 12-0 regular season.
The last three games, in fact, the pair has combined to average 356.6 rushing yards per game with 13 touchdowns scored. Miller has added another 443 yards through the air with six touchdowns during that span.
Miller is in line for a remarkable and unprecedented triple-double. He has already been named the recipient of the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year award in 2012 and 2013 as well as the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year Award the past two years. He was the Silver Football winner last year as well as being a finalist this year.
Only three players have previously won the Chicago Tribune's Silver Football award as Big Ten MVP twice: Ohio State great Archie Griffin (1972-73), Indiana's Anthony Thompson (1988-89) and Minnesota's Paul Giel (1952-53).
Earlier this week, Hyde was named the Big Ten's Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year. The senior from Naples, Fla., leads the Big Ten in rushing with 143.3 yards per game along with 14 touchdowns, including 156.1 yards per game in Big Ten play. Hyde, who has rushed for 589 yards and seven touchdowns in the last three contests, also was named first-team all-conference by both the coaches and the media. With 1,290 yards, he became the first running back for an Urban Meyer-coached team to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the last seven games, including two 200-yard performances.
Miller is Top 10 nationally and the Big Ten leader in passer efficiency with a 164.3 rating. He leads the Big Ten with 295.0 yards of total offense per game in conference play. He has directed a record-setting and at times unstoppable Ohio State offense to national rankings of No. 2 in rushing (321.3 ypg), No. 3 in scoring (48.2), No. 6 in total offense (530.5 ypg) and No. 7 in pass efficiency (164.0 rating).
Miller has completed 138 of 210 passes for 1,759 yards with 21 TDs and only five INTs, plus has rushed for 891 yards and eight TDs despite missing nearly three games to injury.
Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Miller, Hyde and the Buckeyes will take on No. 10 Michigan State for a trip to Pasadena. FOX Sports has the network broadcast. Kickoff is set for 8:17 p.m.
