Back in 1996 Ohio State was coming off of a year when it was faced with replacing the Heisman winner at tailback, the Biletnikoff winner at wide receiver and a three-year starter under center. The incumbency was assumed to be a contest between Mark Garcia and Stanley Jackson, but once Garcia was lost to a knee injury junior college transfer Joe Germaine emerged and created the successful platoon that we have been reminded of throughout fall camp.
By the time he had completed his quarterbacking tenure in 1998, Germaine had solidified his legacy as one of the best quarterbacks the Buckeyes have ever produced. He did this without superior speed, arm strength or exaggerated character emotions.
They definitely did not "break the mold" when Germaine was created. We saw Bauserman emulate his style for the half that he played on Saturday. It was not the exceptional, highlight-reel manner that sends the college football hivemind into Heisman candidacy flagellation.
It was, however, star results without star quality. In light of how the Pryor era concluded, this is a very welcome flavor of quarterback play.
Ironically, for a player who will eventually take seven years to complete his college eligibility, Bauserman will not be afforded enough time to match Germaine in either statistics or legacy. If he fails to demonstrate the capacity to be the offensive custodian waiting for its designated stars to either return or emerge, the preseason clamoring for Miller will return.
At worse case, Bauserman holding onto the lion's share of game snaps only allows Miller to acclimate in his first year without the same fiery baptismal that Pryor found himself in 2008.
However, if he continues to establish himself as an efficient and qualified commander as this long-anticipated season progresses, Bauserman will have done the unthinkable: He will have shifted Ohio State's once-precarious quarterback situation from being the problem nobody wanted to the situation everyone wishes they had.
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