If you’ve followed the football career of Braxton Miller, what happened during Ohio State University’s unlikely defeat of Purdue last week should be no surprise.

Injuries, knockouts and lingering limps have always been as much a part of the gifted one’s game as making linebackers whiff. And that was during his days at Wayne High School.

That was the knock on Miller back then. Opposing coaches had long ago run out of superlatives in describing Miller’s electrifying play. Unfortunately, the Warriors likely were running out of white athletic tape to keep him intact, also.

Heading into his senior year at Wayne, he had never stayed healthy long enough to consistently lead the Warriors to greatness, as was envisioned. In a little more than three seasons, he had sat out nine high school games as a result of injuries. That’s just one game short of an entire regular season.

That, of course, all changed in the final 10 weeks of his senior year. That was the player that OSU was counting on getting. And he has mostly delivered as promised. But part of his intriguing package includes a brittleness that is just a hit — or slam — away.

It’s a tough call for the Buckeyes. The one thing that Miller does best — improvise — is his most ever-present undoing. Take that away from him and he’s just another handoff/pocket passer who isn’t nearly as effective. Let him go and you risk losing him to yet another debilitating blow, twist or tweak.

His “toughness” already is being challenged by former OSU players. That was inevitable.

He’s the super-charged V8 engine in a demolition derby field. No one can match that. It’s also just a matter of time before someone delivers a KO. You know it’s coming; you just don’t know when.