Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was praising Braxton Miller in the postgame press conference, lauding his toughness and saying their relationship is close enough that the quarterback seems like a family member.

But Meyer jokingly started to excuse himself when the subject shifted to the team’s turnovers and he realized Miller committed all three of them.

“I’ve got to go visit with Braxton,” a grinning Meyer said. “Remember that family member stuff? He’s not in the family.”

Miller lost two fumbles and threw an interception, but the 14th-ranked Buckeyes rode the gifted sophomore to a 17-16 win over 20th-ranked Michigan State before a sellout crowd of 76,705 here Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Miller rushed for 136 yards on 23 carries and was 16-of-23 passing for 179 yards and one TD, generating more total offense than all MSU players combined.

“Mistakes happen,” he said with a shrug. “You fight through it, and good things can happen.”

As a freshman last year, against essentially the same defense, Miller finished with minus-27 yards rushing (counting sacks) and 29 total yards in a 10-7 loss. He had 42 yards (34 rushing, eight passing) on the first five plays this time.

The Buckeyes are 5-0, and, the Spartans, who fall to 3-2, bemoaned the many missed tackles on Miller. But they’re not the first opponent to swing and miss against the Wayne High School graduate

“I think against a guy like Braxton Miller, it’s inevitable there’s going to be some,” MSU linebacker Max Bullough said. “I think we could have eliminated a few more of those and eliminated a few more of the loose plays where he beat us.”

MSU running back Le’Veon Bell, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound junior, was averaging 155.2 rushing yards and 29.3 carries, and the Buckeyes were committed to not letting him beat them. The Spartans turned the suburban Columbus product into a receiver at times to give him space, but he finished with only 58 yards on eight receptions and 45 rushing yards on 17 attempts.

The Spartans ended with a net 34 yards on the ground.

“The defense was really aggravated, really frustrated the way we played in the first four games,” OSU linebacker Ryan Shazier said. “We wanted to show the world we’re a really good defense, that we can stop the run and pass.”

A 48-yard field goal by Dan Conroy cut OSU’s lead to 17-16 with 7:07 to go. The drive was kept alive by a holding penalty on cornerback Travis Howard when Michigan State gambled on fourth-and-1 from the OSU 44-yard line.

The Buckeyes had been on the move before the Spartans’ series, but Miller fumbled while being tackled by Bullough after a 12-yard gain with 12:14 left, although he was initially ruled down before losing the ball at the MSU 32. A replay official overturned the call.

Conroy was 3-for-4 on field goals, also connecting from 50 and 34 yards but missing from 42. The Spartans needed one more defensive stop late in the fourth quarter to give him a chance at a game-winnner, but the Buckeyes’ offense played keep-away with the ball.

Clinging to a one-point lead, they ran out the final 4:10 with the help of bruising running back Carlos Hyde, gaining three first downs after starting at their 18. When the clock reached zeros, Miller heaved the ball into the stands to celebrate.

“This was a war,” Meyer said. “This was two sledgehammers going at it. I know the Big Ten has taken some heat, but that was a great game in a great environment with lots of players who are going to be playing at the next level. That was good for college football and good for the Big Ten.”