Moherman granted transfer from OSU

He started the first two games, played a few minutes in five others and could only watch from the sidelines for the rest of the season as Ohio State finished 6-6. Sophomore back-up quarterback Austin Moherman apparently saw too much of the bench for his liking, announcing Monday that he will transfer from Ohio State to another school where he could get more playing time. “To be honest, quite simply, I want to play college football,” Moherman told The Columbus Dispatch. “That’s not going to happen here.” Coach John Cooper told listeners to WBNS radio Monday night that he understood Moherman’s decision. ‘‘We granted him a release and I wish him well,’’ Cooper said. ‘‘If you work as hard as he worked, you should play. He’d be a good football player somewhere. “I don’t have any axe to grind with him.” According to the Dispatch, Moherman will be looking to play at a Division 1-AA school, among them Hofstra or Northern Arizona. Moherman listed those 1-AA schools as candidates because he would be able to play immediately next season, rather than sitting out an NCAA-mandated year and losing a year of eligibility for transferring to a school higher than 1-AA. Moherman, who was redshirted his first year at OSU, was 36 of 75 passing for the season, with three touchdowns and five interceptions. He was sacked eight times. The California native started in the season-opening 23-12 loss against Miami at the Kickoff Classic. He also started the second game of the year at home against UCLA, before giving way to fellow sophomore Steve Bellisari in the second quarter. After the UCLA game, the quarterback’s job belonged to Bellisari. Many agree Moherman’s finest moment as a Buckeye was his third-quarter entrance into the Minnesota game. With OSU down by three, he led the team downfield for a touchdown; however, a fumble on the Bucks’ next series got him pulled. Thereafter, Moherman only saw playing time when the game was well in hand or unsalvageable. ‘‘I don’t consider playing four minutes in a mop-up situation playing,’’ he told the Dispatch.