Will Howard had his “worst game of the year” against Penn State. From the jump, Howard struggled. Throwing a pick-six on the third play of the game in a hostile environment in a top-four matchup against a Big Ten pseudo-rival to go down 10-0 is not an ideal way to start. Nor is losing a fumble resulting in social media lighting itself on fire by chiding the player and/or debating how great/awful the “fumble out of the endzone results in a turnover” rule is.
However, while the Kansas State transfer is not rocketing up NFL Draft boards as previous Ohio State quarterbacks have, he is showing that he has what it takes to lead the Buckeyes to accomplish its goals.
Despite Early Struggles, Will Howard Proves He’s the Guy for Ohio State
Howard was dealt quite the hand by the schedule makers this year. He and the Buckeyes had to travel to two of the nation’s top programs in two of the most difficult venues to play. Against Oregon, Howard played well for the overwhelming majority of the game. However, that slide at the end of the game – forgetting everything that led up to it – sticks in the mind.
Against Penn State, Howard had to start fast. Unfortunately for him, he made crucial mistakes early.
He did just that on a third and five from his 30-yard line. It was a play that Penn State saw coming from a mile away and Zion Tracy jumped Jeremiah Smith‘s route and sent Beaver Stadium into a frenzy. A frenzy that was temporarily quelled before another Howard mistake.
Up 14-10, Howard took a designed quarterback run but was met at the two-yard line by Zakee Wheatley. The Penn State defender was able to force a fumble that Howard lost out of the endzone, resulting in a turnover.
Plenty of Ohio State quarterbacks have had bad games. Heisman Trophy-winner Troy Smith‘s performance in the BCS National Championship was bad. J.T. Barrett struggled vs. Virginia Tech and Penn State in 2014, vs. Indiana and Michigan State in 2016, and vs Oklahoma and Iowa in 2017. C.J. Stroud‘s first few starts were a far cry from where he ended up.
The difference between Howard’s rough start and some of those other quarterbacks is how Howard finished the game.
It’s nice to be “the guy” when things are easy… who are you when the chips are down and it’s now or never?
I present to you 4th & 1 Will Howard: pic.twitter.com/VSkA6Iu1ID— Anand Nanduri (@NanduriNFL) November 4, 2024
Howard Didn’t Back Down
While a pick-six that early might have rattled some quarterbacks. After all, Howard was trying to feed the ball to his top receiver and it failed spectacularly. He was not shaken.
After the interception, Howard led the Buckeyes on back-to-back touchdown drives. On those drives, Ohio State ran 17 plays for 155 yards. On those two drives, Howard completed seven of his ten attempts for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Both touchdowns were perfectly called plays by Chip Kelly that took advantage of an aggressive Penn State defense. Howard did not shy away from airing it out.
Then, Howard’s fumble went out of the endzone.
After that turnover, Howard did not have much of an opportunity to answer. Two runs and a sack ended the drive before it got started.
In the second half, it was more of the same. Howard led the Buckeyes on a field goal-scoring drive right out of the gate, kicked off by an 11-yard keeper in the inside zone. Prior to the field goal, Howard was sacked. On the next drive, Ohio State went three and out after another Abdul Carter sack.
Then, heading into the fourth, Ohio State held a narrow 17-13 lead and Howard needed to lead the offense to at the very least a field goal. The early mistakes by Howard paired with the struggles in pass protection from the left side of his offensive line would have made plenty of quarterbacks gun-shy. He dispelled that concern with a deep ball thrown perfectly to Smith that the talented freshman inexplicably dropped. If that pass had been converted, Ohio State would have gone up 24-13 and effectively ended the game then and there.
As it was, the Buckeyes rebounded and drove down for a 39-yard field goal.
Go Win The Game
With 5:13 to go in the game, Howard was met with the scenario football players of all ages dream of. Backed up to his own endzone, the senior quarterback manufactured the game-winning drive accentuated by two third-down conversions off of a pair of quarterback keepers. Ohio State fans have seen quarterback runs get stuffed resulting in losses. The 2013 Big Ten Championship Game loss to Michigan State comes to mind. There would be no infamous Ryan Day eating pizza meme this time.
In the biggest moments, Howard stepped up for his offense despite early struggles. Not every defense is as easy to pick apart as Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall, or even Oregon. Penn State has a top-tier defense, Ohio State just had a better game plan in this one.
However, while some fans were calling for Howard to be benched at halftime ala Jalen Hurts for Tua Tagovailoa in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, he went back into the game and won.
Being the Ohio State quarterback with the level of talent on offense surrounding him comes with perks. Unfortunately, it also comes with detractors. “How good would Howard be without all of that NFL-ready talent?” The fact is that while he is not Stroud, Justin Fields, or Dwayne Haskins, Howard is more than enough and has objectively been an upgrade at the position compared to last year.
Moving Forward
Opponent-adjusted QB EPA/dropback through week 10
Dead-heat at the top between Will Howard, Kurtis Rourke, and Jaxson Dart. pic.twitter.com/hzJnMvj9yw
— Bill Radjewski | CollegeFootballData.com (@CFB_Data) November 4, 2024
The Class of 2024 Davey O’Brien quarterback is being honored for a reason. He doesn’t throw for 400 yards per game like some. What he does do is take care of the ball (usually) and manage the game. Being a game manager has a negative connotation in today’s game. Howard is the epitome of a game manager and he does well at his job. He makes the plays that need to be made and he is unflappable.
Objectively, Ohio State was three plays away from running Penn State out of its stadium. At the same time, Howard could have succumbed to the pressure and compounded mistakes, resulting in a 31-0 2016 Fiesta Bowl-like drubbing.
Ohio State is in good hands with Howard at the helm. He has two games against perceived lesser competition coming up before a surprisingly great Indiana team. Then, the game above all other games awaits. The Buckeyes haven’t beaten Michigan since 2019.
Ultimately, Howard should be able to get the job done and get the Buckeyes back to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship. He could have turtled after the fumble. He could have taken himself out. Howard has what it takes to lead Ohio State and the Buckeyes did well to pluck him out of the transfer portal.
