Now granted, the first thing that comes to everyone's mind was the slide. A mistake magnified by the moment, but a correctable one that I'm sure he won't make again. But looking beyond that single play...

-The final stat line is magnificent. 28/35 (80%) for 326 yards, 2 TD's and no turnovers. The rushing totals were skewed by him falling on the mishanded snap for a big loss (which he overcame and got us out of), but multiple times he created yards on the ground and added a TD there as well.

-Speaking of Howard running, his mobility adds so much to this offense. We saw it in the previous games, but it really came to light against a quality opponent. Creating extra yards, moving the pocket to avoid sacks, and making throws on the run.

-Possibly the biggest takeaway from this game, Howard's ability to lead the team during crunch time. He was calm, cool, and collected on the road in a tough environment. Needing a score, he calmly took the team down the field to put us in a position to win the game. There's no doubt in my mind that is the same scenario in the future, the game is in good hands as long as Howard is taking the snaps.

Will Howard deserves praise for the way he played on Saturday, and I have full confidence in him moving forward. All the goals are still in front of the team, beat TTUN, win the Big 10, win the National Championship. Improvement week this week, then on to Nebraska.