Much like plenty of other Buckeyes, Will Howard saved his best for his last game in Ohio Stadium this season.
After having his worst game as a Buckeye in the regular-season finale against Michigan, Howard followed that up with one of the best performances of his career in Ohio State's 42-17 thrashing of Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The fifth-year senior started hot, completing five of his first six passes, the latter four all completions for at least 18 yards each. He never threw multiple incompletions in a row on his way to completing 24 of 29 passes for 311 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Howard's 82.8% completion rate marks the seventh time he has completed at least 80% of his passes this season, increasing the single-season and career record he set against Indiana two games prior.
While he helped give the Buckeyes an early 21-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the game, one of Howard's most important drives of the game came on OSU's first drive of the second half. With Tennessee cutting the lead to 21-10 just before halftime, Ohio State's stifling defense forced another punt on the Vols' first drive of the second half.
On the following possession, Howard completed all four of his passes for 63 yards on a six-play, 65-yard drive that was essentially the dagger that OSU had been looking for ever since their three-touchdown lead in the first quarter slowly started to evaporate.
"Will was excellent in this game, played really well, did a really good job of placing the balls and some big-time throws," Ryan Day said after the game.
To take a closer look at how Howard performed in Ohio State's win over Tennessee, we charted all 29 of his passing attempts in the game. (Note: The passing chart is categorized by how many yards the quarterback threw the ball in the air past the line of scrimmage on each attempt and whether the ball reached its target inside or outside the hashes, though the stats listed include yards gained after the catch on each completion.)
Howard finished with a 98.8 Total QBR, the best of the bowl season thus far, according to ESPN.
After Howard didn't have a pass attempt 20-plus yards downfield against Michigan, he had his best game of the season in that area of the field against Tennessee. Howard completed four of five passes downfield for a season-high 125 yards and two touchdowns, the same number of scores he had on 20-plus-yard throws downfield throughout the regular season. Given that his lone interception of the game came deep downfield on what should have been a defensive pass interference penalty, Howard was essentially perfect in that area of the field.
His 56.8% completion rate on deep balls this season is the best among FBS quarterbacks who have thrown at least 25 passes 20-plus yards downfield.
Howard also took advantage of passes behind the line of scrimmage against the Volunteers, getting the ball to his playmakers as quickly as possible, allowing them to make plays with the ball in their hands. He had a season-high nine completions behind the line of scrimmage Saturday night. Comparatively, Howard had nine total pass attempts behind the line of scrimmage in the Buckeyes’ previous three games combined. It was an extension of the outside running game that Ohio State took advantage of.
| DEPTH (YARDS) | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| 20+ | 21/37 (56.8%), 708 yards (19.1 per attempt), 6 TD, 2 INT | 15/46 (32.6%), 452 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT |
| 10-19 | 50/80 (62.5%), 949 yards (11.9 per attempt), 7 TD, 3 INT | 43/78 (55.1%), 789 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT |
| 0-9 | 121/160 (75.6%), 1,109 yards (6.9 per attempt), 14 TD, 4 INT | 117/159 (73.6%), 1,043 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT |
| Behind los | 59/66 (89.4%), 405 yards (6.1 per attempt), 2 TD | 43/46 (93.5%), 346 yards, 4 TD |
After Howard threw a season-low four play-action passes against Michigan, Chip Kelly and Ryan Day made sure to go back to that concept, one that the quarterback has flourished in throughout much of the season. Howard completed 12-of-14 play-action passes for 168 yards, one touchdown and an interception against Tennessee.
Howard's 79.3% completion rate on play-action passes is the best in the FBS among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 25 passes in that concept. His 11.4 yards per attempt on play-action passes are the seventh-most in the country. He has now completed 110 play-action passes, the seventh-most in the FBS. His 79.7% completion rate on those passes is the fourth-best in the country while his 11.7 yards per attempt on those throws is the second-most in the FBS among quarterbacks who have attempted at least 60 play-action passes.
After completing a season-low 55.2% of his passes without play action against Michigan, Howard completed 12 of 15 of those throws for 143 yards and a touchdown against the Vols.
| Play Action | Non-Play Action | |
|---|---|---|
| vs. Tennessee | 12/14 (85.7%), 168 yards (12.0 per attempt), 1 TD, 1 INT | 12/15 (80%), 143 yards (9.5 per attempt), 1 TD |
| 2024 season | 110/138 (79.7%), 1,603 yards (11.6 per attempt), 14 TD, 3 INT | 140/205 (68.3%), 1,561 yards (7.6 per attempt), 15 TD, 6 INT |
| 2023 season At Kansas state | 66/104 (63.5%), 1,041 yards (9.4 per attempt), 16 TD, 4 INT | 152/254 (59.8%), 1,654 yards (6.5 per attempt), 7 TD, 6 INT |
Ohio State’s offensive line kept the pocket clean for Howard for the most part Saturday night, as he was only pressured on eight dropbacks and the quarterback completed five of eight passes for 92 yards when feeling pressure.
After Howard regressed to his early-season struggles in The Game, completing just 6-of-16 passes for 74 yards and an interception under pressure against Michigan, he performed much better in those situations against Tennessee. Howard's 54.3% completion rate under pressure is the seventh-best in the country among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 50 of those passes.
When Tennessee brought extra pressure and blitzed, Howard completed 6-of-7 passes for 72 yards.
| PRESSURE | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| KEPT CLEAN | 206/262 (78.6%), 2,569 yards (9.8 per attempt), 24 TD, 6 INT | 172/256 (67.2%), 2,075 yards, 15 TD, 6 INT |
| UNDER PRESSURE | 44/81 (54.3%), 595 yards (7.3 per attempt), 5 TD, 3 INT | 46/102 (45.1%), 555 yards, 8 TD, 4 INT |
| NOT BLITZED | 161/222 (72.5%), 1,987 yards (9.0 per attempt), 15 TD, 8 INT | 135/224 (60.3%), 1,565 yards, 10 TD, 8 INT |
| BLITZED | 89/121 (73.6%), 1,177 yards (9.7 per attempt), 14 TD, 1 INT | 83/134 (61.9%), 1,065 yards, 13 TD, 2 INT |
Howard also added five carries for a season-high 37 yards, showcasing his ability to make plays with his legs throughout the game.
Below, we take a look at three of Howard's best throws in Ohio State's win over Tennessee.
37-yard Touchdown to Jeremiah Smith
Howard saw that Smith was in single coverage and dropped it right into the bucket for one of his best deep throws of the season.
Jeremiah Smith is HIMpic.twitter.com/Jkbik1mkU1
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 22, 2024
40-yard Completion to Emeka Egbuka
Howard dropped it perfectly over the Tennesee defensive back and right into Egbuka's arms.
Will Howard is cooking. He's 5-of-6 for 124 yards and a TD.
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) December 22, 2024
Here's another look at his 40-yard connection with WR Emeka Egbuka. pic.twitter.com/0cRjTlh2Hi
22-yard Touchdown to Jeremiah Smith
Tennessee safety Andre Turrentine tried to come over to double-team Smith but it was too late and Howard threw a dime to Smith in stride for his second touchdown of the game.
Jeremiah Smith. Him. Himmy. Himothy. pic.twitter.com/Dnl2Fud1g9
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 22, 2024
Howard's 85.8 Total QBR is the country's third-best mark this season behind only Miami's Cam Ward (88.1) and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel (86.7). His 73.2 completion percentage is second in the FBS among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 100 passes this season, tied with Gabriel and behind only Colorado's Shedeur Sanders (74.2%). Howard's 29 passing touchdowns are tied for the fifth-most in the FBS while his 173.6 rating is the third-best mark in the country among players who have thrown at least 100 passes this season.
Howard's passing chart through 13 games in 2024:
