Ohio State’s passing attack is soaring higher than Jeremiah Smith when the freshman makes one of his clinical high-point catches.
Two College Football Playoff games have brought two 300-yard passing performances from Will Howard, as he and the Buckeyes picked up a combined 11.2 yards per pass attempt against quality defenses in Tennessee and Oregon. For reference, the nation’s top passing offense, Ole Miss, averaged just 10.5 yards per pass attempt this season.
The arsenal of Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate combined with Howard has been too much for any outfit to slow down when the quarterback is on his game. But if there’s any secondary in America capable of giving that elite corps some fits, it’s probably Texas. There’s perhaps no more marquee matchup entering Friday’s CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.
“I think they're really athletic. They're big. They’re good players,” Howard said. “They're instinctual. You can tell that they go against a really good offense every single day. There's certain things that they're pretty good at that they probably see a lot from Quinn in their offense. But I think overall, they got some good players. But we got some pretty good players, too.”
Texas holds the nation’s No. 1 pass defense in yards per pass attempt, surrendering just 5.5 per throw from opposing quarterbacks. The Longhorns’ ferocious pass rush assists their defensive backs, with Texas ranked fourth nationally – one spot behind Ohio State – with 44 sacks.
But man for man, the Longhorns have one of college football’s most talented secondaries. Cornerback Jahdae Barron, this year’s Jim Thorpe Award winner as the best defensive back in the country, anchors everything. He’s collected 61 tackles with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups in 2024.
Joining Barron in holding a quintet of interceptions is strong safety Andrew Mukuba, a former three-year starter at Clemson with 63 tackles, four tackles for loss, five picks and six PBUs this year. Free safety Michael Taaffe patrols centerfield to the tune of 73 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks, two interceptions and 10 PBUs.
Cornerback Malik Muhammad and nickel Jaylon Gilbeau round out the five-man starting group. Fueled by all their efforts, Texas is tied for second nationally with 21 interceptions. The Longhorns make plays on the ball while staying ruthlessly efficient against passing games.
“I think they try to bait you into doing things,” Howard said. “I think they try to bait you into pushing the ball into tight windows. And you got to be smart. Playing a defense like this, you have to know when to take those shots and when not to and when to be smart with it. There's cavities, there's creases in it. But you have to find them and be patient with it and not force it to happen. Because those guys react quick.”
There’s an element of revenge for Howard facing the Longhorns. For all the teams he toppled in the Big 12 while quarterbacking Kansas State, Texas beat the Wildcats all four years he was there. Howard and company came excruciatingly close last season, falling 33-30 in overtime after a try for the win on 4th-and-goal came up short.
“That was the only team I didn't beat when I was in the Big 12,” Howard said. So yeah, there's definitely, personally, for me, a little extra motivation there because I never got the chance to beat these guys. Played them four years, and they're – I mean, they're always a good team, but none of those games were unwinnable. Last year, we lost in overtime. So definitely excited to get another chance at these guys.”
Howard doesn’t feel as though much has changed schematically or structurally in Texas’ defense from when he played the Longhorns with the Wildcats last year, but the personnel has perhaps taken a jump. He praised Texas’ defensive line in tandem with its secondary, naming defensive tackle Alfred Collins and freshman defensive end Colin Simmons from that group as standouts. Simmons has a team-high nine sacks.
“I feel like they, defensively, they kind of do what they do, and they're pretty darn good at it,” Howard said. “They got some dudes in the back. Barron's a really good player. They’ve got that freshman up front who's really good. I think (Collins) is playing really good football right now. So they’ve got a stout front. … They’ve got some dudes.”
“Playing a defense like this, you have to know when to take those shots and when not to and when to be smart with it.”– Will Howard on facing the Longhorns' secondary
The Buckeyes’ signal caller is in his finest form this postseason. Howard is a combined 41-of-57 (71.9%) for 630 yards and five touchdowns with one interception in the CFP.
“When the first couple of words come out of a play, he can finish it for you,” Ryan Day said. “That's when you know he knows exactly what's going on. He makes sure everybody's on the same page. When you're in the huddle, he can communicate a lot of information, situation, down, distance, score, all those things that come into play. And so I think that's been important.
“I also think his footwork has improved. I think when his footwork is on time and he's able to time some things up in terms of play actions and drop back passes, you're seeing him play really good football, making good decisions and throwing the ball accurately.”
The goal for Ohio State will be to blitzkrieg Texas’ Maginot line in the secondary with Smith, Egbuka and Tate. Tennessee finished as the No. 30 defense in the FBS in yards allowed per pass attempt, Oregon No. 16. Neither seemed to have a prayer of slowing down that group when properly schemed up, especially Smith.
Smith set the latest in a long list of freshman school records vs. the Ducks, collecting the most receiving yards in a single game by a Buckeye first year with seven receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns to earn Rose Bowl Offensive MVP. That came fresh off another 100-yard outing vs. the Volunteers.
“I'm not surprised at anything he does now,” wide receiver Brandon Inniss said on Sunday. “Like, I've seen him since we were 9 years old. So, anything he does, any one-hand catch, I've seen.”
Egbuka’s remained a consistent playmaker as the senior stalwart in Brian Hartline’s room. He had a massive 42-yard touchdown catch against Oregon. On the season he has 70 receptions for 896 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he needs just eight receptions and 136 yards to break those career records at Ohio State.
“He means a lot to us,” Inniss said. “We come to him (with questions) because he's so smart. I mean, Emeka's probably the smartest football player I've ever been around. So mel JJ and Carnell, we still ask him some questions about certain things.”
Howard is keeping the same approach he took to the first two rounds. Thus far, it’s worked, but the toughest test of Ohio State’s passing game this year arrives Friday.
“Your mindset can't change from the regular season or either of the first two playoff games that we played,” Howard said. “I think we did a really good job of hitting our shots and taking the game as it came and not forcing any shots. There maybe were some plays where we had even more shots on the field called and had to check it down. You got to take the game as it comes. You can't force things to happen, and in the playoffs, things can come down to one play.”
