Talk is worth about as much as a loaf of Kroger brand bread, but Will Howard is sandwiching the right words together ahead of Ohio State’s top-three showdown at Oregon.
“When you come to a place like Ohio State, you want to play on the biggest stage, College GameDay, all the hype, two versus three matchup,” Howard said on Tuesday. “This is what you signed up for, and this is what I was looking forward to. And it's a challenge, man. It's fun. This is what college football is all about. This is what you dream about as a kid, just being on this stage, playing in front of a ton of people and a ton of people watching on TV.”
The Buckeyes’ starting quarterback has played in big games before. A multi-year starter at Kansas State, Howard experienced plenty of intense matchups with Big 12 foes. This is his first big game with Ohio State, however, and it comes with a bigger spotlight than any he ever played with the Wildcats – so OSU should learn something about what it has in Howard this Saturday.
“He came here for a reason,” Day said. “He came here to play in games like this, and he's played in games like this. But he's excited to do that, and his preparation's going to be the same.”
It’s been a strong start to the season for Howard. Five games in he’s completing 71.5% of his passes for 1,248 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions. Outside a couple of questionable decisions through the air against Michigan State and Iowa, he’s been efficient and taken care of the football. Ohio State has a +4 turnover margin this season, and avoiding giveaways will be vital in Autzen Stadium.
“You got to know when to take your medicine if you will, and just kind of take the check down and not force things,” Howard said. “There's this balance between forcing and capitalizing, and you don't want to force something, try and make something happen. But you got to take advantage and capitalize when those opportunities are there.”
Staying “poised,” “confident” and “level-headed” will be key in the hostile environment, Howard said. One can’t get too high or too low because too much emotion leads to irrational thinking.
“You can't let things that happen affect you,” Howard said. “I'd say, one of our biggest games last year (at Kansas State) was at Texas, and we were down 27-7 in the fourth, and we ended up tying it and going to overtime. I've learned you just can never say die. And you can never be up by too much, either. It goes both ways, and you have to understand that the situations really matter and that one play can make the difference in a game, and every single play really matters.”
Howard’s teammates have expressed a lot of confidence in him, too.
“It's great, man,” cornerback Denzel Burke said of Howard’s play this season. “He's been leading this team the right way. He's been managing the game the right way, making great decisions. So I have full trust in him and our offense. And they're going to have one hell of a day Saturday.”
The Buckeyes are No. 4 in the country for points per game (46), No. 9 in yards per game (510.2), No. 23 in passing yards per game (288) and No. 16 in rushing yards per game (222.2). That’s with a lot of unproductive fourth quarters where the scarlet and gray were playing backups and counting down the seconds to victory.
Oregon will counter with a defense ranked No. 21 in points allowed per game (17), No. 11 in yards allowed (263.4), No. 24 in rushing (101.4) and No. 18 in passing (162).
Burke isn’t the only Ohio State defender praising what Howard and the offense has done this season. Howard’s work ethic is another thing often praised by coaches and teammates alike, and for massive matchups like this one, the signal-caller said he likes to put in even more work than his usual near-obsessive amount of film watching.
“When you guys are watching the games and we're on the sideline and the offense is out there, we're in awe just like you guys are,” linebacker Cody Simon said. “I watch those guys go out there and I have ultimate confidence in them. Will's put in a lot of work here, like a ton of work. And what you guys are seeing on Saturday is really just him putting it all together and the offense really putting it all together.”
“He's been leading this team the right way. He's been managing the game the right way, making great decisions. So I have full trust in him and our offense. And they're going to have one hell of a day Saturday.”– Denzel Burke on Will Howard
There’s one X-factor with Howard that’s been used sparingly through six weeks but could play a bigger role on Saturday – his legs. With 985 career rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground, Howard is averaging just four rushing attempts per game in 2024 if sacks are excluded. He has a sack-adjusted 20 carries for 91 yards and four touchdowns.
With outmatched opponents littering the early-season schedule, it didn’t make a lot of sense to put Howard in harm’s way in September. The Buckeyes showed more designed runs for their man behind center against Iowa, and he carried the ball a season-high 10 times for 28 yards and a touchdown. The reins will likely be off in a top-three road showdown.
“We've definitely ramped it up as we've gone, and I think the designed quarterback run stuff is definitely going to be more of an emphasis going forward,” Howard said. “I think that it adds an element to our offense, and any time that you can add something that they have to be worried about or something extra that can present an issue to a defense, we're going to take every advantage we can get. And I think the quarterback run stuff has been good, and I think we have a lot more up our sleeve, and I'm excited to get it out on the field. And I love doing it.”
The time for speaking will soon be over as toe meets leather for No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC. But Howard is ready to embrace the environment and keep his cool in Autzen Stadium.
“It's a big game, and you want to say that you don't want to treat any game more than another, but we know how big this one is,” Howard said. “And we know it's a big matchup, and we're going to have to be on our stuff. So going into the game, just being poised, being confident, and you just want to stay neutral, stay level-headed, and be as prepared as you possibly can going into the game.”
