Three Stars of the Game: Caleb Downs, Will Howard and Cody Simon Earn Top Honors for Their Performances Against Indiana

In Ohio State's top-five win over Indiana, the Eleven Warriors staff thinks three Buckeyes stood out above the rest as we named safety Caleb Downs, quarterback Will Howard and linebacker Cody Simon as our Three Stars of the Game.

First Star: Caleb Downs

Downs ended a 10-year drought on Saturday.

Entering the weekend, Ohio State had played 129 games without a punt return touchdown. The last player to do it was Jalin Marshall, who – ironically enough – scored his final punt return touchdown in the penultimate game of the regular season against Indiana on Nov. 22, 2024. (That means Downs' score was almost 10 years to the date!)

This view of Caleb Downs' punt return touchdown pic.twitter.com/KrfXlUd0HU

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 23, 2024

While Brandon Inniss had been serviceable as Ohio State's punt returner at the start of the season, Ryan Day said Saturday that he wanted Downs to have more of an impact with the ball in his hands, so the coaches allowed him to return some punts after the Oregon game. Downs' touchdown on Saturday validated that decision.

"We made the decision a couple of weeks ago – really, about midway through the season, after the Oregon game – we just felt like Caleb needs to be more involved, to make more of an impact on games," Day said. "I think that what’s been happening on defense has kind of shown that that’s happened. And then we felt like as a punt returner, he was dynamic with the ball in his hands. When he was in high school, I felt like he could play running back here at Ohio State.”

Day added that Ohio State'e execution on blocks was excellent as Downs weaved around the field and into the end zone.

"The jammers, I thought Denzel (Burke) and Jermaine (Mathews Jr.) did a great job on that play. I'm going to go back and watch the film. It was a great effort on that play," he said. "That's one of those things that we have to make sure that we celebrate the efforts on those plays because those are game-changing plays."

Second Star: Will Howard

Howard completed 84.6 percent of his passes for 201 yards and scored three total touchdowns with one interception on Saturday. The performance helped Howard break a school's season and career record for games with a completion percentage of 80 percent or better, surpassing C.J. Stroud and Cornelius Green after 11 games as Ohio State's quarterback.

This Will Howard-Emeka Egbuka touchdown pic.twitter.com/tjSiaEiirw

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 23, 2024

Howard called the record "cool" in his postgame press conference. However, he added that "all that really matters" is whether Ohio State wins games with him under center – a response that illustrates how the Kansas State transfer has carried himself since he arrived in Columbus.

"I think Buckeye Nation has now seen after 11 games that he is a winner, he's tough, he cares about his teammates and he is a leader," Day said. "It was a tough spot this week when we lost Seth (McLaughlin) in practice, but he, along with the offensive line, Donny (Jackson) and Josh (Fryar), really raised the spirit of everyone. That's hard to do when you lose someone who makes such an impact like Seth. But he's got great resilience, great toughness. He's the heart and soul of our team."

With Ohio State's top-five win in the books, Howard has turned his attention to The Game, sharing Saturday that his motivation Ohio State's veterans and Day are his motivation for beating "That Team Up North" next weekend.

"I want this for (the veterans) so bad. They've been here. I've seen it from a distance. I feel it, and I am a part of it now, and I want this for me, too, but I want this for those guys. I want it for Coach Day – to shut up the haters and be able to go out there and say, 'This is The Ohio State Buckeyes,'" he said. "This rivalry game means everything. We talk about it all the time. It's all over the place in our building. I'm honored to be a part of it. I won't take it lightly. This is the biggest game of our season. I'm looking forward to it."

Third Star: Cody Simon

Simon doesn't get enough credit for his performances in the middle of Ohio State's defense. That's what Jack Sawyer thinks, at least.

“Cody is a hell of a player, man,” Sawyer said. “He’s so smart. He's so physical and fast. I think he's one of the most underrated guys in the country. I think he's one of the best linebackers in the country. I feel like he might not get the national press that he deserves. I mean, he's just such a good player. He's so smart. And seeing him make plays like that, no one deserves it more than Cody Simon.”

Simon would be thankful to hear Sawyer's praise, but in his humility, he'd find a way to turn the attention elsewhere.

“I’m just doing my job,” Simon said. “We practice those a lot during the week and I just try to do what they tell me to do and show out my instincts that they give me. I’m thankful I'm in that position. I'm just happy to be able to get those stops.”

Simon had a team-leading 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks against Indiana. On one of his takedowns of Kurtis Rourke, he forced the Hoosiers' quarterback to fumble, and Ohio State recovered the ball inside the Indiana 50-yard line.

The Cody Simon Game. pic.twitter.com/c553yxeEfT

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 23, 2024

The Block O winner has been a weapon for Ohio State's defense in recent weeks. He's collected 65 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, four pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on the year.

As the season continues, we’re tracking the stars (or points) each Ohio State player receives in 2024. Here's how we'll do it: Each time a Buckeye earns the first star of the game, that Buckeye adds three points to their season total. Then, the second star and third star add two points and one point to their totals.