Welcome to the Skull Session.
If Ohio State wins on Saturday, does it get to Fly the W?
Next Stop: Wrigley pic.twitter.com/UR9nzXvw3g
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 13, 2024
Have a good Thursday.
WILL HOWARD FOR HEISMAN? Should Will Howard be a Heisman contender? Yes. Is Will Howard a Heisman contender? No. Does Will Howard care that he’s not a Heisman contender? Also no.
This season, Howard has quarterbacked an Ohio State offense that ranks 11th in points per game (38.6) and 15th in yards per game (454.9). He’s completed a career-best 74% of his passes – more on that in a moment – for 2,237 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. Despite those numbers, Howard’s name never comes up when people discuss Heisman frontrunners after 11 weeks.
“I try not to think about that stuff. I’m not worried about it,” Howard said Tuesday when asked if he thinks he or one of his teammates deserves to be in the Heisman conversation. “As long as we’re winning football games and the Buckeyes are scoring points, I’m happy. I think all that stuff kind of takes care of itself. If you focus too much on individual statistics, then a lot of things get cloudy.
“I’ve always been a believer in if you take care of the things that matter, then the individual accolades and all that kind of stuff will come. The more I focus on my teammates and being the best teammate I can be – being the best player I can be for my teammates, being the best leader I can be – then things like that may come into consideration. But I’m not worried about it.”
According to consensus lines from The Action Network, Howard has +10000 odds to win the Heisman. That ranks No. 11 behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter (+100), Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (+320), Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (+350), Miami’s Cam Ward (+750), Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke (+1600), Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart (+2000), Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (+2000), Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders (+4000), Texas’ Quinn Ewers (+4000) and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik (+8000).
While Howard is the No. 9 quarterback listed, it’s peculiar that Gabriel, the No. 1 quarterback, seems to have similar stats to Ohio State’s signal-caller. Gabriel has completed 0.1 percent more of his passes and thrown for 611 more yards than Howard, but their passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns (six) and interceptions are the same. I am sure Oregon’s one-point win over Ohio State accounts for the difference in their odds, but it’s still peculiar!
Again, in all of this, the Heisman conversation is fun for us to have in online forums and around water coolers. But for Ohio State? No, Ohio State is not concerned about individual awards at the moment; it’s concerned about winning.
“When I think about the Heisman, I think about the most outstanding player in college football,” Ryan Day said Tuesday. “I think sometimes it can come down to statistics, which I think is unfortunate, but that is what it is. I know our team has had Heisman finalists before. This team is worried about winning. That’s really the only thing we’re worried about right now.”
And all of Buckeye Nation said Amen.
IT’S ALL ABOUT COMPLETIONS. Howard received a question about his completion percentage on Tuesday. In four seasons at Kansas State, he completed 58.8 percent of his passes. This season, he’s completed 74 percent of them. Howard said the main difference has been coaching.
“I think a lot of it is coaching and the way I’ve been taught here,” Howard said. “Something Coach (Chip) Kelly has emphasized with me since I got here was completions and how many completions are out there on the field. It’s just easy to take them.”
Another difference has been the talent in Columbus compared to the talent in Manhattan, Kansas. Howard didn’t flat-out share that on Tuesday, but he alluded to it when he mentioned checking down to TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins and Gee Scott Jr. when he can’t deliver the ball to Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka or Carnell Tate.
“I feel like a lot of times in my career at Kansas State, I tried to force things in windows when I didn’t need to. There are checkdowns all over the field (here). Getting the ball to Tre, Gee or Q in the flat and letting them run 6 to 12 yards – I mean, there was a play on Saturday where I may have missed Mek down the middle on one play, but I checked it down to Q and we got 6 yards out of it. It’s like, well, we’re 2nd-and-4 and that’s still a pretty good position to be in. There’s just completions all over the field.”
Howard also addressed his efforts to improve his deep-ball accuracy amid some misfires in that area. Howard has worked to improve his footwork in practice. He’s also worked to improve his mindset. Like a golfer off the tee box, Howard said he sometimes aims his passes of 20+ yards. If he can get himself to “let it rip” – like a Bey Blade! – Howard believes he’ll be more accurate on those throws.
But Howard will keep taking easy completions when the opportunities present themselves.
“Completions are devastating to a defense,” Howard said. “Whether it’s a completion for 0 yards or a completion for 50, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re getting the ball into your playmakers’ hands. … Anytime we can get a completion is a positive for the offense. I’m trying to look at it more in that way. The way Coach Kelly has tried to drill that into my mind has changed my mindset on it a little bit. It’s helped me be more efficient in my passing game.”
FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME. There was a fun section in Ohio State's Game Notes this week before the team faces Northwestern at Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. That section featured which professional baseball teams a collection of Buckeye starters root for:
- Atlanta Braves - Jordan Hancock and Seth McLaughlin
- Houston Astros - Ty Hamilton and Donovan Jackson
- Los Angeles Dodgers - JT Tuimoloau
- Milwaukee Brewers/Minnesota Twins - Carson Hinzman
- New York Mets - Josh Fryar and Cody Simon
- New York Yankees - Davison Igbinosun and Gee Scott Jr.
- Oakland A's - Quinshon Judkins
- Philadelphia Phillies - Will Howard
- Seattle Mariners - Emeka Egbuka
- No favorite team (or don't watch) - Denzel Burke, TreVeyon Henderson, Lathan Ransom, Sonny Styles, Carnell Tate and Tyleik Williams
While I am disappointed that the Cleveland Guardians weren't represented here, I am thrilled to learn that many Buckeyes like baseball. These days, it's rare to find anyone young who loves America's pastime.
Keep the faith, men! Keep the faith!
THE BEST OF THE BEST. To end the Skull Session, I want to show off this video from Ohio State’s creative team that celebrates Smith and Egbuka for becoming college football’s first receiver duo to score eight touchdowns each this season. Why? Because it’s absolute fire.
This is best in college football
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 11, 2024
1st duo to 8 Touchdowns each in 2024 @emeka_egbuka x @Jermiah_Smith1 pic.twitter.com/0VIkgKdCku
Ohio State has the best receiver duo in the nation and the best running back duo in college football.
The in the with 80 @PFF_College grades this season
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 13, 2024
@TreVeyonH4 x @quinshon_ pic.twitter.com/SMims7UR5p
What a time to be alive.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Nightshift" - Commodores.
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