Will Howard Has Lived Up To The Hype, Now It’s Time For More

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard stood at the podium following the Buckeyes’ 38-15 win over No. 5 Indiana on Saturday. He was somewhat ironically wearing a white hat that read “Run The Damn Ball,” but the 50 or so media members staring back at him were looking at someone who has become one of the best passers in school history.

Standing in front of them was the first quarterback in OSU history to have six career games where he completed 80% of his passes.

It was just his 11th game as a Buckeye.

CJ Stroud did it five times over his career. Justin Fields did it four times. Dwayne Haskins did it three times.

Will Howard came to Ohio State as a career 59% passer, and now he’s on the verge of having the most accurate season for a Buckeye quarterback ever.

He completed his first 14 passes against Indiana on Saturday, finishing 22-of-26 for 201 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

For the season, Howard is 208-for-281 passing for 2,685 yards with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has also rushed for 121 yards and seven touchdowns.

At the time he transferred to Ohio State, the addition wasn’t necessarily pictured as the sure-fire success it has become. The expectations at the time were basically, “Well, as long as he doesn’t screw things up, I guess it could work. Plus Ryan Day likes him for a reason, after all.”

Nobody expected him to go through 11 games as the most-accurate quarterback in Buckeye history.

Of course, the competition is going to continue picking up, so the percentages may begin to dip. Currently, Howard leads the nation in completion percentage (74.0), just ahead of Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (73.8). Howard is also second nationally in passer efficiency (180.54) and third nationally in yards per pass attempt (9.6).

Quarterbacks are also judged by wins, and Will Howard was at the helm for his second victory as Ohio State’s starting quarterback over a top-5 team. The first came came at the beginning of November with a 20-13 win at No. 3 Penn State. It didn’t quite make up for the 32-31 loss at No. 3 Oregon three weeks earlier, but it was a start.

The win over Indiana on Saturday tied the combined career totals of top-5 wins for Justin Fields (1) and CJ Stroud (1). If the Buckeyes beat Michigan on Saturday and then take care of No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, Howard would match the combined career totals of top-5 wins for Fields, Stroud, and Dwayne Haskins.

In one season.

But before that next top-5 game gets here, there is the matter of the one statistic by which every Ohio State quarterback is remembered.

You have to beat Michigan.

Amazingly, if Will Howard does lead his team to a win over the Wolverines, he will again match the combined career totals of Justin Fields and CJ Stroud.

Stroud went 0-2 against the Wolverines and their high-level low-level staffing. Fields, meanwhile, only faced Michigan in 2019 — a 56-27 win. The Wolverines declined the rematch against Fields and the Buckeyes one year later.

Stroud may be the best quarterback in Ohio State football history. But if you want to be the greatest quarterback in Ohio State football history, you have to beat Michigan.

Nobody ever said it was a fair measuring stick.

But nobody ever said it was a secret, either.

Everything that Will Howard has done this season has contributed to him being accepted by the Ohio State fan base. He plays hard and he plays for the right reasons. There has been a groundswell of Heisman pleadings from Buckeye fans despite no real Heisman moments or gaudy yardage numbers.

The fans just simply really like the guy.

But Howard has an opportunity to move from fan favorite to Ohio State legend.

The best kind of one-and-done.

Howard has already lived up to the hype. That happened by the end of October. Now he has the opportunity to go beyond what hype there was and find himself in the rarefied air of Ohio State football lore.

History is forever for a reason.

Will Howard stood at the podium following the Buckeyes’ 38-15 win over No. 5 Indiana on Saturday. One week away from etching his name into one side of history’s ledger or the other.

Either Ohio State immortality or yet another footnote that is still more wound than scar.

For a Buckeye quarterback, one way or another, the Michigan game is part of your legacy.

So you may as well win it.

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