Will Howard New To This Rivalry, Not Taking It Lightly

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is not a stranger to rivalry games. He spent the first four years of his college career at Kansas State where he was 3-0 as a starter against Kansas.

It’s not quite the same as the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, but nobody wants to lose a rivalry game, especially the starting quarterback.

“We don’t lose to KU,” Howard said on Tuesday when asked about his history in rivalry games. “I mean, nothing like this, though. This is this is definitely the biggest rivalry game I’ve ever played in.”

Will Howard now enters a situation that he had nothing to do with. The Buckeyes have lost three in a row to Michigan and there are around 20 seniors on this Ohio State team who have one last shot at a victory over the Wolverines.

Even though he hasn’t yet played in The Game, there seems to be no doubt that he understands what he’s gotten himself into.

“I can’t wait, man,” he said after OSU’s win over Indiana last Saturday. “I can’t wait. I’m stoked. I’m fired up. This one, this one’s for those guys who came back. This one’s for Buckeye Nation. I feel it, man. I can just feel it. There’s been that hurt the last three years.”

If you’re a Buckeye, it’s impossible to avoid the topic — not that anybody is trying. The walls inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center are adorned with past victories and a countdown clock to what they hope is the next one. Head coach Ryan Day says that every working day is spent on the rivalry in some form or fashion.

Even in recruiting, if you’re not up for it, don’t bother hopping on board.

“This rivalry game, it’s the first thing that I heard when I came here on my visit,” Howard said. “‘Beat the team up north.’ It’s the first goal we have every single year, beat the team up north. And you can say anything about the records, man. It’s going to be a hard game every single year. They’re going to bring it.”

The records are what they are, but there are no bonus points for records. Michigan is 6-5. Ohio State is 10-1. The Buckeyes are favored by three touchdowns, but none of those touchdowns can be applied to the scoreboard on Saturday so they don’t actually matter.

The losses the past three years, however, do matter. They have weighed heavily on everybody in this program, and it’s one of the reasons why so many seniors who could have left for the NFL chose to return.

“I want to do this for Coach Day. I want to do this for the guys who came back,” Howard said. “For Emeka, for Trey, for JT, for Jack, for all those guys who came back. Tyleik. Ty, I could go on. But I want this for them so bad. Because they’ve been here. I’ve seen it from a distance and I feel it and I’m 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. Shut up the haters and be able to go out there and say, ‘Man, this is the Ohio State Buckeyes.'”

The Buckeyes are now just two days away from being able to exorcise some maize and blue demons. It’s an opportunity to send the seniors out with their first pair of goal pants.

It’s also an opportunity to live up to the preparation.

“This rivalry game means everything, man,” Howard said. “We talk about it all the time. It’s all over the place in our building. And I’m just honored to be able to be a part of it. And I won’t take it lightly. This is the biggest game of our season and I’m looking forward to it.”

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