Tag: Will Howard

Watch Will Howard connect with Emeka Egbuka to get Ohio State on the scoreboard

Nice connection for the score #GoBucks

After a horrific start, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard made up for his pick-six by connecting with Emeka Egbuka on a wheel route for the score against Penn State. Chip Kelly used some creativity to get the Buckeyes into scoring position by running a speed option and getting other chunk plays. So far, it seems like the revamped offensive line is doing a fine job opening lanes and giving Howard time to work.

Ohio State started out the game by digging itself into a 10-0 hole. But credit to the team and coaching staff for not panicking and coming back with the methodical drive to bring the Bucks within three points of the Nittany Lions. Check out the sweet pass play below that got OSU on the board.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. 

Ohio State football’s Will Howard among 35-QB group for this award

Ohio State football’s dual-threat quarterback Will Howard has been selected as one of 35 QBs for this prestigious award.

Ohio State football is one of the most well-known brands in the sport, and it has traditionally been able to get high-profile quarterbacks to Columbus.

From Troy Smith to Justin Fields to Will Howard, the Buckeyes have been able to have some talented players, and while Howard hasn’t put up video game-like numbers this season, he still has been able to efficiently lead the Buckeyes.

Given his leadership and poise, Howard has been named among the 35 quarterbacks eligible for the Davey O’Brien Award, which has been given to the best quarterback in college football since 1977.

There are a plethora of other Big Ten quarterbacks on the list including Penn State’s Drew Allar, Illinois’ Luke Altmyer, Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel.

The pool is talented, and Howard is among them. He has the Buckeyes ranked as the 4th-best team in the country and could make a statement, going for a homecoming to take on Penn State this weekend (he was born in Pennsylvania).

That said, with his second top-five matchup of the season, Howard’s legacy will be defined by these few games, and his chance to win the award may hinge on them as well.

Will Howard sounds off in cryptic message to Penn State football

Will Howard wanted to go to Penn State, but the Nittany Lions didn’t want him. Now, he clearly wants revenge.

Will Howard is going to play the biggest game of his career Saturday.

While one could make a reasonable argument that taking on the then-No. 3 Oregon Ducks was the biggest challenge, the Buckeyes could be facing elimination from the 12-team College Football Playoffs if they lose this second game and aren’t able to play for the Big Ten Championship.

Much of how the Buckeyes perform will rest on Howard’s shoulders, and he has a little more motivation than usual to live up to the hype. Howard was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2020 and committed to Kansas State. His hometown though to no surprise was in Pennsylvania.

More specifically, he went to Downingtown West in Downingtown, PA. Howard wanted to go to Penn State, and he is clearly keeping the receipts.

Howard has thrown for 1,795 passing yards through seven games and has 17 touchdowns. His ability to run is what has separated him from the Buckeyes quarterback last season, Kyle McCord.

However, as McCord didn’t, Howard must show up when the lights are brightest. That’s how he is going to be remembered in Columbus. Saturday against the No. 3 Penn State will be another massive test for the dual-threat quarterback.

Ohio State QB Will Howard fires shots at Penn State ahead of big-time Week 10 showdown

Will Howard grew up a Penn State fan but never landed an offer. Now, the Buckeyes quarterback wants to prove the Nittany Lions staff wrong.

Ohio State had a bit of a close call on Saturday coming off a bye following its loss to Oregon, but the Buckeyes survived at home against Nebraska 21-17 to move to 6-1 on the season.

Now, they’ll turn their attention to what could be one of the most impactful matchups of the entire season against unbeaten Penn State in State College next weekend. And for Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard, the game is more than a little personal.

Howard was born and raised near Philadelphia and, by his own account, grew up a Penn State fan with his dream being to play for the Nittany Lions. However, he never received an offer despite the three-star recruit holding offers from other Big Ten teams like Maryland, Rutgers and Minnesota before eventually committing to Kansas State, where he spent his first four seasons.

After the win over the Cornhuskers, Howard said he’s eager to prove the Nittany Lions coaching staff wrong, according to Cleveland.com’s Stefan Krajisnik.

“I’m stoked. I cannot wait,” Howard said. “It’s going to be a homecoming for me. Grew up a Penn State fan. I wanted to go there my whole life. They didn’t think I was good enough. I guess we’ll see next week if I was.”

Shots fired, indeed.

We’ll see if Howard can make a statement to his former dream school when the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions square off at noon ET next Saturday in a game with massive Big Ten and College Football Playoff implications.

Will Howard’s baffling decision to scramble as time expired in Ohio State-Oregon was hard to watch

OH NO.

No. 2 Ohio State quarterback Will Howard had the chance to set his team up for a game-winning field goal on the road against No. 3 Oregon on Saturday night.

Instead, a baffling decision from Howard to scramble as time expired on the clock left the Buckeyes with a 32-31 loss and so many questions to answer as to what in the world just happened.

Howard’s stunning decision came with just six seconds to go in the game.

Instead of finding open Ohio State wide receiver Brandon Inniss right by the sideline to get a little more yardage and stop the clock for a field goal try or capping his scramble sooner for Ohio State to get in its final timeout, Howard kept running and slid right as the game clock hit zero.

All Howard could do is put his hands on his helmet in shock and watch Oregon storm the field as victors. For simply jaw-dropping mistakes in college football this season, this one might take the cake.

Although, for Ohio State coach Ryan Day not to have his quarterback better prepared to handle that situation is pretty inexcusable. For all the blame Howard will get for his lack of clock awareness, the coaching staff should shoulder a good bit of it, too.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]

Previewing Ohio State’s offense ahead of Saturday’s game vs. Oregon Ducks

Ohio State is going to bring in one of the best offenses in the country and will provide a huge test for the Ducks.

Oregon and Ohio State were in the same position this position. Both teams were looking for a quarterback to lead an offense full of dangerous weapons, including a group of receivers that is one of the best in the country.

Both teams landed a Big XII quarterback with the Ducks getting former Oklahoma Sooner Dillon Gabriel and the Buckeyes signing former Kansas State signal caller Will Howard.

The two quarterbacks have been very good for their respective teams. Howard has been very efficient for the Buckeyes as he has a 69 completion percentage to go with his eight touchdowns and just two interceptions for the season.

Predictably, Howard’s favorite targets, as they should be, are receivers Emeka Egbuka and true freshman Jeremiah Smith. Egbuka is one of the best receivers out there and should be a first-round NFL draft pick and Smith isn’t disappointing as a former No. 1 recruit.

Egbuka has 21 catches for 362 yards (90.5 ypg) to go with two touchdowns. Smith has shown he’s ready for the big time as he leads Ohio State with five touchdowns with his 19 receptions and 364 yards.

“They can catch the ball and they can turn into a big play right away. It’s not necessarily always their average depth of target is way down the field,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.. “It’s their ability to catch it in space and get vertical. They block really, really well on the perimeter. And those guys have big catch radius. So you see them win on balls that you can you call 50-50 balls. A lot of times they win on contested balls, they do a really good job there.”

What makes Ohio State’s offense so good is that opposing defenses can’t just concentrate on the passing game. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson is a powerful 1-2 punch out of the backfield.

Judkins is averaging 97.5 yards a game and has scored five touchdowns, while Henderson is averaging nearly nine yards a carry and has scored four times.

Lanning says offensive coordinator Chip Kelly doesn’t get enough credit for the Buckeyes’ rushing game.

“I think he’s always done a great job of utilizing his personnel. Moving guys around and allowing them to do things that they do really, really well. He always finds unique ways to run the ball,” he said. “I think that’s one thing that he probably doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to run the ball regardless of the situation. You know, he’s at UCLA last year, the number one rushing team in our conference for many reasons, and it’s because of his ability to run the ball.”

Ohio State has a big offensive line typical of most Big Ten teams. Each of them weigh over 300 pounds, led by senior guard Donovan Jackson. He was a First-Team All-Conference lineman in 2022.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

WATCH: Will Howard earns rushing touchdown

WATCH: Will Howard earns rushing touchdown #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team is currently leading the Iowa Hawkeyes, 21-0 and Will Howard has been doing damage both through the air and on the ground. Howard has completed 16 of his 20 passing attempts for 155 yards and two touchdowns and only one interception. On the ground, the Kansas State transfer has been moving the ball too with eight carries for 31 yards and a touchdown.

This will be the fourth game in a row that Howard has earned a rushing touchdown, which should be a pleasant surprise for Buckeye fans that were clamoring for a more mobile quarterback the last few years. This change in the offense has more to do with the acquisition of new offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly than a lack of athleticism in the previous quarterbacks, but regardless of the reason it is still an exciting wrinkle.

The leading rusher for Ohio State is Quinshon Judkins with nine attempts for 66 yards, but Howard is only one carry shy.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

One huge question looming over Ohio State football in Week 6

Ohio State football is going to be tested in Week 6 against Iowa, its first real matchup of the season. Can it answer this massive looming question though?

Ohio State football has dominated early in the season. But, considering who it has played, that’s not too shocking. Even against a Big Ten foe like Michigan State, the Buckeyes were still more than three-score favorites.

While they will undoubtedly be expected to win by double figures against the Iowa Hawkeyes in their Week 6 battle, there are going to be a few areas to keep an eye on.

The main question to watch for is how dedicated will Chip Kelly be to the run game.

The Hawkeyes beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers last week 31-14, and they were able to be taken advantage of through the air; however, Minnesota ended the game with 21 carries for just 79 yards.

Iowa has the size in the trenches to stop the run, something Ohio State has tried to do early and often this season. Let’s just say Kelly is focusing on his humor going into the matchup as well as the Hawkeyes.

Nonetheless, Iowa ranks 10th in the country in opponents yards per rush attempt, a category the Buckeyes rank 4th in. Ohio State sits 11th in rushing yards per game. There’s going to be a clash Saturday in Columbus.

Something has to give as Ohio State faces its first real test Surday.

Watch: Emeka Egbuka scores long touchdown

Watch: Emeka Egbuka scores long touchdown #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team has kicked off against the Marshall Thundering Herd and despite the defense coming out slow, the offense looks just as explosive as last time we saw it. Usually, these articles have been focused on freshman phenom, Jeremiah Smith, but the opening touchdown today goes to the underrated upperclassman, Emeka Egbuka.

Down by a touchdown already, the Buckeyes came out of the gate with something to prove and a beautiful screen was completed from Will Howard to Egbuka for an impressive 68 yards. Ohio State is expected to beat Marshall by more than six touchdowns and this offense will need to keep moving fast to reach those expectations.

Currently two offensive plays into the game, Egbuka is the leading receiver with one reception for a 68-yard touchdown and the Buckeyes are tied with the Thundering Herd with plenty of time left on the board. Check out the highlight of the touchdown below.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

Quarterback Will Howard named ‘Buck of The Week’ by Ohio State football

Will Howard recognized for his efforts against Akron. #GoBucks

Ohio State football has named Will Howard the “Buck of The Week” after his performance vs. Akron on Saturday. The Buckeyes didn’t storm out to a strong start, taking just a 7-3 lead into the second quarter. However, the Buckeyes did finish strong with Howard throwing for three touchdowns while the defense added two of its own. Ohio State ended up winning 52-6, failing to cover the spread.

Howard was just 17-of-28, so his accuracy has room to improve but his numbers speak for themselves. He ended with 228 yards and no interceptions, throwing two of those three touchdowns to freshman star Jeremiah Smith.

It is quite the honor for having completed his first game as the Ohio State starting quarterback, Howard sat down and discussed the award and what it means to him.

Here’s the full video.

The Kansas State transfer earned the starting job just a few weeks prior to the commencing of the season. He was the Wildcats full-time starter last season, ending the year with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions to go along with 2,643 passing yards.

Howard has the ability to lead this team to a championship, but he’ll need to take another step in his development to get this offense there.

Nonetheless, this was a good first game, and his confidence should be high as the team welcomes the Western Michigan Broncos to Ohio Stadium for their Week 2 matchup.