Ohio State’s Will Howard’s latest comments show he knows how key it is to beat Michigan in Columbus
Ohio State is 5-0 on the season with their biggest test yet still in front of them on Saturday, the Oregon Ducks. To this point, it looks like the Buckeyes made the right choice in the transfer portal to bring in quarterback Will Howard. Howard still has the thick of the schedule to play through, […]
Ohio State is 5-0 on the season with their biggest test yet still in front of them on Saturday, the Oregon Ducks. To this point, it looks like the Buckeyes made the right choice in the transfer portal to bring in quarterback Will Howard.
Howard still has the thick of the schedule to play through, but he’s been a pretty good addition to this point. An interesting tidbit that Howard recently revealed on The Triple Option podcast was that he learned right away what ‘The Rivalry’ means in Columbus.
“There’s a countdown (clock) in the weight room, right outside the cafeteria, right outside this room right here,” Howard explained. “I had to buy in, you know. I’d get slapped upside the head if I said that M-word around here. I might as well buy in.”
Howard played the last four seasons at Kansas State but became a graduate transfer when he entered the portal following last season. He came on his visit to Ohio State at the same time as center Seth McLaughlin, who transferred in from Alabama.
“I remember on my visit, I was wearing a darker blue hoodie, and I remember somebody said something to me (about it being a UM color). I was like ‘Damn, I didn’t even realize. I just thought it was, like, a nice little Rhoback hoodie’,” Howard stated. “I was like, ‘Shoot, I’ve got to change.’ So I had to take it off and it was freezing cold. It was January, and I was wearing a T-shirt on my visit. I had to kind of learn as I went, and the mistakes I made were highlighted — like every time I said the M-word.”
Howard will get his first and only crack at Michigan in November. So far with the Buckeyes this season, Howard is completing about 72 percent of his passes for 1,248 yards, and 12 touchdowns to three interceptions. The senior has added four touchdowns on the ground.
Having only been in Columbus less than a year, it is key that Howard has caught onto the rivalry. Since it is such a must-win situation against the Wolverines this year, the stakes are so much higher. Four straight losses to Michigan could cause some heads to roll if the Buckeyes don’t accomplish the big picture. You can bet that the Buckeyes are going to need a few big plays from Howard to win that one.
Ohio State receives a gift of good news that may push them over the top to beat Oregon
The Buckeyes will need him.
