Ryan Day voices utmost confidence in his QB: 'We can win every game with Will Howard'

More than a week after Ohio State’s one-point road loss to now-top-ranked Oregon, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard declared that he wanted to be able to look back and say that the way his team responded to that disappointment in Eugene is the reason it went on a national championship run.

Howard and now-No. 3 Ohio State may have just jumpstarted that run in State College over the weekend.

The Buckeyes got another crack at a top-five opponent on the road, and this time they delivered in the fourth quarter, first with a goal line stand and then with 10 straight runs that milked the clock.

Ohio State left Happy Valley with a 20-13 win in hand, a chance to still punch its ticket to the Big Ten Championship this season and a serious shot to win its first national title since 2014.

The Buckeyes won the first-ever College Football Playoff. Taking home the first-ever 12-team CFP would require Howard to be at his best when it matters most, something he’s almost aways done this year. The biggest exception was at Oregon last month when he slid a second too late, and the Buckeyes ran out of time to use their final timeout and attempt a potential game-winning field goal.

Ironically, Howard finished last week’s game at Penn State with a slide as well — only this time, he got down to kill clock, not in attempt to preserve it.

Howard was part of an impressive game-ending drive that saw the Buckeyes dominate the Nittany Lions on the line of scrimmage. He clinched victory with a pair of third down runs, first on a sweep and then on a zone-read keep.

“I think what you saw at the end of the game made a difference in finishing this game,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “We hadn’t really finished a game like this in a while, but having his legs, having his physicality and all that made a big difference in this one.

“So we know how capable he is in a lot of different areas. He is the leader of this team, and the guys believe in him. We know we can win every game with Will Howard.”

Howard has Ohio State off to a 7-1 start, including a 4-1 mark in Big Ten competition. He’s fourth nationally among qualifying FBS passers with a 73.2% completion percentage, by far the best clip he’s recorded in his career. Plus, the fifth-year signal caller, and Kansas State graduate transfer, is currently posting a 19:5 touchdown-to-interception to go along with his 115 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Most games, Howard has one or two plays he’d like back. For instance, this past weekend, his early-game pick-six spotted the Nittany Lions a touchdown, and his fumble at the 1-yard line cost Ohio State a touchdown of its own later in the first half.

“I think the more and more he’s in this offense, the more and more he feels what it’s like to be the Ohio State quarterback, the better,” Day said. “But at the end of the day, it’s about winning the game, and he did that [at Penn State]. He’s a winner.

“So, again, a lot to come out of the game, a lot to learn from, and we have to play cleaner. But we love his fire, we love his competitiveness, we love his composure. The guys believe in him, and he can make a lot of throws.”

Howard described his two-touchdown and two-turnover performance at Penn State as probably his worst outing of the year. And yet, he emerged victorious with an adversity-worn triumph close to three hours away from his hometown in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

The 6-foot-4, 233-pound dual threat hasn’t been perfect in 2024. He has, however, given the Buckeyes the playmaking and leadership they needed at the position.

“I know that I have what it takes to get it done,” Howard said Tuesday. “I didn’t play my best game against Penn State. … I think maybe I let the emotions get the most of me a little bit at some points, but at the end of the day, man, I came here for one big reason, and that’s to win a national championship. That’s still ahead of us.

“I’m thrilled about this win, but, at this point, we’re past it. It’s just a stepping stone and what we needed to do to stay on the trajectory to get to where we want to get. But, man, I believe in myself and my abilities, because I got the best supporting cast in the country.”