Will Howard explains how he eliminated distractions in national championship

Perhaps the single biggest difference-maker in the national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame was the play of Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard.

He was razor sharp, getting on a heater and never cooling down in the contest.

The stage certainly didn’t seem to bother him at all. Or, at least if it did, it definitely didn’t show.

“Speaking of that I feel like it can be a lot. The lights are bright. It’s a spectacle,” Howard said after the game. “And the TV timeouts are like four minutes long and it feels like everything is kind of a show a little bit. But you have to block all that out. We talked about that all week: Eliminate all the distractions. Don’t listen to any of the outside noise, just finish the job.”

Will Howard finished the game 17-of-21 passing for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He operated the offense cleanly and got Ohio State into and out of the right plays.

Perhaps equally importantly he was a threat with his legs. Howard finished the game with 16 carries for 57 yards. Not a monster total, but enough to extend drives and keep the Fighting Irish a little more honest.

The Ohio State gunslinger explained exactly what it meant to keep composure in the big game.

“When you get into big games like this, whoever is able to have the poise in the noise and overcome adversity — because it wasn’t always pretty today, it wasn’t always perfect, and it’s never going to be — the team that we have and the leadership that we have with coach (Ryan) Day, with just the resilience this team has shown all year, it’s just unbelievable,” Howard said.

His head coach saw it coming. Early on, too.

Day opened up on what having Will Howard has meant to the program since Day 1 following his arrival from Kansas State.

“It started with me when I first met Will,” Day said. “I just saw something in him, a football IQ and intelligence. I saw him play on film at Kansas State and win championships and win big games and be able to make an impact with his feet, but also throw with accuracy and anticipate throws. And those are things that are hard to find. Then you see a guy, you meet him and just his football IQ and maturity is what kind of captured me.”

Will Howard did his part. The rest just clicked into place.

Ohio State got out to a big lead in the game, then managed to hold on as Notre Dame attempted to rally. Every time the Buckeyes needed a big play, Will Howard was there to deliver.

Consequently, Ohio State is the national champion. A simple but effective equation.