Will Howard sends message to Indiana: ‘You gotta remember you’re coming in to play the Buckeyes’

Will Howard and his Ohio State teammates received a boost in their confidence after handing Indiana their first loss of the season in Week 13.

The Buckeyes have been feeling themselves over the past couple of days, heading into a huge rivalry showdown with Michigan. Howard and the Ohio State squad made sure to point out they still have a ton of respect for the Hoosiers, but when you come at the Buckeyes, you better come different.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for what they do, and what Coach Cignetti has done. They’ve had a heck of a turnaround,” Howard said, following the win. “But you’ve gotta remember, you’re coming in to play the Buckeyes, man. It’s a little different.”

It was evident throughout the afternoon this past Saturday that Ohio State held their showdown with Indiana in high esteem. They knew there was a ton of eyes on them, and the Buckeyes made a statement.

It was more than evident when the game was out of reach for Indiana in the waning moments, and instead of simply kneeling on the football, Howard and the Buckeyes offense decided to score. It might’ve left a bad taste is the mouth of some college football fans, but the quarterback simply viewed it as putting a bow on the win.

“We wanted to put an exclamation point on that thing, and kind of remind them what the Buckeyes are about,” Howard explained. “You accept what you ask for. I’ve got a ton of respect for them guys. That was not in any way disrespectful.

“We were just trying to put an exclamation point on the game. We’re on the one-yard-line, let’s go score.”

Perhaps Ohio State and Indiana will face each other down the road in the College Football Playoff, and we’ll see if the late score is motivation for the Hoosiers. For now, Will Howard and his Buckeyes teammates are focused on ending their season on a high note, exercising the demon of the Michigan Wolverines in Week 14.