Will Howard, Tyleik Williams injury updates: Ryan Day provides latest on Ohio State stars

With less than a minute left in the second quarter of Ohio State‘s 38-7 win over Michigan State on Saturday, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard left the game after absorbing a massive hit. Devin Brown came in for Howard and threw a touchdown on his first snap.

Howard started the second half and showed no signs of injury. After the game, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day provided an update on Howard’s condition.

“Will was good to go,” Day said. “Just took a shot there, as you guys saw.”

Howard echoed Day’s comments after the game.

“I might be a little sore tomorrow but it’s all good,” Howard said. “It’s football, man. It’s part of it.”

In the win, Howard completed 21-of-his-31 pass attempts for 244 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception. Through four games this season, Howard boasts 1,039 passing yards and eight touchdowns compared to only two interceptions.

Ryan Day provides update on Tyleik Williams

Howard wasn’t the only one the media had questions about after the game. Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams didn’t play against Michigan State despite being listed as available. After the win, Day pulled back the curtain on his decision to keep Williams sidelined.

“Tyleik was available,” Day said. “He was going to be available in an emergency role. We felt like if we needed him. We were going to put him in the game.

“He was cleared, but we felt like one more week, almost like the Donovan (Jackson) situation, one more week of rest, you know, would get him to 100%, which we felt like was the right thing to do. If we needed to, we could have put him in the game. We decided we didn’t need him.”

Williams also didn’t play in Ohio State’s Week 4 win over Marshall. The Donovan Jackson situation Day referenced played out over the first two weeks of the season. Jackson, the Buckeyes’ starting left guard, missed the first two games of the year with a hamstring injury he suffered in training camp.

Jackson was listed as “out” in the opener, but he was “available” in Week 2 against Western Michigan. Alas, he didn’t play and redshirt freshman Austin Siereveld continued to start in his place. He returned in the Buckeyes’ following game and OSU fans can only hope Williams does the same.