For the Texas Longhorns, they see a Will Howard elevated by the players around him

In the 1994 movie Speed, Keanu Reeves’ character has to keep a city bus moving faster than 50 miles per hour or else it will explode with passengers on board.

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Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is playing a similar role, though without the life-or-death stakes. He’s been tasked with making sure the Buckeye bus operates at peak efficiency, and has even earned a few style points along the way. According to Pro Football Focus, Howard has 21 big-time throws in 14 games and just 13 turnover-worthy passes. In comparison, Texas’ Quinn Ewers has 17 big-time throws and 19 turnover-worthy passes but with 36 fewer pass attempts.

However, Ewers doesn’t have Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss along with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Howard has these players as part of an all-in roster-building effort with him as the one in the middle of every play.

He’s been asked to drive that bus at a high rate of speed.

On Wednesday, Texas players and coaches identified the increase in talent around Howard as one of the big reasons behind his own personal improvement and the Buckeyes’ success.

“He was a really good quarterback when we played him over the last few years,” Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski said. “Think he’s just got a lot more weapons around him that he can throw to or hand the ball off to. He’s always had good O-lines at K-State, and he’s got another good one at Ohio State.

“He’s a big, big guy. He’s got a good feel for the offense as you can see. Throughout the season he got more comfortable within the season. We all know what (Chip) Kelly does with the offense and the challenges he poses with his schemes. I think he’s done a really outstanding job of adapting to that system. It’s a whole new team. You guys watch the game. He’s been really outstanding all year long.”

Howard’s most prolific game of his career was last season versus Texas, when he was 26-for-41 for 327 yards and four touchdowns over one interception in an overtime loss to the Longhorns in Austin. His next three best outputs? The two games this year versus Oregon, including the recent Rose Bowl Duck demolition, and the Buckeyes’ other College Football Playoff game versus Tennessee.

Kwiatkowski’s point about weapons rings true. At Ohio State, he has two 900-plus yard rushers in Judkins and Henderson. He has arguably the best wide receiver in college football in Smith, plus two WR1-level talents in Egbuka and Tate. His offensive line, though depleted some due to injury, has protected him.

He hasn’t had to run the ball like K-State needed him to. Though he has 82 attempts this year compared to last season’s 81 while in Manhattan, Kan., Howard has just 165 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns compared to 2023 when he posted 351 yards and nine scores.

Those 82 rushes include 12 sacks. While Texas players like Anthony Hill Jr. echoed Kwiatkowski’s praise of Howard as a distributor, Hill Jr. thinks there’s an opportunity to add to that sack total and limit that distribution.

“We have some calls for him to send some pressure, so hopefully we can get home and do our job with that stuff,” Hill Jr. said Wednesday.

Howard has answered every question from rambunctious Ohio State fans from early in the year. He’s been everything they’ve needed from him, save when for when he thought there were a few extra seconds remaining during their defeat at Oregon and the loss in the Game to Michigan.

He’s not been asked to do more than keep that bus going fast and on the right path, and put the ball in the hands of elite playmakers

“Just seeing some of the elite guys playing around him,” Hill Jr. said. “He’s pushing the ball down the field a little bit more. He’s taking off and running. He’s been doing a great job of getting the ball in the intermediate. Overall, I think he’s taken a step up and playing a little bit better than he was last year.”

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The Longhorns will look to foil Howard, Kelly, Ryan Day, and the Buckeyes and slow the bus down in a way few have been able to accomplish this season, and leave the advanced bus driver with a long flight back to Columbus.