Most Telling Stat: Will Howard played his best against the best twice last year
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the numbers that will be most important for the Buckeyes this college football season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our 'Most Telling Stat' articles here.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard memorably issued an emotional apology to the fans after the Buckeyes' loss against The Team Up North. The dark clouds that hovered over the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and the program were proverbial, with optimism sparse at best going into the College Football Playoff.
Howard came out slinging it against Tennessee in the First Round of the CFP, sending the raucous Ohio Stadium into a frenzy with his 37-yard touchdown to Jeremiah Smith on the Buckeyes' first possession. Ohio State cruised to a 42-17 win, setting up a rematch with No. 1 seed Oregon in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.
Oregon edged Ohio State in the regular season 32-31 in Eugene, a game where Howard infamously slid down after time expired while trying to get the Buckeyes into field goal range. Prior to the Rose Bowl, Howard stirred some headlines when he said that the thought no other team had beaten the Buckeyes leading up to New Year's Day. Howard added that he thought the Buckeyes had beaten themselves every time.
Making comments like that require any player to back them up against the No. 1 team in the country, especially in a playoff game. That's exactly what Howard did, going 17-of-26 for 319 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a no-doubt 41-21 win.
In the regular-season game at Oregon, Howard was a strong 28-of-35 for 326 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
That means, against the team that ended up as the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, Howard passed for a combined 645 yards and five touchdowns while going 45-of-61 without an interception in two games. That's a 73.8 completion percentage against a team that was No. 1 for seven-straight games and undefeated coming into the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals.
Howard set the tone in the headlines leading up to the rematch with Oregon, and his confidence rubbed off on the entire Buckeyes team. To have that kind of quarterback in their corner was a game-changer for Ohio State on its run to the national championship.
It wasn't just against Oregon, though. In four College Football Playoff games, including the National Championship, Howard passed for 1,150 yards and eight touchdowns against just two interceptions. Howard completed 82 of his 109 pass attempts, good for a 75.2 completion percentage.
Football is a complex game, but sometimes it comes down to having a great and confident quarterback that no matter the opponent or circumstances is going to carry you to victory. That's what Howard did for one month in four win-or-go-home games, including against No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
Howard talked and the talk and then walked the walk. His numbers in two games against Oregon are some of the most telling stats of Ohio State's national championship in 2024.
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