The archetype of your quarterback is at the crux of what kind of team you are. The makeup of the entire roster often stems from the style of player lined up under the center. Another facet apart from style is capability, whether the QB is a force-multiplier who accentuates the pieces around him. Or whether he’s a guy benefitting from a plethora of potent weapons. Albeit it may be a fallacious notion, it’s easy to place Ohio State’s Will Howard in the latter category. 

Howard is a season vet at the college level. He’s provided the Buckeyes with a stop-gap solution after transferring over from Kansas State. Will Howard perhaps have the best-supporting cast of any QB in the sport? Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate make up a stacked wide receiving corp. Owing to this, Howard is proverbially colouring inside the lines and isn’t being a superhero willing his team to victories on his back. This has inadvertently caused skepticism about whether he even has that in his locker if needed in a massive CFP setting.

Ahead of Ohio State hosting Tennessee in Columbus, Vols fan Jay Stephens echoed concern over their adversaries’ QB. He took to the “Locked on Vols” podcast to say “Will Howard is a guy that’s not a difference-maker. He is a guy that’s more of a game manager. Not trying to use it as a negative connotation- literally every quarterback’s a game manager. But he’s more of a guy that just lets the game come to him. He needs pieces around him for him to be good at his job, for him to excel on the football field.”

This perceived indictment isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Will Howard has been one of the most efficient and accurate signal callers in the nation. His experience traversing across 2 programs and having 39 starts at the college level permeates to his ancillary pieces. He has thrust his skill position guys to blossom. 

The nexus between a quarterback and a wide receiver is sacred. One needs the other to thrive. Their bond is perpetually reciprocal- the more one side sows, the more the other side reaps. The success of OSU’s aforementioned receivers demands some credit for Will Howard. Aptly facilitating his receivers is an attribute Will Howard does possess. He perhaps doesn’t have the high-ceiling of a Cam Ward or Drew Allar. He’s not particularly mobile, and has shown tended to struggle when the pocket collapses on him. However, he does have a fairly high floor and has shown that he can raise it in the big spots.

Will Howard will seek to draw the positive bits from his Oregon performance

A download is often rendered useless if it stops at 99%. That is an allegory for what happened with Will Howard when Ohio State travelled to Eugene to face the Oregon Ducks. The Buckeyes trailed 31-32 with 6 seconds on the clock but were dispositioned inside field-goal range. In an attempt to gain a few more yards for an easier attempt, Ryan Day ran another play. What ensued was a QB scramble where Will Howard slid a little too late, and time expired. Howard cannot be absolved for this blunder, but his performance up to that poor decision was glossed over in the aftermath.

Howard arguably played his best game of the season against Oregon. Although his team lost in excruciating fashion, Howard’s 326 passing yards and 80% completion percentage at Autzen Stadium was a data point. One that shows he’s not entirely just a product of the talent around him.

Ohio State will need Will Howard to conjure a similar performance against Tennessee, minus the final 6 seconds. He may not be the key reason if they come out victorious. However, he will remain a major proponent. Since he’s in his final year of eligibility, every time Howard steps on a college field, it could be his last here on out. He’ll want to dissipate some of the skepticism around him before he bows out.