Buckeyes graduate quarterback Will Howard lines up before the snap in Ohio State’s 52-6 victory over the Akron Zips Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
A day full of highs and lows wouldn’t deter four-year graduate quarterback Will Howard.
Put simply, Howard and the Buckeyes’ opening drive wasn’t pretty. A dropped pass and penalty from freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith led to a three-and-out as Ohio State’s offense worked out its kinks early into the ballgame.
After three incompletions to begin the matchup, Howard completed his first pass as a Buckeye to Smith halfway through the first quarter, with an 11-yard throw to Smith for a first down.
One connection to Smith was all Howard needed to get Ohio State rolling.
The completion would kick-start a 14-play, six-minute drive culminating in a 16-yard back-shoulder pass to Smith for the phenom wideout’s first touchdown.
Howard said it’s a luxury to have guys like Smith, who have the natural ability to beat and go over defenders for catches in single coverage.
“Jeremiah, he’s a dude, man, and if you get him in one-on-one coverage, he’s gonna win,” Howard said. “At the end of the day, this is just a start for him. I think we’re starting to develop a lot of chemistry, and I’m excited to see how this season goes for him.”
Howard would still see growing pains in his first start for the Buckeyes.
A stop from Ohio State’s defense and a shanked 25-yard punt from Akron would give Howard and the Buckeyes offense excellent field position in its third drive of the game. Despite starting the drive on their own 41-yard line, a Howard incompletion on fourth down would squander another scoring opportunity, giving the Zips the ball back.
Two plays later, an interception from Buckeyes senior cornerback Denzel Burke gave Ohio State the ball back in Akron’s defensive territory, but the offense still struggled. Three straight incompletions from Howard subsequently led to a 40-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding.
Howard would bounce back in the Buckeyes’ fourth drive, leading a 76-yard touchdown drive to put Ohio State up 17-3.
The Downington, Pennsylvania native threw three straight completions and scrambled for a 19-yard gain to put the Buckeyes in the red zone. Howard then threw his fourth completion in a row, which came as a strike to Smith over the middle of the field for another touchdown connection.
Smith said his connection with Howard wasn’t of the blue, as it has been something the duo worked on in the months prior and will continue to develop in the future.
“Our chemistry is going very good right now,” Smith said. “It’s just something we built during practice and just continue to build on that to be even better.”
Ohio State’s final drive of the half came to a halt following a near lost fumble by Howard that was recovered by senior running back TreVeyon Henderson, extinguishing the Buckeyes’ chances of scoring before the break. In the first half, Howard was 10 for 21 for a 48% completion percentage and two touchdowns.
Howard said he understood that everything may not go exactly as planned for the Buckeyes, but he stressed it was important for the team to stay calm and regroup when facing challenges.
“One of our goals within this game was to play clean, and I feel like we didn’t really do that in the first half,” Howard said. “At the end of the day, we just kind of had to get together and say, ‘Settle down, just play our game.’”
Howard would bounce back in the second half.
The Buckeyes received the ball with just under nine minutes to go in the third quarter following an Akron drive that took up over six minutes of the clock. Less than a minute and three plays later, the Buckeyes got back in the end zone.
The Buckeyes opened the drive with a 13-yard rush from sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins, before Howard unleashed a bomb to Smith for a 45-yard gain. A play later, Howard handed the ball off to Judkins, who scored on a two-yard rush to give the Buckeyes a 21-point lead.
In Howard’s next drive, he and the Buckeyes marched down the field once again.
Henderson and Judkins powered the Buckeyes into opposing territory, before Howard threw a pass to graduate wideout Emeka Egbuka that was deemed incomplete because of defensive pass interference.
It took Ohio State just two plays in the red zone to score. With no time remaining in the third quarter, Howard handed the ball off to freshman running back James Peoples for a touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a 38-6 lead.
In his final drive, Howard needed just four plays to get the Buckeyes back in the end zone. The gunslinger tossed three straight completions, culminating in a 34-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate, who sprinted to the goal to give Ohio State a commanding 45-6 lead.
Howard finished his first outing for the Buckeyes with 17 completions for 228 total yards and three touchdowns, while also racking up 18 rush yards. Smith caught six of those balls for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
Head coach Ryan Day said he felt Howard’s experience shined with his presence in the pocket, taking care of the football for the majority of the game.
“I thought he had pretty good poise the whole day,” Day said. “He took care of the football other than the one crazy decision there at the end of the half to try to force something. Actually, he’s got to take a deep breath on that.”
