Ohio State Buckeyes: Will Howard looking to prove his worth to home-state team

Nov. 2—Much is on the line Saturday when No. 4 Ohio State travels to No. 3 Penn State.

Not only is it another top five matchup for the Buckeyes, who lost to current No. 1 Oregon three weeks ago, but this game is one they most likely can’t afford to lose if they want to make the Big Ten championship game.

As usual, there is no shortage of storylines. Here are five to know before Saturday’s noon kickoff:

1. Will Howard has something to prove.

Ohio State’s quarterback did not speak to reporters this week, but he said all he needed to after the Buckeyes beat Nebraska last Saturday.

“Stoked,” Howard said after throwing three touchdown passes in a 21-17 win over the Cornhuskers. “I’m stoked. Cannot wait. It’s going to be a homecoming for me. I grew up a Penn State fan. I wanted to go there my whole life. They didn’t think I was good enough. I guess we’ll see next week if I was.”

A three-star prospect, Howard was Pennsylvania’s No. 7 overall prospect as a senior at Downington West in the class of 2020. He was the No. 33 pro-style quarterback in 247Sports Composite rankings but had a dozen Division I offers, including Cincinnati, Maryland, Minnesota and Rutgers.

He became a second-team All-Big 12 quarterback at Kansas State and led the Wildcats to a conference title before entering the transfer portal last winter with an extra year of eligibility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hoping to improve his NFL Draft stock and lead the Buckeyes back to the top of the Big Ten heap, Howard is second in the nation in passing efficiency (183.9), third in completion percentage (74.0) and tied for 14th in TD passes (17) this season.

2. Penn State has uncertainty at quarterback.

Ironically Penn State could counter with a quarterback who grew up in Ohio.

Drew Allar is a second-year starter for the Nittany Lions, but the junior from Medina…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-buckeyes-howard-looking-184000179.html

Author : Dayton Daily News, Ohio

Publish date : 2024-11-02 18:40:00

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