Will Howard made good on his post-Michigan vow as Ohio State dismantled Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff. After suffering a shock loss at the hands of their rivals in the last regular season game, Howard vowed they would respond with a deep run in the College Football Playoffs and delivered on stage one of that promise in a big way.
In the Buckeyes’ 42-17 win over the Volunteers, it’s fourth of the CFP era, Howard was almost unstoppable, completing 24-of-29 passes for 311 yards, to go along with two touchdowns and one interception After the game, Howard spoke with ESPN to discuss the win and explained what it meant for him to get the win for his team.
“We really put together a full, all-out performance,” Howard said. “And I think that was what we needed to do and what we needed to show, and I’m just so proud of this team and how we were able to bounce back from a disappointing loss to end the season. We didn’t listen to anything.
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“We really just relied on each other and came out here and put together a complete game. … It means the world, man, and, you know, at the end of the day, we all understand that we still have everything out in front of us.”
Howard’s performance comes just weeks after Dave Portnoy, a noted Michigan fan, called the star quarterback a coward after the Buckeyes lost to the Wolverines. After upsetting Ohio State 13-10, Portnoy posted a handful of videos on social media, rubbing salt into the wound of the Buckeyes.
In particular, Portnoy took aim at Howard. “This guy Will Howard… you’re not playing Indiana,” the Barstool Sports founder said. “Win, lose, or draw, this guy is a bum. We (Michigan) are playing with one hand tied behind our back. These guys are cowards. Will Howard, coward.”
Howard completed just 19 of his 33 pass attempts for 175 yards and one touchdown. He also threw two interceptions, which allowed Michigan to squeeze by with the win as the two sides clashed.
Will Howard was almost perfect as the Buckeyes took the game from the Volunteers in the College Football Playoff (
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
That said, it was from that point that Howard proclaimed he and Ohio State would make noise in the College Football Playoff when the time came. The star quarterback said as much when speaking to reporters after the three-point loss to Michigan.
“It’s hard, man,” Howard said at the time. “I don’t really have much right now but I do know we’re a two-loss team, we’re going to get in the playoffs, we’re going to make a run. But this one hurts. It hurts.”
Before the game truly got out of hand, former Ohio State quarterback and current ESPN pundit Kirk Herbstreit couldn’t contain his excitement after seeing the Buckeyes amass a double-digit lead in the first half.
“It’s pretty obvious, between the negativity after the Michigan game, they walk out in their home stadium, they see maybe 40,000 Tennessee fans, it became even more of an us against the world mentality for Ohio State,” he said. “It was imperative they got off to a good start for Ryan Day, and they’ve certainly done that with a couple scores early.”
Howard and Ohio State move on in the College Football Playoff, setting up a date with No. 1 Oregon.
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