Ohio State's Ryan Day Reveals Honest Take On Will Howard's Performance

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day provided a rather honest take on Will Howard's performance against the Akron Zips.

August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) throws a pass during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Will Howard made his Ohio State Buckeyes debut on Saturday afternoon, helping lead the team to a 52-6 win over the Akron Zips in their season opener.

Ryan Day provided a rather honest take of Howard's performance after the game, saying he needs to delve deeper into the film to achieve a more thorough assessment.

"I'm gonna watch the film and make that determination," Day said, via Eleven Warriors. "I thought he had pretty good poise the whole day, took pretty good care of the football outside that one decision."

Day went on to give a bit of a defense of Howard, saying that the Buckeyes' offensive line was not exactly up to snuff in the early stages of the contest.

"I felt like early on, the three inside guys (on the offensive line), they hadn't played (at Ohio State)," Day said. "... I think they were a little worked up. ... I think (in the second half) we started to loosen up and have some fun."

Howard went 17-for-28 with 228 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the ball four times for 18 yards.

It certainly wasn't a banner performance for Howard, especially against a far inferior Akron squad. But there were some dropped passes for Ohio State, and there were almost certainly some nerves on the part of Howard.

The Buckeyes as a whole looked shaky in the first half, as they fell behind 3-0 and did not score until the 2:44 mark of the first quarter. They ended up taking a 17-3 lead into halftime and then found their groove over the final two periods.

Ohio State will battle Western Michigan next Saturday.