Ohio State QB Drops Bold Statement After Beating Penn State

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard dropped a bold statement after beating Penn State.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard reacts after throwing a touchdown pass in the first half of an NCAA football game against Penn State, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in State College, Pa. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes and quarterback Will Howard were able to pull out a hard-fought win yesterday over the Penn State Nittany Lions by a final score of 20-13.

While it was not the prettiest win, Ohio State still got the job done. With the win, they are set up very nicely for their run at making the College Football Playoff.

Howard, who had a lot of personal desire to win the game due to Penn State passing over him in the recruiting process, did not have his best game of the season. However, he was able to do enough to lead his team to a win.

He ended up completing 16 of his 24 pass attempts for 182 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Howard also picked up 24 yards on the ground.

Following the win, Howard spoke out with a bold statement about his team pulling out the victory.

"It wasn't pretty," Howard said. "I probably played my worst game of the year. [That's what I'm thinking] right now, just walking off the field. But man, I mean, we willed that game. We talked about it early in the week, man. We said, ‘We're going to have to will ourselves to win this game. There's no way we're going to be able to lose this thing.' And that was the way we played, man."

After watching the game, Howard is 100 percent right. The Buckeyes may not have dominated the game the way they had hoped, but they made the necessary plays to head back home with a win.

Defensively, Ohio State frustrated the Penn State offense time and time again. They made big plays, forced a turnover in the end zone, and kept the Nittany Lions from making big plays themselves. That is exactly what they had to do.

Offensively, they didn't move the football consistently, but they were able to win the time of possession game and do just enough to win.

This is a huge win, both for now and the rest of the season. A win over the Nittany Lions has given the Buckeyes a lot of confidence. They will carry that confidence throughout the rest of the season.

Hopefully, this is just the first big step towards winning a national championship. Howard and company showed that they can win the close big game. They should be proud of that effort.