Ohio State Buckeyes QB Receives Strong Take from Texas HC
The Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns are set to face off tonight in the Cotton Bowl. Whoever ends up winning the game will head on to the national championship against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Will Howard and Ohio State have been playing at an unbelievable level over the last two games in the College Football Playoff. Can they continue to do so against an elite Texas team?
Both teams have top-tier head coaches. Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian are two of the best coaches in the game. They will both have their teams ready to go.
On the outside looking in, this looke like must-watch football for any fan.
Ahead of tonight's matchup, Sarkisian spoke out honestly with a strong take about Howard. It is very clear how much the Longhorns' head coach respects the Buckeyes' star quarterback.
“The first thing is, he’s a much better athlete than people probably give him credit for,” Sarkisian said.
“He snapped off about a 70-yard touchdown run against us a few years ago. He has good speed, he’s got great poise and composure in the pocket. You can tell he’s very bright. You know, the system they ran at Kansas State put a lot on the quarterback and knowing coach [Chip] Kelly and coach [Ryan] Day and what they do, him managing the offenses that way, so he’s got he’s got intelligence."
After coming into the season viewed as the possible weak link for Ohio State, Howard has put those doubts to bed.
Throughout the course of the 2024 season, Howard has completed 72.6 percent of his pass attempts for 3,490 yards, 32 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. To Sarkisian's point about his athleticism, Howard also racked up seven rushing touchdowns.
Neither team has a glaring advantage over the other. They seem to be fairly evenly matched.
That being said, if the Buckeyes can come out and play the same way they played against the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, they will give themselves a strong chance to come out on top.
Only time will tell and the anticipation is starting to rise. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight and can be watched on ESPN.
Hopefully, Ohio State is able to come out strong and take control of the game early. If they start slow, it could turn into a long night.