Jury is Still Out on Ohio State Buckeyes' Will Howard

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard is facing monumental pressure heading into the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks.

Dec 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) celebrates the win as he carries a rose after the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes hammered the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 42-17 in their first-round College Football Playoff game on Saturday night, demonstrating that they do, in fact, have a second gear.

In the process, Will Howard played what some may consider to be his best game as a Buckeye, going 24-for-29 with 311 yards, a couple of touchdowns and an interception.

There was a whole lot of good for Howard against Tennessee. He twice found Jeremiah Smith for touchdowns. He threw a 40-yard dart to Emeka Egbuka, setting up a key first-quarter touchdown.

For the most part, he was incredibly efficient and made the right reads.

Again, for the most part.

There was the instance in the second quarter, where Ohio State was leading 21-0 and Howard attempted to force feed Smith in the end zone.

The poor throw resulted in an interception and actually provided the Volunteers with some momentum, as they reeled off 10 straight points to trim the Buckeyes' lead to 21-10 heading into the half.

Was there a missed pass interference call on the play? Sure, but that doesn't change the fact that Howard shouldn't have made the throw.

While Howard has actually performed better in 2024 than many expected, we have still seen those types of decisions from the former Kansas State quarterback a bit too much for anyone's liking.

On Saturday, he got away with it. After all, Ohio State was already up by three touchdowns when it happened. It was also painfully obvious that the Buckeyes were the better team.

Try that against the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, and Howard could end up costing Ohio State the game.

Look: all signal-callers make mistakes. Even the best of the best throw interceptions sometimes. But Howard has already had his fair share of detractors and non-believers to begin with. He doesn't need to add more fuel to the fire.

Heading into the season, Ryan Day took a heck of a long time to name the team's starting quarterback. Howard was always the consensus choice, but the fact that Day delayed the decision so much had many wondering if Howard was really made for Columbus.

The fact of the matter is that we still really don't know for sure.

Ohio State's goal was never to beat Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Its goal was to beat Michigan, which it didn't, and to win a national championship, which it is still yet to do.

Howard looked lost against the Wolverines earlier in the month. He also made a horrible decision at the end of the Buckeyes' loss to Oregon back in Week 7, where he accidentally ran out the clock (that smeared a pretty great performance by Howard, too).

We've seen him struggle—or at least falter—in pressure-packed situations before.

Well, he probably won't face a tougher test all year than he will in the rematch with the Ducks on New Year's Day.

If Howard can pull out another terrific showing against Oregon, then perhaps we can all acknowledge that he really does have what it takes to lead Ohio State to the promised land.

But until then, moments like that interception against the Volunteers will still make you wonder.