Longhorns Country

Ohio State QB Will Howard Sends Clear Message to Texas Longhorns Before Cotton Bowl

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is familiar with the Texas Longhorns and is excited to take on his former Big 12 foe.

Matt Galatzan

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) motions during the second half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) motions during the second half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Texas Longhorns are off to the Cotton Bowl after surviving against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday.

Awaiting them in Arlington on Jan. 10 will be the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are led by a familiar foe - quarterback Will Howard.

Howard, of course, was the quarterback at Kansas State from 2020-2023, taking over as the full-time starter in 2023 and leading the Wildcats to a 9-4 record. However, one of those four losses was to none other than the Longhorns. In fact, in his four seasons with the Wildcats, Howard's teams never once beat Texas.

And he is excited to get one more chance to beat his old conference foe.

Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Will Howard (18) looks to pass the ball against Texas Longhorns in the 4th quarter
Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Will Howard (18) looks to pass the ball against Texas Longhorns in the 4th quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, November. 4, 2023, in Austin, Texas. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

"There was one team that I never beat in the Big 12, and it was Texas, so I'm really looking forward to this game," Howard told Big Ten Network after the Rose Bowl. "I’ve played them four times [and] definitely have some feelings about them. The way that we lost last year, we lost in overtime down there. I’m excited to get a crack at these guys. They’re a great football team.”

The overtime game in question was in 2023 in Austin, when then-backup quarterback Maalik Murphy and star running back Jonathon Brooks led Texas to a 33-30 overtime win over Howard in the Wildcats.

In that game, Howard completed 26 of 41 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, and led Kansas State on a comeback to force overtime after being down by as many as 20 points in the third quarter. The Wildcats outscored the Longhorns 23-3 over the final 19 minutes of regulations, with all three touchdowns coming through the air from Howard.

However, in the overtime period after holding the Longhorns to a field goal, Howard and the Wildcats were unable to convert and turned it over on downs while going for the win, sealing the win for Texas.

Now, Howard gets his revenge shot at Texas, while also having a chance to lead his new team to Atlanta for a chance at a national title.

Kickoff is set for 6:30 pm CT from Arlington, with the game to be broadcast on ESPN.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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