Will Howard injury update: Ohio State QB's status going forward

What we know after Ohio State quarterback Will Howard as he was briefly injured during Saturday's game against Michigan.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is confident quarterback Will Howard will be fine going forward after being injured in Saturday's game against Michigan. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard briefly exited Saturday’s game against Michigan with an apparent injury, but the issue doesn’t appear serious enough to threaten his future playing time.

“I just go based off of what our doctors say,” head coach Ryan Day said.

“And he came out for a second and then they said he was available and he was okay to go back in the game. And I checked with him and he said he was in good shape and I didn’t recognize anything just in terms of the interaction that led to anything other than for him to go play.”

Howard was struck by Michigan defensive back Macari Paige at the end of the quarterback’s eventual 2-yard run with under 13 minutes left in the second quarter.

The collision was hard enough to force Howard out of the game momentarily, retiring to the sideline on a 4th and 1 play in which backup quarterback Devin Brown handed off to tailback Quinshon Judkins, who ran for a 10 yard conversion.

At the time, Fox Sports reported that Howard was being evaluated by Ohio State trainers for a potential head injury, but he emerged from the medical tent after a few minutes.

From there, he returned to finish the game, going 19 of 33 passing for 175 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions as the Buckeyes fell in a stunning 13-10 decision against their arch-rivals.

Howard’s performance, along with that of the offense generally, came under intense criticism amid the shocking defeat, as Ohio State was favored by as many as 20.5 points against Michigan.

But the Buckeyes’ loss, the fourth-straight in the bitter rivalry series, eliminated them from contention for the Big Ten Championship Game and may imperil their playoff seeding in the future.

Whatever position Ohio State eventually does receive in the College Football Playoff, whether it be at home or on the road in the first round, it should have Will Howard under center.

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