I was worried after he threw a couple of picks this year that we'd see one or two against Oregon, but Howard was generally stellar. Certainly wasn't his fault we lost.
Love his moxie and leadership. I think he's going to have some great performances going forward. Very happy we landed him.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
I was worried after he threw a couple of picks this year that we'd see one or two against Oregon, but Howard was generally stellar. Certainly wasn't his fault we lost.
Howard played great on Saturday and definitely stepped up! That said he absolutely threw a pick on the first drive that led to 7 points. The refs sucked on Saturday both ways and this was to our advantage. Without that blunder we don't even have a chance on that final drive and nobody is complaining about the OPI call.
Technically he didn't "throw a pick" so much as Kacmarek didn't catch the ball cleanly and let the defender rip it away. So if there's anyone to blame on that (and I'm not saying you're really blaming anyone here) it's Kacmarek.
I actually totally agree with you here. It would have been a statistical interception by definition but it was not a bad decision or poor pass that caused it. I should have clarified this.
I actually don't think Kacmarek ever caught the ball in any capacity the only reason the defender was able to make the play on the ball is it bounced off his body rather than the ground because had that been the result it would've been an incomplete pass. The fact the officiating crew ruled it a catch in any way was the least reasonable ruling of the game.
Howard silenced the "he's a game manager which is fine but he won't win you championships" crowd on Saturday. He played at the level that you need at QB to compete in the postseason. While the loss stings, seeing Howard's performance keeps me extremely optimistic for the rest of the season.
He has exceeded my expectations took care of the ball, hit his wrs in good spots. Only knock is his deep ball, but outside of that he carries himself well. He has a confidence about him that is calming at times. I know he made a couple errors, but for the most part he put us in position to win. You can see him get frustrated at times when the call doesn't come in quick enough, but his leadership will carry this team to whatever heights they ascend to. He plays with some fire in his belly.
I will pound you and pound you until you quit - Woody Hayes
Howard played great. Hard to watch that last throw to Emeka; maybe 18’s best of the night. Beautiful toss, but beginning of the end. OB at the 28 w :34 seconds left. Run left. Call your TO and kick the FG. Day blew it!
If there was ever a time to run power I and just hand it off to your running back two times and then just run QB power up the middle to set up the field goal this was it.
It's not just that we didn't run much in the second half. Really after the first quarter and beginning of second quarter the success in the run game VANISHED.
3ydncloudofdust: I would have to imagine Day overrode Chip on those two plays. It had shades of the Georgia game. The last two plays were passes there too. After they got on the 28, I told my wife the game is over, OSU will run twice, then kick.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
Yeah. You’re probably right. But I guess my thought was even as bad as some things went, we were right there w a chance to win. Day snatched defeat from the jaws of victory or whatever. Pride. And some dumping on 18 for the slide or whatever. It shouldn’t have come to that. He made multiple greats plays just in the last drive alone to get us there. Only for Day to screw it up. We ran the ball 12 times in the second half?? C’mon.
Best Will Howard game yet. He’s the reason we were in this game. The fumble hurt a lot though. The crappy PI call wasn’t his fault. I wish he would have got down earlier and it looks like on some screenshots he did but you can’t leave room for doubt. Still, I feel even better about him as our QB.
Yeah, not seeing a lot of talk about that GLARING weakness in the D. I don’t usually say things like this, but it is clear Burke should not see the field again against good receivers. 2022/2024 Burke is a huge liability and we can’t wait for 2021/2023 Burke to show up.
And when we win the game, we'll buy a keg of booze!
And we'll drink to old Ohio 'til we wobble in our shoes!
Denzel was bad, but LBs were constantly out of position and guessing wrong so many times when they did try to apply pressure. Denzel's worst problem was not tackling the receiver that just beat him, but trying to strip the ball ineffectively while giving up 10-15 more YAC. I need to see more from Jim Knowles before I think he is the defensive guru we've been led to believe he is. His press conference answers are less clear than certain political candidates who shall remain nameless.
It's frustrating how many close games we have lost because of Day's cautiousness. We really should be the current dynasty team with multiple championships if Day would just let us play with aggression and free the talent we have. We also need someone who can recruit and develop elite O-line players. I don't think Justin Frye is that person.
Alcohol will not solve any of your problems, but then again, neither will milk or water.
I know it is only his first year as a coach -- no need to remind me. And learning how to coach is a process in itself. But I dare say if James Laurinaitis' name was James Smith, people would be asking...."who is this guy and what is he doing?"
Great article that (hopefully) will quiet some of the heat Howard’s been taking. I’ve come to believe that he knows his limits, and Chip Kelly does too.
Feel better about the QB position than I did before the game. Will played very well. Along with the video shown above, there were other instances of him doing a great job evading free pass rushers and avoiding sacks, which is a big strength of his especially when facing elite opponents. The last play hurts his overall grade, he had a guy open in the flat for an easy 8 yards but was either fixated on the deeper route or just didn't pull the trigger. Can't risk running out of time by scrambling there - or at least be sure to get down in plenty of time. Easy to have a perfect internal clock while sitting on the couch, I know. Overall a very encouraging performance.
I thought he was fantastic.... Still feel like the play calling let him down the last few plays, Seemed obvious Kelly and Day wanted us to get to the 30 and we were forcing everything, instead of just moving the ball forward and having that timeout..
two thoughts though. Does he have the right cleats on? I don't ever remember an OSU QB slipping as much as he has the first 6 games.
Second thing, that game was why you don't take your foot off the gas in those early games. What happened? We got into a tight game and lost our best blocking tight end and abandoned the run. We were forced to go more 3,4 and even 5 WR looks... and we had a bunch of dudes out there with basically no experience because when they could have gotten that experience Coach Day was having Devin Brown stand around for 30 seconds and then handing the ball off... it got worse because both Smith and Emeka got winded and kept tapping out of plays..
No reason to get people hurt or just run up the score, but it beyond ridiculous that WRs 4,5,6,7 and 8 have 17 total catches combined, given how lopsided most of our games have been.. then when you need to lean on them, they have no experience and Howard is just out there only looking at Smith and Emeka..
I thought he was pretty damn good. I'd say ~B+. A- going into the last drive. The people at Cleveland.com do a little video with their grades every week of the starting QB, and they are so laughably bad. They gave a C- and a C. Makes me feel infinitely better about my football IQ watching people who think they know ball be so dumb LOL.
I agree with you. But to paraphrase the old line about “chicks loving the long ball”…..sports writers do too. And Howard’s glaring weakness with the deep ball is something scribes will glom onto. It’s just the way it is. He is a great young man and leader. I don’t see a future for him in the NFL, but I don’t care about that and I doubt most of us do either. Regardless, a lot of football yet to be played. But don’t be surprised to see teams begin to crowd the LOS with Simmons out for the season and the long ball “perceived” not to be a threat unless proven otherwise.
In my head I can see the one long ball he threw. When he let it go, it reminded me of Krenzel. And now that I think about he’s similar to Krenzel. Better. But similar in some ways. Either way we have to run the ball. 12 carries total in the second half I think. That’s nuts.
He played a helluva game. I was there and I've never heard a crowd so loud for so long and I've never seen an opponent so jacked up from the moment they took the field for warm-ups until 0:00. And through all that ge played his ass off. We'll get em next time in Indy.
There was a thread before the game last week that asked if we were giving Will enough credit, and my response was certainly "talk to me after Saturday". Silenced myself and any doubters with his performance.
If you take everything I’ve accomplished in my life and condense it down to one day, it looks decent!
Howard had himself a ball game. Lots of credit where it’s due. The last drive was on the coaching staff. Although I will say that he probably should have heaved one to the end zone at the end. That was it
When telling the truth becomes a revolutionary concept, it’s wise to join the revolution
Man, Will played a really solid game. There were like 3 throws plus the fumbled snap that I would want back for him. 80% for 35 attempts is very impressive, especially given that our OL was beat up.
The Ohio State University - "Haters love us!"
Baskins and Robbins? Nah, Haskins and Dobbins - KannonMic
I thought he played very well considering the atmosphere and hype of the game...zi wish the coaches would have helped him get the last drive fg in place for a good attempt..
The 38 yard pass to Smith was woefully underthrown and a horrible pass. He wasn’t hit before releasing and if it’s a good throw it’s a TD. The only reason it was caught was bc Smith is super human. What are we doing here?
Coaching lost the game, not the players. Even though Burke was torched all night, he didn't keep himself in (not that he would have took himself out), the coaches can replace him.
Offense was good enough to win. Easy for us all to criticize. Defense was not good. We gave up the second most yards to Oregon this year to really bad teams. I am shocked of how bad this defense is. Hopefully this is a wake up call!!
I agree that Will Howard is a good QB with lots of experience. I also agree that he's not a future NFL player. I think playing Oregon in Eugene at night was a tough matchup. I don't see anyone else on the schedule that will challenge us as much as the Ducks and hope to see them in Indy for the championship game. Without their home field advantage, we are much more likely to handle them and go to the CFP at #2.
I couldn't care less about what these clowns think about Howard's long ball and his NFL prospects. I'm not saying I don't care about his future aspirations at all, but I mainly care about how good of a QB he is for us, and I think we have a good one whose skillset is more than enough to get us a championship, provided we're capable of running the table from here on out.
Agreed. The long ball could be a few things and idc but also we scored plenty w/o it. And either way, too many guys to distribute the ball to. For example if you’re not going to run the ball, throw 1 and 32 a screen here or there. Bottom line 18 is a huge upgrade over McCord. He’s decisive, he’s got touch, he can run well enough and his arm is strong enough. On a side note, it was nice to see a few plays down the seam. Hadn’t done that prior Oregon.
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I was worried after he threw a couple of picks this year that we'd see one or two against Oregon, but Howard was generally stellar. Certainly wasn't his fault we lost.
Love his moxie and leadership. I think he's going to have some great performances going forward. Very happy we landed him.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
He’s a big game guy
I state facts. You get mad
Howard played great on Saturday and definitely stepped up! That said he absolutely threw a pick on the first drive that led to 7 points. The refs sucked on Saturday both ways and this was to our advantage. Without that blunder we don't even have a chance on that final drive and nobody is complaining about the OPI call.
Technically he didn't "throw a pick" so much as Kacmarek didn't catch the ball cleanly and let the defender rip it away. So if there's anyone to blame on that (and I'm not saying you're really blaming anyone here) it's Kacmarek.
I actually totally agree with you here. It would have been a statistical interception by definition but it was not a bad decision or poor pass that caused it. I should have clarified this.
I actually don't think Kacmarek ever caught the ball in any capacity the only reason the defender was able to make the play on the ball is it bounced off his body rather than the ground because had that been the result it would've been an incomplete pass. The fact the officiating crew ruled it a catch in any way was the least reasonable ruling of the game.
Howard silenced the "he's a game manager which is fine but he won't win you championships" crowd on Saturday. He played at the level that you need at QB to compete in the postseason. While the loss stings, seeing Howard's performance keeps me extremely optimistic for the rest of the season.
Same here. Will was a definite bright spot in the game. The Buckeyes are fortunate to have a man with his talent and class.
He has exceeded my expectations took care of the ball, hit his wrs in good spots. Only knock is his deep ball, but outside of that he carries himself well. He has a confidence about him that is calming at times. I know he made a couple errors, but for the most part he put us in position to win. You can see him get frustrated at times when the call doesn't come in quick enough, but his leadership will carry this team to whatever heights they ascend to. He plays with some fire in his belly.
Howard played great. Hard to watch that last throw to Emeka; maybe 18’s best of the night. Beautiful toss, but beginning of the end. OB at the 28 w :34 seconds left. Run left. Call your TO and kick the FG. Day blew it!
I’m sorry, I can’t hear hippies. - Ron Swanson
If there was ever a time to run power I and just hand it off to your running back two times and then just run QB power up the middle to set up the field goal this was it.
+1. Makes too much sense. But someone on ELEVEN HOMERS disagrees.
I’m sorry, I can’t hear hippies. - Ron Swanson
Which highlights how little we ran the ball in the second half particularly, also.
I’m sorry, I can’t hear hippies. - Ron Swanson
It's not just that we didn't run much in the second half. Really after the first quarter and beginning of second quarter the success in the run game VANISHED.
Or you know don't call a bullshit OPI and we have the ball on the 19 yard line.
Or get some extra yards because our kicker was benched a few games ago for launching 3 straight kicks OB.
Fielding hit a 40 yd FG w ease from the right side earlier in the 4th.
I’m sorry, I can’t hear hippies. - Ron Swanson
3ydncloudofdust: I would have to imagine Day overrode Chip on those two plays. It had shades of the Georgia game. The last two plays were passes there too. After they got on the 28, I told my wife the game is over, OSU will run twice, then kick.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
Yeah. You’re probably right. But I guess my thought was even as bad as some things went, we were right there w a chance to win. Day snatched defeat from the jaws of victory or whatever. Pride. And some dumping on 18 for the slide or whatever. It shouldn’t have come to that. He made multiple greats plays just in the last drive alone to get us there. Only for Day to screw it up. We ran the ball 12 times in the second half?? C’mon.
I’m sorry, I can’t hear hippies. - Ron Swanson
delete me (double post)
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect - Woody Hayes
Best Will Howard game yet. He’s the reason we were in this game. The fumble hurt a lot though. The crappy PI call wasn’t his fault. I wish he would have got down earlier and it looks like on some screenshots he did but you can’t leave room for doubt. Still, I feel even better about him as our QB.
You win with people.
And so forth...
9 Units Strong!
I'd like to know where Lou Holtz is right now!
Howard played very well. Denzel gave up 200 yards. Let’s talk about his sorry ass play.
If you can’t make a fourth and one, you don't deserve to win.
Yeah, not seeing a lot of talk about that GLARING weakness in the D. I don’t usually say things like this, but it is clear Burke should not see the field again against good receivers. 2022/2024 Burke is a huge liability and we can’t wait for 2021/2023 Burke to show up.
And when we win the game, we'll buy a keg of booze!
And we'll drink to old Ohio 'til we wobble in our shoes!
Ohio, Ohio!
We'll win the game or know the reason why!
Denzel was bad, but LBs were constantly out of position and guessing wrong so many times when they did try to apply pressure. Denzel's worst problem was not tackling the receiver that just beat him, but trying to strip the ball ineffectively while giving up 10-15 more YAC. I need to see more from Jim Knowles before I think he is the defensive guru we've been led to believe he is. His press conference answers are less clear than certain political candidates who shall remain nameless.
It's frustrating how many close games we have lost because of Day's cautiousness. We really should be the current dynasty team with multiple championships if Day would just let us play with aggression and free the talent we have. We also need someone who can recruit and develop elite O-line players. I don't think Justin Frye is that person.
Alcohol will not solve any of your problems, but then again, neither will milk or water.
I know it is only his first year as a coach -- no need to remind me. And learning how to coach is a process in itself. But I dare say if James Laurinaitis' name was James Smith, people would be asking...."who is this guy and what is he doing?"
Great article that (hopefully) will quiet some of the heat Howard’s been taking. I’ve come to believe that he knows his limits, and Chip Kelly does too.
Together, all the team’s goals are in reach.
Will played easily well enough to get the win.
The TD to Smith should be a great throw. It was back across his body and hit Smith perfectly.
Howard may have had the most visible error but he was absolutely not the reason we lost that game. He was phenomenal in every way.
To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.
Will played awesome no doubt about it. Can't wait to watch him replicate this performance in person in Indy.
Feel better about the QB position than I did before the game. Will played very well. Along with the video shown above, there were other instances of him doing a great job evading free pass rushers and avoiding sacks, which is a big strength of his especially when facing elite opponents. The last play hurts his overall grade, he had a guy open in the flat for an easy 8 yards but was either fixated on the deeper route or just didn't pull the trigger. Can't risk running out of time by scrambling there - or at least be sure to get down in plenty of time. Easy to have a perfect internal clock while sitting on the couch, I know. Overall a very encouraging performance.
We're fortunate to have Will at the helm. We knew the limits of his arm going into the season, and I think he's performed admirably so far.
He makes the occasional mistake, but who doesn't? QB is one position group I don't worry about.
A good general always makes you search for his weaknesses. - Woody Hayes
I thought he was fantastic.... Still feel like the play calling let him down the last few plays, Seemed obvious Kelly and Day wanted us to get to the 30 and we were forcing everything, instead of just moving the ball forward and having that timeout..
two thoughts though. Does he have the right cleats on? I don't ever remember an OSU QB slipping as much as he has the first 6 games.
Second thing, that game was why you don't take your foot off the gas in those early games. What happened? We got into a tight game and lost our best blocking tight end and abandoned the run. We were forced to go more 3,4 and even 5 WR looks... and we had a bunch of dudes out there with basically no experience because when they could have gotten that experience Coach Day was having Devin Brown stand around for 30 seconds and then handing the ball off... it got worse because both Smith and Emeka got winded and kept tapping out of plays..
No reason to get people hurt or just run up the score, but it beyond ridiculous that WRs 4,5,6,7 and 8 have 17 total catches combined, given how lopsided most of our games have been.. then when you need to lean on them, they have no experience and Howard is just out there only looking at Smith and Emeka..
Go Bucks!!!
I thought he was pretty damn good. I'd say ~B+. A- going into the last drive. The people at Cleveland.com do a little video with their grades every week of the starting QB, and they are so laughably bad. They gave a C- and a C. Makes me feel infinitely better about my football IQ watching people who think they know ball be so dumb LOL.
I agree with you. But to paraphrase the old line about “chicks loving the long ball”…..sports writers do too. And Howard’s glaring weakness with the deep ball is something scribes will glom onto. It’s just the way it is. He is a great young man and leader. I don’t see a future for him in the NFL, but I don’t care about that and I doubt most of us do either. Regardless, a lot of football yet to be played. But don’t be surprised to see teams begin to crowd the LOS with Simmons out for the season and the long ball “perceived” not to be a threat unless proven otherwise.
In my head I can see the one long ball he threw. When he let it go, it reminded me of Krenzel. And now that I think about he’s similar to Krenzel. Better. But similar in some ways. Either way we have to run the ball. 12 carries total in the second half I think. That’s nuts.
I’m sorry, I can’t hear hippies. - Ron Swanson
He played a helluva game. I was there and I've never heard a crowd so loud for so long and I've never seen an opponent so jacked up from the moment they took the field for warm-ups until 0:00. And through all that ge played his ass off. We'll get em next time in Indy.
klusewski
Howard certainly played well enough to win the game. Can’t say the same about our defense
The mark of excellence, the test of greatness, is consistency
There was a thread before the game last week that asked if we were giving Will enough credit, and my response was certainly "talk to me after Saturday". Silenced myself and any doubters with his performance.
If you take everything I’ve accomplished in my life and condense it down to one day, it looks decent!
Will - Be the Guy OSU season ends like this one did for Florida
Howard had himself a ball game. Lots of credit where it’s due. The last drive was on the coaching staff. Although I will say that he probably should have heaved one to the end zone at the end. That was it
When telling the truth becomes a revolutionary concept, it’s wise to join the revolution
Man, Will played a really solid game. There were like 3 throws plus the fumbled snap that I would want back for him. 80% for 35 attempts is very impressive, especially given that our OL was beat up.
The Ohio State University - "Haters love us!"
Baskins and Robbins? Nah, Haskins and Dobbins - KannonMic
I thought he played very well considering the atmosphere and hype of the game...zi wish the coaches would have helped him get the last drive fg in place for a good attempt..
The 38 yard pass to Smith was woefully underthrown and a horrible pass. He wasn’t hit before releasing and if it’s a good throw it’s a TD. The only reason it was caught was bc Smith is super human. What are we doing here?
Buckeye born and raised, even after I die...
Agree, not a good pass, but a great catch.
Coaching lost the game, not the players. Even though Burke was torched all night, he didn't keep himself in (not that he would have took himself out), the coaches can replace him.
Tom
The Coaching Staff, Defensive Line and Denzel Burke is why we lost. Not Will Howard.....
~We'll Get Em' Next Year~
Offense was good enough to win. Easy for us all to criticize. Defense was not good. We gave up the second most yards to Oregon this year to really bad teams. I am shocked of how bad this defense is. Hopefully this is a wake up call!!
John
I agree that Will Howard is a good QB with lots of experience. I also agree that he's not a future NFL player. I think playing Oregon in Eugene at night was a tough matchup. I don't see anyone else on the schedule that will challenge us as much as the Ducks and hope to see them in Indy for the championship game. Without their home field advantage, we are much more likely to handle them and go to the CFP at #2.
Steelybuck54
Can Will Howard play defensive end?
We need more pressure from the d-line.
Jacktatumsafro is right, you can't give up 500 yards and blame the offense. No pressure on their QB gave him all day to make his plays.
Bmac
Played good this year , some passes he might want to put some zip on especially the deep out routes.
Denzel Burke is why we lost to Oregon, period.
And when we win the game, we'll buy a keg of booze!
And we'll drink to old Ohio 'til we wobble in our shoes!
Ohio, Ohio!
We'll win the game or know the reason why!
I couldn't care less about what these clowns think about Howard's long ball and his NFL prospects. I'm not saying I don't care about his future aspirations at all, but I mainly care about how good of a QB he is for us, and I think we have a good one whose skillset is more than enough to get us a championship, provided we're capable of running the table from here on out.
Agreed. The long ball could be a few things and idc but also we scored plenty w/o it. And either way, too many guys to distribute the ball to. For example if you’re not going to run the ball, throw 1 and 32 a screen here or there. Bottom line 18 is a huge upgrade over McCord. He’s decisive, he’s got touch, he can run well enough and his arm is strong enough. On a side note, it was nice to see a few plays down the seam. Hadn’t done that prior Oregon.
I’m sorry, I can’t hear hippies. - Ron Swanson
Guess who has the highest PFF in the country on throws down the field.
Enjoy the ride!!