As the annual college football clash between Ohio State and Michigan looms, Ohio State's new quarterback, Will Howard, is stepping up to the plate, ready to take on arguably the sport's most intense rivalry. Howard, who hails from Kansas State and has previously only spectated the Sunflower Showdown, will now be thrust into the heat of "The Game," a contest steeped in decades of genuine competition. "This is definitely the biggest rivalry game I’ve ever played in," Howard said. "You don’t wear blue in the building, you don’t say the ‘M-word.’ All this stuff, I was like ‘OK, this is different,'" he noted, as reported by College Sports Wire.
Considering the Buckeyes' precarious three-game skid against the Wolverines, the onus of victory is heavily placed on Howard's shoulders. Especially for a team that enters this weekend's game as heavy favorites, stemming from a solid 10-1 record, with their only blemish being a heartbreaking one-point loss to No. 1 Oregon. On the other hand, Michigan is reeling from a lackluster 6-5 season. Howard's demeanor has been consistently optimistic in an environment swirling with expectations and the palpable pressure to deliver a win that has eluded Coach Ryan Day for three consecutive seasons. In a statement obtained by FOX 28 Columbus, he conveyed, "It's a dream come true for any young kid to be in a rivalry like this."
Will Howard's journey to such a pivotal moment has been anything but uneventful. Having attained the nation's best completion percentage at 74%, his transition to Ohio State has been watched closely by his parents, Bob and Maureen Howard. Reflecting on their son's path, Maureen revealed to NBC4i, "There’s going to be good moments, bad moments, and everything in between." Her husband also added, having witnessed Will's athletic prowess from a young age, "This is a dream. It’s been a fun ride."
With kickoff scheduled for noon on Saturday, Howard seems to have processed the gravity of the moment, fully aware of what a victory could mean for his legacy and Ohio State supporters' spirits. "The amount of Buckeye fans that have come up to me, whether they're serious or joking, saying, 'You could lose all the games, but as long as you beat the team up north, that's all that matters,'" Howard elaborated on the unique dynamics of the matchup during his conversation with FOX 28 Columbus. As the Big Noon Kickoff show primes viewers for the game, Buckeye fans and the Howard family alike will be watching with bated breath, hoping for a performance that turns the tides in a storied rivalry where history lingers long after the last whistle blows.
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