LOS ANGELES — Will Howard had one of the best games of his career when Ohio State traveled to Oregon in October. He passed for 326 yards, one shy of a career high, had two touchdowns and completed 80 percent of his attempts. And yet his memories of the game trigger nightmares of the final play.
Trailing by one with six seconds left and Ohio State on the Oregon 43-yard line, he took the snap with a plan to throw to Carnell Tate on the boundary, giving him space to get out of bounds. But Howard didn’t like the coverage and scrambled. He slid at the 26-yard line, one second late. Ohio State couldn’t call a timeout to kick a game-winning field goal.
Oregon won 32-31, and Howard sat with his head in his hands as Ducks fans stormed the field.
Howard hasn’t forgotten that feeling, nor does he want to. He walked off the field and told himself and his team that they would see Oregon again. That message has been motivation for Ohio State all season, knowing it couldn’t afford to slip up if it wanted another shot at the Ducks in the Big Ten title game.
Ohio State did of course lose again, 13-10 to Michigan, and watched as Oregon won the Big Ten championship against Penn State instead. But the College Football Playoff bracket reveal the next day gave it a path for redemption.
First, Ohio State had to redeem itself after the loss to Michigan, showing it could still compete for a national championship despite losing as a 20-point favorite. It accomplished that feat in a dominant performance against Tennessee.
Now, on Wednesday, Ohio State will have its chance for revenge against undefeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl, where it’s actually a slight favorite.
“We’ll see these guys again whether it was in the Big Ten or here. It’s hard to beat a team twice. We’re hungry and ready for this opportunity,” Howard said. “I’m just so fired up that God gave us a second chance at this thing because in life you don’t get a lot of second chances. It’s a blessing and we just have to not let it pass us by.”
Howard is far from the only Buckeye who has thought often about getting another chance against Oregon.
Two plays before Howard slid one second too late, freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith made what seemed like a game-clinching reception. He ran an out route and caught a well-timed throw from Howard at the 21-yard line. That would have set up kicker Jayden Fielding for a reasonable 38-yard field goal.
But Smith was called for offensive pass interference for pushing off the defensive back. It was a controversial penalty that Smith still disagrees with.
“I think about that call probably every day. It was a crazy call,” Smith said. “The defensive back was holding me; I just cleared his hands. I guess receivers can’t be physical in football anymore, but defensive backs can hold 10 or 15 yards downfield. It’s behind me, but I just know to move on from here.”
There’s a common feeling among Ohio State’s roster that they should’ve won that Oct. 12 contest, which turned out to be one of the best college football games of the season.
Ohio State lost the turnover battle, gave up eight plays of 25 yards or more, got the worst game of cornerback Denzel Burke’s career and failed to recover a surprise onside kick that hit All-American safety Caleb Downs in the chest. And yet it still lost by only one on the road to the No. 1 seed in the Playoff.
“It hurts because there were so many opportunities for us to win that game,” Howard said, “and looking back at it we just didn’t play our best ball that day.”
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To make sure Ohio State doesn’t get complacent after the 42-17 win over Tennessee or forget the feeling of the loss to Oregon, Ryan Day and his staff have had the game in Eugene replaying in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on a loop, Howard said.
There is a balance that Ohio State has to find with being motivated to avenge a loss but also focused on the fact that the past is done and getting to the College Football Playoff semifinals is all that matters. The key to that balance is preparation.
Jeremiah Smith had 103 yards and two TDs against Tennessee. (Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
Much like Ohio State used the Tennessee game as a way to move past the Michigan loss, it can use preparation for Oregon as a reason to focus on the future.
“It’s about how we go about our meetings, how we go about our walk-throughs, how we go about our practices, so that when we get out to Pasadena we’re executing at a high level,” Day said. “That’s what it comes down to. Is it super exciting? I guess not, but it is what it is.”
For Howard, the extra motivation isn’t something that consumes him, but it pushes him a bit more. He’s spent extra time rewatching film and going over the play sheet and all of the smallest details.
“It’s an edge in everything you do and carrying that pissed-off mentality,” Howard said. “It will remind you like, ‘Hey I’m going to go the extra inch.’”
Ohio State is also in unfamiliar territory when it comes to preparing for Oregon. Yes, the team and the personnel are largely the same, but playing a team twice brings a challenge Ohio State hasn’t faced since it beat Wisconsin twice in 2019, once during the regular season and again in the Big Ten title game.
Day said there’s a fine line between falling back on what worked in the first game but also understanding both teams have changed since then.
“Again, there’s a reference point as we move into this one,” Day said. “So our guys know what they’re up against, but they also know that they’ve evolved and we’ve evolved, and so it’s two very different teams heading into this game.”
Oregon will have star defensive end Jordan Burch this time. He missed the first meeting but has 8.5 sacks in just nine games. The Ducks have been strong on both lines of scrimmage and ran for 186 yards against Penn State in the Big Ten title game. They are far from a one-dimensional team around Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Ohio State’s defense, meanwhile, has become one of the best in the country, as the Buckeyes haven’t given up a passing touchdown since that loss. And after all that went wrong against Michigan, the offense snapped out of its funk and got the ball into the hands of its playmakers to rack up 473 against the Vols, who also have one of the nation’s best defenses.
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Although this rematch is three and a half weeks later than Ohio State would’ve preferred, at the Rose Bowl instead of the Big Ten championship game, it’s a second chance regardless.
And Howard knows those don’t come often.
“I have a chance to go out there and right the wrong from that game. You don’t get second chances a lot in life,” Howard said. “I’m thankful we get a chance to go out there and play these guys again.
“The way we lost that game it still hurts all of us. It’s a new game, we’re both different teams, but that hasn’t left my head.”
(Top photo of Will Howard: Tom Hauck / Getty Images)
