COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- For the last few months, Ohio State, and its fans, have been relying on Will Howard to move the Buckeyes offense. But the quarterback has been relying on his faith for his success and to get through tough times.
Those tough times includes the 13-10 loss to Michigan on Nov. 30, where he threw two interceptions and suffered a hard hit that sidelined him for several plays.
"It hurt. It hurt for all of us. It wasn't what we expected. It wasn't what we wanted to happen but we've moved past it now," Howard said. "Because we have to. If we let them beat us twice, that's the real kicker."
Howard has been the bedrock of this team, even though this is his only season as a Buckeye after transferring from Kansas State. He's the only Ohio State quarterback ever to have six games with completion percentages of at least 80 percent in a single season. And he remains one of the top passers in the country.
In the aftermath of the Michigan game, Howard took some time to reflect and gain perspective.
"When your nose is in the grind to that day-to-day kind of schedule, you lose sight of what you're doing and the impact that you can have," Howard said. "I sat back and thought the opportunity that I have here and what I've gone through this year, the ups and the downs, everything has been for my own good."
For Howard, it's his faith that has guided him throughout his life. And that same faith is guiding him now as he prepares for Saturday's College Football Playoff first-round game against Tennessee.
"I know that God is putting those obstacles in front of us to grow us and there's a reason for it," Howard said. "I'm going to just trust the plan."
Coach Ryan Day said Howard's leadership will be key to getting a win over the Volunteers on Saturday.
"He's got a very positive mindset and he's very resilient and you can see he's got a bounce in his step right now. He wants to get back on the field as fast as he possibly can," Day said. "You can see that. He wants to lead this offense and it's going to be a very important part of this game on Saturday night is his leadership. And he'll be ready to go."
Howard, along with many of his teammates, have not been shy in talking about how faith has helped them as football players. Several athletes wore t-shirts with the words "Jesus Won." on them while a former Buckeye helped organize a prayer event on campus.
"We got to trust in the Lord and lean on Him no matter what, through the ups and the downs. I tried to just get into my bible and pray a little bit," Howard said. "Just come back to the Lord and say 'I need you.' When you come to him in a humble way, it changes your perspective. I lay it down for Him and say 'God, I trust you.' I don't know why this happened but it happened for a reason. I'm going to trust it and we're going to win this whole thing because of it."
