HE GETS IT. As Ohio State quarterbacks, I loved C.J. Stroud and liked Kyle McCord.
However, for one reason or another, neither quarterback chose the correct words to describe The Game. Looking back on their comments now, it seems Stroud and McCord knew about The Game, but neither fully understood what it means to Ohio State fans.
“I don’t think one game defines us. I don’t think one game defines this team. I would take this team against anybody in the country every week,” Stroud said after Ohio State's second straight loss to Michigan in 2022.
“The implications are huge. But at the end of the day, it’s just a football game. I’m just doing everything I can to help my team win. I think there’s a lot of noise around it. I think there’s a lot of hype around it – and rightfully so. But I think the biggest thing is focusing on what’s important, and that’s watching film and doing the small things during the week that’ll give you the best chance to succeed,” McCord said before the Buckeyes’ third straight loss to the Wolverines in 2023.
Coming off a top-five win over Indiana, Will Howard could have created calamitous quotes like his predecessors. Instead, the Pennsylvania native who spent the past four years in Kansas knew the exact ethos, logos and pathos to communicate that, in fact, one game does define Ohio State, and that game is not just a game at all.
“I can’t wait. I’m stoked. I’m fired up. It’s the first thing I heard when I came on my visit: Beat ‘The Team Up North.’ It’s the first goal we have every single year: Beat ‘The Team Up North,’ Howard said Saturday. “I want to do this for Coach (Ryan) Day. I want to do this for the guys that came back, for Emeka (Egbuka), Trey (Henderson), JT (Tuimoloau), Jack (Sawyer), Tyleik (Williams), Ty (Hamilton) – I could go on. But I want this for them so bad.
“They’ve been here. I’ve seen it from a distance. I feel it, and I’m a part of it now, and I want this for me, too, but I want it for those guys. I want it for Coach Day, you know, to shut up the haters and be able to go out there and say, ‘This is The Ohio State Buckeyes.’ This rivalry game means everything. We talk about it all the time. It’s all over the place in our building. I’m honored to be a part of it. I won’t take it lightly. This is the biggest game of our season. I’m looking forward to it.”
Notice a difference?
I certainly do.
Where Stroud and McCord sinned (the archery term, not the biblical term, though I understand some believe the latter to be true in this instance as well), Howard hit a bullseye. The Game in 2024 is about revenge – more than that, a reckoning – for the past three years when Ohio State’s players, coaches and fans suffered greatly due to the red hands of their maize and blue rivals. Howard gets it. I expect to see him deliver this weekend in Columbus.
www.elevenwarriors.com
However, for one reason or another, neither quarterback chose the correct words to describe The Game. Looking back on their comments now, it seems Stroud and McCord knew about The Game, but neither fully understood what it means to Ohio State fans.
“I don’t think one game defines us. I don’t think one game defines this team. I would take this team against anybody in the country every week,” Stroud said after Ohio State's second straight loss to Michigan in 2022.
“The implications are huge. But at the end of the day, it’s just a football game. I’m just doing everything I can to help my team win. I think there’s a lot of noise around it. I think there’s a lot of hype around it – and rightfully so. But I think the biggest thing is focusing on what’s important, and that’s watching film and doing the small things during the week that’ll give you the best chance to succeed,” McCord said before the Buckeyes’ third straight loss to the Wolverines in 2023.
Coming off a top-five win over Indiana, Will Howard could have created calamitous quotes like his predecessors. Instead, the Pennsylvania native who spent the past four years in Kansas knew the exact ethos, logos and pathos to communicate that, in fact, one game does define Ohio State, and that game is not just a game at all.
“I can’t wait. I’m stoked. I’m fired up. It’s the first thing I heard when I came on my visit: Beat ‘The Team Up North.’ It’s the first goal we have every single year: Beat ‘The Team Up North,’ Howard said Saturday. “I want to do this for Coach (Ryan) Day. I want to do this for the guys that came back, for Emeka (Egbuka), Trey (Henderson), JT (Tuimoloau), Jack (Sawyer), Tyleik (Williams), Ty (Hamilton) – I could go on. But I want this for them so bad.
“They’ve been here. I’ve seen it from a distance. I feel it, and I’m a part of it now, and I want this for me, too, but I want it for those guys. I want it for Coach Day, you know, to shut up the haters and be able to go out there and say, ‘This is The Ohio State Buckeyes.’ This rivalry game means everything. We talk about it all the time. It’s all over the place in our building. I’m honored to be a part of it. I won’t take it lightly. This is the biggest game of our season. I’m looking forward to it.”
Notice a difference?
I certainly do.
Where Stroud and McCord sinned (the archery term, not the biblical term, though I understand some believe the latter to be true in this instance as well), Howard hit a bullseye. The Game in 2024 is about revenge – more than that, a reckoning – for the past three years when Ohio State’s players, coaches and fans suffered greatly due to the red hands of their maize and blue rivals. Howard gets it. I expect to see him deliver this weekend in Columbus.
Skull Session: Will Howard Understands What The Game Means to Ohio State and Its Fans, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes Put an “Exclamation Point” on Indiana Win With A Late Touchdown
While some of his predecessors missed the mark, Will Howard understands The Game is more than just a game — it defines a season, a career and legacies in Columbus.
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