Ohio State football's Will Howard discusses his Buckeyes debut in postgame press conference

uh uh right in front of you step means with cleveland.com well that first half was kind of clunky as a veteran who's been through this before when you guys get into the locker room at halftime what are you saying to your offensive line and to your offense about how that first half went kind of yeah you know we we uh one of our goals in this game was to play clean and I feel like we didn't really do that in the first half um you know but at the end of the day we just kind of had to get together and say let's settle down you know just just play our game you know don't think about it too much don't you know let the fact that you know it's our maybe our first time playing the shoe like just got to settle in you know and play football and I think we did a good job of that in the second half but you know we definitely need to work on you know starting a little faster um starting a little better and and not having those those mistakes that we had in the first half you know me personally uh you know included in that and I mean we we built off it and you know we we came out in the second half and guns of Blazing and and did really well um and obviously a win is a win and when you win by as much as we did like you know it's it's good and you know I'm happy that we won um but there's still a lot of stuff to clean up Steve helwagen 247 Sports the first touchdown to Jeremiah looks like he makes kind of an adjustment on the ball and turns back back shoulder just uh what what did you see on that play what did he do to to complete it and uh is that an advanced concept for a young guy to be able to make that play Under if if he's pressed and it's one-on-one put it up and he'll make he'll make the play um and that's exactly what he did I just saw he was pressed you know so I tried to put it up over top and he actually made a little adjustment and came back to it and I mean that's all I got to do is just you know give him a chance and and he's going to do the rest you you guys saw that today uh over to the right Austin Ward the podcast well Ryan said that nobody needed to say anything to Jeremiah after that drop screen there on the opening drive like is that the case you just no there was no word said I mean none of us were worried about him at all I mean we were you know obviously you know it's a drop it's uncharacteristic but you know hey I made a couple of bad passes and you know like it's not going to be perfect man you know but it's it's that next play mentality you know mental toughness is the ability to move on to the next most important thing and and you know we we we knew his maturity level you know we weren't worried about it and he came back and I mean had a great game so will over to the left Bill Rabinowitz Columbus Dispatch well you've been here eight months you probably wondered what it would be like to play in the shoe just the whole atmosphere what was it like um how glad are you to have it under your belt it's cool man it's uh a pretty pretty freaking cool stadium and and the fans and the band and just the TR like I've never been a part of so many different traditions and I had to learn like all these New Traditions that we had and it's like it's cool man it's fun it's like it makes it more engaging you know for everyone involved and like the skull session and just getting to experience all this stuff that I've heard about for the first time was really fun and and now that I got it all under my belt it's like all right you know now I've done it and now it's you know it's business as usual from now on on but um it's still cool and it's still fun to appreciate it you know when you know I only have 12 opportunities as a buckeye you know guaranteed and you know obviously hopefully we get 16 or 17 but um you know I only have so many opportunities as a buckeye so I got to got to soak it all in and enjoy it while while I'm here man and it's quite quite an environment quite an atmosphere and I'm just glad to be a part of it you've been here eight months you probably wondered what it would be like to play in the shoe just the whole atmosphere what was it like um how glad are you you to have it under your belt it's cool man it's a it's a pretty pretty freaking cool stadium and and the fans and the band and just the TR like I've never been a part of so many different traditions and I had to learn like all these New Traditions that we had and it's like it's cool man it's fun it's like it makes it more engaging you know for everyone involved and like the skull session and just getting to experience all this stuff that I've heard about for the first time was really fun and and now that I got it all under my belt it's like all right you know now I've done it and now it's you know it's business as usual from now on but um it's still cool and it's still fun to appreciate it you know when you know I only have 12 opportunities as a buckeye you know guaranteed and you know obviously hopefully we get 16 or 17 but um you know I only have so many opportunities as a buckeye so I got to got to soak it all in and enjoy it while while I'm here man and it's quite quite an environment quite an atmosphere and I'm just glad to be a part of it great over to the right Dylan Davis Delaware Gazette you've made it clear before no disrespect to the guys you play with the k state but it's a little bit different here with the guys you're throwing to I guess just you know some guys that maybe you wouldn't think would be open or open so I guess how did that materialize on the field for you seeing that in a game and just how did it feel compared to maybe previous starts yeah it's uh it's a it's a freeing feeling when you know you can kind of just put the ball up and let those guys make adjustments and you don't have to be as perfect you know um and that's nothing against you know my guys I had a ton of Playmakers at Kate and um you know I I love those guys and those guys were making plays for me too but um you know I'm just trying to talk about the the the dudes we got here man like we got some dudes and it it showed out today and I think you know even you know down to the the Jaden Ballard and and Brandon inis and Bryson Rogers like we got depth at that position too like it it's cool man it makes makes my job easy uh Dan hope 11 Warriors will was there a moment in this game where you felt like you and the offense kind of settled in I don't know if there was a moment um you know I think that second half when we kind of started started rolling a little bit um you know made made a couple things happen I think you know I think we did do some good things in the first half you know we made some good plays here and there but um you know really settling into a rhythm I think that came in that second half and we kind of got that ball in the third quarter and started driving a little bit you is it hot in here you guys too all right okay I just just making sure okay good all right but yeah no yeah okay okay good I'm like I feel this sweat like coming down my chest right now um but but anyway um yeah I think we settled in in that second half and and we're able to we're able to go from there yeah I know I I I tend to ramble a little bit so my bad I see all the fans in the back everyone's like waving fans over over to the r we'll we'll wrap up here shortly uh no worries it's all good stepan cleveland.com well uh coach J was talking about you guys kind of trying to establish a run a bit there early I what's kind of the the thought process of conversations you're having with coach Kelly and some of the teammates um you know maybe when it's frustrating at the start but you got to kind of keep that patience and and establish the Run game yeah you know I feel like there's not much you need to say at that point you know because we know what we have to do um and you know at the end of the day like for me being the Run game you know they they give me the you know coach Kelly says all the time you're the Run game coordinator you got to get us in and out of the right plays and and you know if we have a call and if we have you know something and you know someone comes from the from one side like you need to make it right and so part of it on me you know we got to all be working together all systems you know going on the same on the same wavelength and um you know I think we did settle in in the second half and you know it's first game you know we were we were we were trying to be conscious of that and play clean and I think we did better in the second half but again like we just need to clean clean up some of that stuff in the first half and go back and look at the film and and uh and move on and grow and learn over to the left uh Cameron Teague Robinson the athletic well Jeremiah had six catches nine targets he led the team in targets what is it about you two or your Rel your Chemistry with him that you think um allows you guys to click so well in the first game together on on the field I think uh I mean you guys see it he's he's pretty he's pretty darn good at football first of all um but he understands the game like really well and you know like I think there was a the third down where I kind of you know I kind of maneuvered a a DN that dropped and to get him a you know a ball and a curl and know just the the wherewithal he has to kind of figure out like hey you know maybe just wrap him a little bit in that window he he understands the game very well and that's I mean EMA Carnell like those guys understand the game like unbelievably well like all of them do but um Jeremiah you know he's a he's a dude man and if you get him in one-on-one coverage and he's going to win you know and and at the end of the day like he's this is just a start for him I'm excited for him um you know I think we're we're starting to develop a lot of chemistry and I'm excited to see you know how this season goes for him and you know he's a phenomenal player and he's going to have a you know quite quite a few more Targets this year I'm sure uh three more questions Tim May Letterman row yeah uh will I was just wondering what's your favorite pass was today and I was wondering if the the one to cardinell Tate would be right in there because uh he had him Ro the fly and he took it to the end zone yeah and then the Deep one to Jeremiah Smith I think y'all ran 11 plays in the third quarter and had 135 yards and two touchdowns so yeah but go ahead oh that's a that's a hard one I don't know if I could pick my my favorite throw from today probably probably that fade ball to to JJ um in the in the corner of the end zone or the or that little you know Peak throw I threw to him um in the Red Zone uh like those two but the one that Carell I mean that I just threw a curl to him and he took it what 34 yards for a touchdown I mean that's pretty easy for me right you know I'm just I'm just going through my reads they go one high I'm going to the going to the field to my curl and there he is he makes my job easy just feel totally different after in the third quarter I mean you know I'm just wondering for you guys offensively yeah I I don't I don't think there was anything that you know switched or anything crazy you know we just we just settled in a little bit you know I think we were just comfortable and you know it just kind things started kind of going our ways you know we were I feel like for me especially you know I started kind of taking the game as it came to me and trying to you know not trying to force things I think there were a couple times in the first half where you know I was just forcing things and trying to trying to make things happen and you know with this team with the guys we have like you know the more I can just let the game come to me it it it makes my job easy and you know we can get rolling uh over to the left Rob allall or Columbus Dispatch yeah well we're talking about your passing and throwing but really the sense is what's going to make you different in this offense difference of your legs your ability to run do you have a run mentality in you at all I mean and you're under Center you go QB sneak we haven't seen that in a while yeah um just talk about you if you can that that attitude absolutely um you know I think that's a big part of of our game as as this offense you know and and what coach Kelly wants to do um and you know it doesn't even just have to be in the Run game you know it can be in the pass game too there were a couple times today where I'm honestly mad at myself that I didn't tuck it down and run and you know sometimes you know they came out and showed us a couple of looks that were new and you know that's going to happen in the first game credit to them you know they they come out with a different third down Blitz than they've shown in the past and you know they had nine months to Di it up so you know credit to them but you know the thing is is you got to be ready and you got to adapt um but at the end of the day you know like for me it's it's not just those design quarterback runs it's more like you know hey if if they're in man coverage and everyone's got their back turned you know I got to be able to go get up field and and you know go get us first down and I think I did that a couple times today but you know for me it's like it's getting out of that mode of you know it's touch football and in in in you know in in Camp you know nobody can hit you right you know so now it's like oh okay you know I can actually go make some some stuff you know shake with my legs you know and and you know when I kind of realize that and I think we had that one play action where I where I went down there and did that and um you know the more I can do that the better and I just need to I just need to do that more you know when things aren't perfect down the field you know I got to be able to make things happen with my legs and I think I'm ready to do that and I want to do that and final question over to the right James Watkins cleveland.com well I won't quiz you on Archie Griffin but I do want to ask you why do you think it's important to honor history or historic figures the way you guys did with Archie today I think it's it's really really important and you know especially with with Archie you know the only two-time Heisman winner like he's a legend around here man and and you know the fact that we wore the stickers for him you know it shows how much that we care about our our tradition and our history and the people that have came before us you know and it shows that you know you don't forget about forget about those greats before you and you you remember it and that's why we're you know why we're doing it you know a lot a lot of the reason we're we're doing these things are for the people that you know that came before us you know the people that are here now and the people that are going to come after us and you know it's it's carrying on that Buckeye Legacy you know looking at guys like Archie Griffin you know that are legends you know being able to put on the scarlet and gray just like they did is is an honor and a privilege great will thank you very much thank you guys go Bucks