Ohio State's Will Howard, Jeremiah Smith gain confidence before Northwestern clash
11/12/2024 07:50 AM
Coming off of a big victory over Purdue, the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to face Northwestern this week in an effort to continue their quest for a Big Ten Championship and ultimately a National Championship. With that in mind, a big confidence boost for two of their most important players definitely doesn’t hurt.
Following his record-breaking performance, freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Quarterback Will Howard, on the other hand, was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. For Howard, it was the first Big Ten award of his career.
On the day, Smith caught six passes for 87 yards and one touchdown. Howard, however, threw 21 of 26 for 260 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Howard also had nine rushing attempts for seven yards and one more touchdown. Smith’s touchdown catch was his ninth of the year, which broke the Buckeyes’ record for touchdown catches by a true freshman, previously set 40 years ago by Cris Carter.
Ohio State looking for strong finish in order to make Big Ten Championship
Coming into the season, no team had higher expectations and more hype than Ohio State. 11 weeks in, it isn’t too different, but with one loss, Ohio State can’t afford another loss if they want to make the Big 10 Championship game.
Currently, it would be Oregon and Indiana in the game with both still undefeated. Behind them, though, are Ohio State and Penn State, both having one loss in conference and overall. The thing is, the Buckeyes defeated Penn State, giving them a leg up.
Now, what will Ohio State need to do to secure a spot? It’s simple, win out. With three remaining games, the Buckeyes will need to beat Northwestern and Michigan, which shouldn’t be too difficult. The biggest test remaining, though, is Indiana. Ohio State will get to host the Hoosiers, though. If Ohio State wins out, they will make the Big Ten Championship game, they truly control their own destiny.
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