Will Howard hand injury slows Ohio State's offensive momentum
After Ohio State scored on the game's opening drive, the intermediate and downfield passing game was limited for the Buckeyes. The box-score stats looked really good for Ohio State, with over 225 passing yards in the game's first 35 minutes.
But looking into the context of what happened in this game for Ohio State's offense shows how impactful it was for Howard to keep the ball closer
Close-up pictures of Howard's hand surfaced on social media in the first half. Howard's hand injury probably played a role in Day and the Buckeyes limiting the downfield passing game after the first couple of drives of the game for Ohio State.
Will Howard's hand 😬 pic.twitter.com/cxiUZLmJtV
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 11, 2025
The biggest play of the game for Ohio State's game technically through the air was the 75-yard screen pass from Howard to Henderson right before halftime.
In the second half, Howard made some key throws when he needed to. But it was mostly Texas mistakes that set up Ohio State for success to score so that the Buckeyes could secure the double-digit victory over the Longhorns.