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Will Howard hasn’t played as well as Ohio State Buckeye fans have hoped of late.
The senior quarterback is coming off his worst game of the year heading into Saturday’s match-up against Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Howard was picked off twice during the Buckeyes’ embarrassing 13-10 loss in Columbus, ending their hopes of returning to the Big Ten title game.
During the game, Howard completed just 56.7 percent of his passes (19 of 33), his lowest rate of the season.
He only accounted for 176 yards through the air, which was also a season-low.
And he hasn’t exactly been on fire of late.
Against Indiana a week earlier, Howard threw for just 201 yards with an interception.
Before that, Howard had his way with Northwestern and Purdue — hardly two of the better defenses in college football — throwing for 253.5 yards per game over that stretch.
But against Penn State, a juggernaut of a pass defense, Howard threw for just 182 yards, completing two-thirds of his passes.
All this leads up to Saturday’s contest against the Volunteers, who have arguably the best defense he’s faced yet.
This season, Tennessee allowed just 278.3 total yards per game, which was the fourth-fewest in the country, and 178.7 passing yards, the 17th-fewest.
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Even so, oddsmakers are expecting Howard to have one of his best games of the year through the air, pegging his passing yards over/under at 241.5.
Howard has struggled to get to this number of late, going over in just three of his last eight games, including against the soft defenses of Purdue and Northwestern mentioned earlier.
The play: Will Howard to have fewer than 241.5 passing yards (-120, Caesars Sportsbook)