Will Howard knew exactly where the ball was going. With his Ohio State Buckeyes just minutes away from a National Championship and football immortality, Howard had one thought in his mind.
"That ball was going to No. 4, man," Howard told reporters at a local Raising Cane's in Columbus last month. Howard and Ohio State teammate Jack Sawyer joined forces with Raising Cane's to work an honorary "shift" as they greeted fans and celebrated their national title victory.
Howard had a smile on his face as he discussed the story behind the 56-yard pass to star wideout Jeremiah Smith that would essentially seal Ohio State's first national title in a decade.
"I look out there, I see 1-on-1, he's off inside leverage. J.J. attacked his leverage, really stacked him. That play's going to be talked about for a long time here in Ohio State history."Will Howard
The Buckeyes led 31-23 with a little over two minutes to play. Ohio State was in the process of staving off a potential Notre Dame comeback and faced a critical 3rd-and-11 from their own 34-yard line.
That's when Howard identified Smith in 1-on-1 coverage and heaved a ball downfield into the awaiting arms of his superstar freshman receiver. It's a play that will go down in Ohio State football history — and it's one that everyone on the Buckeyes sideline knew was coming.
Will Howard knew he was throwing to Jeremiah Smith in Ohio State's National Championship-sealing play
Howard went into further detail about how head coach Ryan Day and now-former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly game-planned for a situation like this leading into the week.
The Kansas State transfer emphasized that Ohio State knew Notre Dame expected them to run the ball and drain the clock. The Buckeyes could've played it safe and relied on their defense to get a stop. Instead, they went for the kill shot.
"I knew that going into that play, they were probably expecting us to run the ball, try and take some seconds off the clock," Howard said. "We could have been conservative and ran the ball and given them the ball back with a little bit over two minutes left in the game, but I love the play call from Coach Day and Coach Kelly."
Howard went on to explain that his team knew the Notre Dame defense was vulnerable to the deep pass in situations like this one. With Notre Dame crowding the box, anticipating a run, Day and Kelly recognized a mismatch they could exploit.
Of course, it also helps that they had someone like Smith to lean on. Howard credited his young wide receiver for the play, calling him both "an alien" and "unreal."
"We worked that all week and said, on some 3rd-and-extra long stuff, if they were going to give us that opportunity, they could be beat on some go-balls. And when it comes to go-balls, there ain't nobody better than No. 4. Just let him go out there and do his thing, put some air on it, and let him go catch."Will Howard
As Howard let the ball fly, he knew this was more than just a pass — it was a statement. The entire season, the hours of preparation, and the trust in his teammates had come down to this one moment
The ball landed perfectly in Smith's hands, and the rest, as they say, is history. Four plays later, kicker Jayden Fielding nailed a 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining to give Ohio State a 34-23 lead.
Howard and the Buckeyes had just secured their place in college football lore, and that iconic throw would forever be etched into the memories of Ohio State fans.