'We willed ourselves to win': Ohio State's Will Howard gets revenge against Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — One by one, the bodies caromed and ricocheted off Will Howard, the Ohio State quarterback whose skin was coated with sweat and dirt and the grass-stained remnants of the sweetest slide he's ever slid, the one that sealed a victory over a program he once dreamed of representing. Seven days had passed since Howard, a former three-star prospect from Downington, Pennsylvania, a western suburb of Philadelphia, boldly proclaimed how much the impending matchup between the Buckeyes and No. 3 Penn State meant to him, how he'd grown up rooting for the Nittany Lions and viewed this trip to Beaver Stadium as a homecoming. "They didn't think I was good enough," Howard said in reference to Penn State's coaching staff during a postgame news conference in late October. "But I guess we'll see next week if I was."

Ohio State QB Will Howard slides for a first down to secure the Buckeyes' 20-13 win over Penn State. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

It was the kind of comment that produced a moment of stunned silence inside the media room at Ohio Stadium, the site of a sloppy and mistake-ridden win over Nebraska that catalyzed a week of consternation both inside and outside the program. The offensive and defensive lines were maligned for their poor performances. So, too, were the members of Ohio State's coaching staff most responsible for those particular units, from offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and offensive line coach Justin Frye to defensive line coach Larry Johnson and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Eventually, in the aftermath of Saturday's game against Penn State, head coach Ryan Day admitted that, behind closed doors, the Buckeyes had spoken about "being at a crossroads" following back-to-back