Will Howard played a huge role in Ohio State’s 41-21 Rose Bowl victory, but his celebration was cut short.
After the eighth-seeded Buckeyes advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals, team members took the stage with roses in their mouths.
However, Howard arrived too late to the party and was never able to join his teammates and head coach Ryan Day.
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Will Howard of the Ohio State Buckeyes holds the Leishman Trophy after defeating the Oregon Ducks 41-21 in the Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
Several people, including some Buckeyes, tried to inform those responsible that he was the quarterback who had just thrown for 319 yards and three touchdowns. But a man blocking the entrance stood his ground by not allowing Howard to come aboard.
“They’re blocking me there,” Howard said. “Apparently there is a weight limit.”
The Buckeyes handed top-seeded Oregon its first and only loss of the season after taking a 34-0 lead.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard celebrates after a 41-21 victory over the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 1, 2025 . (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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Howard was 17-for-26 and threw three touchdowns, two of which went to offensive MVP Jeremiah Smith. Smith’s two touchdowns were part of his seven-catch, 187-yard performance.
Oregon had defeated the Buckeyes, 32-31, earlier in the season.
Ohio State heads to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 to take on No. 4 Texas for a spot in the national title game. The Longhorns barely advanced early Wednesday, holding off Arizona State 39-31 in a double-overtime Peach Bowl.
Will Howard of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates a touchdown during the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks during the Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Ronald MartÃnez/Getty Images)
The fourth and final spot in the semifinals will go to No. 2 Georgia or No. 7 Notre Dame after Thursday’s Sugar Bowl. The contest was postponed a day after a terrorist attack in New Orleans, less than two miles from the game’s location, the Caesars Superdome.
