Will Howard stood firmly at a podium within the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, his shoulders slightly raised. It had been over two weeks since Ohio State suffered an upset at the hands of unranked Michigan, yet the frustration couldn't be contained. Howard was often terse when asked about the loss on Monday, a stark contrast to his usually affable demeanor.

What He Learned from the Setback

Howard declared, "What did I learn? Can't turn the ball over." He insisted that he and his teammates had moved on from the inexplicable defeat, which had prevented the Buckeyes from winning the Big Ten. But it wasn't a loss that would keep them from chasing the ultimate prize. Starting with Saturday's game against Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff, they aimed to plot a path to the national championship and seek revenge against their bitter rival.In the aftermath of the upset, Howard faced significant blame. As an experienced quarterback who had performed well in other big games earlier in the fall, his accuracy failed against the Wolverines. He was picked off twice, marking his first multi-interception game since transferring from Kansas State in January. His completion percentage dropped to 57.6%, and he threw for only 175 yards, both season lows.Immediately after the loss, Howard admitted to misfiring on the passes that led to interceptions. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly also took responsibility, stating, "I got to put Will in a better position to make plays. I didn't do that." Kelly pointed to Howard's second interception as an example. With the Buckeyes facing third-and-7 at Michigan's 16-yard line in the third quarter, Howard tried to fit a pass to Emeka Egbuka between two defenders. But the ball was behind Egbuka and intercepted by Wolverines safety Makari Paige. Part of Kelly's second-guessing was due to having only three targets downfield for Howard, as running back TreVeyon Henderson and tight end Gee Scott Jr. were in pass protection."Maybe we could have gone to a five-man release," Kelly said, "and get more guys into the coverage, so we could spread the defense out a little more."Despite the troubles passing against Michigan and taking a big hit in the second quarter that led to a head injury evaluation, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day praised Howard for his response in practices over the last two weeks in preparation for the first-round game against the Volunteers."One thing about Will is he's got a very positive mindset," Day said. "He's very resilient. You can see he has a bounce in his step. He wants to get back on the field as fast as he possibly can, and he wants to lead this offense. It's going to be a very important part of this game, his leadership, and he'll be ready to go."In a quarterback matchup with Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava, Howard has the edge. He has made 40 career starts between Kansas State and Ohio State, while Iamaleava is a redshirt freshman in his first year as a starter.As Howard prepares for the postseason, he believes his intangible traits will give the Buckeyes an advantage. Despite the pain of the Michigan loss, he vowed to help the team overcome it."It was terrible for all of us, a terrible loss," Howard said, "but we can't let them beat us twice." He emphasized his leadership in rallying the team."My ability to push this team," Howard said, "and to lead this team in this game is going to be crucial and I know that." He also mentioned that the Buckeyes showed an edge when they beat previously unbeaten Indiana the previous week and needed to rediscover it."I need to be the one that sparks that and am bringing that all game."Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts.