Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
It’s the best week of the year for a number of reasons. Not only will Ohio State and Michigan meet on the football field on Saturday in Columbus, it is also Thanksgiving week. One of the reasons The Game was moved to the Saturday after Thanksgiving is probably because it allows fans on both sides of the rivalry to have a huge meal on Thursday to help them absorb all of the alcohol that will be consumed on Saturday morning and afternoon.
Today we are going to focus more on the Thanksgiving holiday and less on The Game. Entering this week, the Buckeyes are 10-1 this season, with their only loss being by a point to Oregon last month in Eugene. Since then, Ohio State has beaten Penn State and Indiana, with both of those opponents being ranked in the Top 5 when they faced the Buckeyes. With a win on Saturday, Ohio State will secure a rematch with the Ducks in next week’s Big Ten Championship Game. Along with putting themselves in a position to win a conference title, the Buckeyes are also looking like a serious threat to win a national championship.
Aside from stuffing a ridiculous amount of food down our throats on Thanksgiving and laughing at how inept the Dallas Cowboys are as we fight off the effects of tryptophan, another tradition of the holiday is to declare what we give thanks for. This year we are going to put an Ohio State spin on this tradition and declare what Buckeye we are thankful for. This year there have been a number of transfers that have joined the program and made an immediate impact, as well as a fabulous freshman wide receiver. Or it could be a senior who has paid their dues over the years and is playing at a high level. At least if we can’t agree on what we are thankful for, we all can unite behind a common goal as we hope Ohio State snaps its three-game losing streak against the Wolverines on Saturday.
Today’s question: Which Ohio State Buckeye are you thankful for?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Will Howard
The difference from this time in 2023 to 2024 at quarterback for Ohio State is night and day. It’s not that Kyle McCord isn’t talented, just look at the numbers he has put up at Syracuse this year (aside from the game where he threw 43 interceptions that were returned for touchdowns against Pitt). The difference between McCord and Will Howard has a lot to do with leadership and toughness. Even though there were some Ohio State fans that were hoping to see Cam Ward or Riley Leonard in Columbus after McCord entered the transfer portal a few days after the Michigan game, Howard is the perfect fit for this year’s Buckeye offense.
One of the things that has impressed me the most about Howard is the accuracy of his passes. With his performance on Saturday, Howard now has six games this season where he has completed at least 80 percent of his passes, which is a school record for a Buckeye career. Even when there is a blip with one of his throws, he often doesn’t let it bleed over into his next attempt. Just look at the Penn State game where he came out a little amped up because when he was a kid he grew up rooting for the Nittany Lions and dreamt of playing at Beaver Stadium. After throwing a pick-six on his first pass attempt of the game, Howard settled down and made some big plays in the 20-13 victory earlier this month.
There also is Howard’s willingness to pull the football down and run if it is necessary. The toughness that Howard has displayed so far could end up being the difference in a playoff game. Even in the loss to Oregon, it almost won Ohio State the game had there been a couple more seconds on the clock, and Dan Lanning didn’t intentionally break the rules to waste time. Howard’s instincts were in the right place, the execution was just slightly off. Should a similar situation arise again this season, you know Howard is sliding a little earlier.
If all those weren’t enough reasons to be thankful Howard is a Buckeye this year, he’ll forever be a legend for the trolling of Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti late in Saturday’s game when he pretended to stomp out a cig on the sidelines. If there was anyone who could get away with doing that, it was Howard since he was nearly perfect against the Hoosiers.
Matt’s answer: Carson Hinzman
Will Howard is an excellent choice by Brett and one that I am clearly very much in support of. But in this moment, this week, heading into this game, I am especially thankful for Carson Hinzman. After starting 12 games at center last year, only to be replaced with seemingly little logic for what turned out to be a shambolic bowl performance from the offensive line, it would have been easy for the junior lineman to become disenchanted in Columbus and look to find greener pastures elsewhere.
However, he did not do that, nor did he opt to leave when OSU brought in a two-year starting center from Alabama via the transfer portal. Instead, he continued to work and learn behind Seth McLaughlin until he was called upon to move a little to his left and fill in at guard following the injuries to Josh Simmons and Zen Michalski.
In his brief time at LG, he played very well, but once McLaughlin went down, he was thrust back into the exact same spot he was in last year. Against Indiana, Hinzman was back at the center of Ohio State’s offensive line which dominated a top-five opponent.
So, I am incredibly grateful that the team has his experience heading into the homestretch following McLaughlin’s Achilles injury, and I am even more grateful that Carson chose to remain a Buckeye. He is not a native Ohioan, I wouldn’t doubt that Luke Fickell likely would have welcomed the Wisconsin native with open arms had Hinzman entered the transfer portal.
But, he did not, and now he is arguably the most important non-quarterback on Ohio State’s roster as the team prepares to enter the postseason as the betting favorite to win the national championship. I shudder to think what could have been in store for the Buckeye offensive line had McLaughlin gone down and Hinzman wasn’t on the team. Yes, Joshua Padilla was the No. 11 interior offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting cycle, but he has barely played at Ohio State, and that is not the type of guy you want to have to turn to when your season is on the line.
So, Carson Hinzman, I hope that whenever you sit down to your Thanksgiving meal — either on Thursday or after The Game — you have an extra helping of mashed potatoes and know that Buckeye Nation is grateful to have you on our side.