Akron, the expected sacrificial lamb in the season opener against Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday afternoon, knows what it is getting into against the No. 2 Buckeyes.
“People are talking about them being a legitimate contender to win a national championship, and they’re right, so it’s going to be a huge, huge challenge,” Zips coach Joe Moorhead said.
So much so that the Buckeyes (11-2 in 2023) are favored by more than seven touchdowns even though OSU is breaking in a new starting quarterback and offensive coordinator.
But being Ohio State, those are no ordinary replacements as head coach Ryan Day tries to avoid the hot seat that comes with not only losing to rival Michigan the past three seasons but having to watch the Wolverines win the 2023 national championship.
Soon after the loss to Michigan, Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse. Backups Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz were part of one of the worst postseason performances in program history, a 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
That has led to an infusion of transfers, a strong freshman class, and more than a half-dozen top-line players opting to return instead of turning pro in order to pursue a national title.
Enter Will Howard, the starting QB in the past two of his four seasons with Kansas State. Unlike McCord, Howard (6-foot-4, 237 pounds) is a dual threat who in his Wildcats career threw for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns while rushing for 921 yards and 19 scores.
Day also brought in Chip Kelly to run the offense. Kelly decided that being Ohio State’s offensive coordinator was more enticing than his previous job of head coach at UCLA.
Day announced on Aug. 15 that Howard would start over Brown, Kienholz and touted freshmen Julian Sayin and Air Noland.
The spotlight is a lot brighter in Columbus than what Howard had in Manhattan, Kan.
“He knew what he was getting himself into here at Ohio State, and not to speak for him, but I think there was only maybe a couple places he would have considered, other than going to the NFL, and this was it for him,” Day said Tuesday.
Howard has abundant talent surrounding him, including the running back duo of the returning TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who rushed for a total of 2,725 yards and 31 TDs when he was named All-SEC in each of his two seasons at Ole Miss.
The Buckeyes also added wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the top recruit nationally in the 2024 class, and safety Caleb Downs, last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year for Alabama.
Akron (2-10 last year) unveils a new starting quarterback in Ben Finley. He won the job against Tahj Bullock, who played in 10 games last season, but mostly as rusher. Finley spent his first three seasons at North Carolina State and last season at Cal.
“We’re confident in Ben; he was elected captain. I think he’s going to do a really nice job,” Moorhead said.
Day understands that Akron is a huge underdog.
“It’s always been about us,” he said. “You hear me say that a lot, but you have to really focus on the process of it and what we are doing. Our opponent shouldn’t matter. If it does, then we’re setting ourselves up for failure.”
