Ohio State quarterback Will Howard He sealed his team's upset victory in the Rose Bowl with a kiss.
After Howard, 23, and the Buckeyes dominated the Oregon Ducks 41-21 on Wednesday, January 1, the quarterback made his way to his girlfriend, Lauren Likerfor a hug.
Howard flipped his brand new Rose Bowl Champions hat backwards and leaned in for the kiss that was It was picked up by ESPN social media. He praised the move Kelly Staffordwife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Staffordwho wrote Via her Instagram story: “I've always said it… upside down hat = easy access 👏👏👏”
While Howard mostly keeps his personal life close to the vest, he did post a photo with the Liker Via Instagram In April 2023. At the time of publishing this post, Howard was still the quarterback at Kansas State.
Courtesy of Courtesy of Mady Barnes/Instagram/Instagram University of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and his girlfriend Mady Barnes have survived one of the toughest tests in a relationship: going to rival colleges. Barnes, 21, is currently a student at the University of Oklahoma while her boyfriend Ewers, 21, is one of the college's most famous faces (…)
Howard transferred to Ohio State before the 2024 season, where he helped lead the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Ohio State will play Texas in the 2025 Cotton Bowl on Friday, January 10 with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
Will Howard with his girlfriend Lauren Laker.
Courtesy of Will Howard/InstagramAside from the kiss with his girlfriend, the post-game celebration came with a side of embarrassment for Howard.
Despite being the team's starting quarterback, Rose Bowl officials prevented Howard from entering the stage to present the trophy.
in A clip circulated on social mediaHoward can be seen asking an official for permission to join his teammates in the post-game huddle.
“That's the starting quarterback!” Defensive tackle for Ohio State Tylek Williams He begged.
Howard seemed to have a sense of humor about the whole ordeal, laughing as he told people nearby: “They're holding me back!”
“Guys, it looks like there's a weight limit,” Howard said. “They are literally blocking me,” he added.
Howard eventually managed to make his way back to the stage where he was Festive roses were tossed To commemorate the big win.
“We came out and played with anger and I think it showed,” Howard told reporters after the game. “We jumped out to an early lead and it was tough for them to come back.”
Howard continued: “We knew they were going to come back and do something, they're too good a team to score any points. We knew they were going to make some kind of comeback. It wasn't perfect, so we just had to weather the storm and make sure we won the game.” Just in time.
The quarterback threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in the win, a revenge victory for the Buckeyes after Oregon defeated them 32-31 earlier in the season.
“It's unbelievable,” Howard told reporters after the game. “I was in awe when I was younger, I had to take it all in and enjoy it with my boys and we got two more (games), so we're not done yet.”
Ohio State and Texas will compete in the Cotton Bowl on Friday, January 10 at 7:30 PM ET. The winner will face either Penn State or the winner of the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, January 2 between Notre Dame and Georgia in the national championship game on Monday, January 20.
