Ex-QB Will Howard Sends Unexpected Arch Manning Message After Tough OSU Admission: ‘I Kinda Feel for That Kid’

With 3:32 minutes left on the 4th quarter clock, Arch Manning’s 32-yard pass to Parker Livingstone for a touchdown brought life back to the Texas offense, largely suffocated by an elite OSU defense. Ohio State still led 14-7, and all eyes were on the young Manning phenom to roll back his uncle Eli Manning’s Super Bowl XLII-esque performance. But despite that hope, Ryan Wingo dropped the 4-and-5, and OSU’s defense put the rest of the game to bed. Overall, the game was a disappointment for young Arch, as the media turned against him. But OSU’s 2024 natty hero, Will Howard, has now come to Arch’s defense.

Arch Manning completed 17 of the 30 passes for just 170 yards and gained 38 yards on the ground. We saw the QB displaying inaccurate passing on shorter throws, and throwing behind or high on crucial third and fourth-down attempts. Even that missed catch by Ryan Wingo was because of Arch under-throwing the pass on Wing0’s weaker hand. “No point sugarcoating it. He mostly stunk,” said the Athletic’s Stewart Mandel. And Michael David of Pro Football Talk declared not “ready to be in the NFL next year.” But Will Howard, who was supporting OSU from the stands in Columbus, cautioned against being harsh on Arch.

Howard appeared on the 3rd September episode of the ‘Down 2 Business’ podcast called Arch, being “still on the game.” “Coming out of that game and just watching it, being there on the sidelines, I kind of feel for the kid a little bit because, you know, he got a lot of hype and a lot of attention that he didn’t necessarily ask for. It just kind of came with him being a Manning, you know?” said Will Howard. Moreover, Howard also expanded that Arch didn’t look “settled in” but predicted Arch to achieve success.

The former OSU QB described how he also threw a pick-six against Penn State, when the QB became a focal point in the media because of Howard being a native of Pennsylvania. “Penn State last year, like I was putting so much pressure on myself. It was a homecoming for me; I talked a little in the media. So I had to back it up.  So, I came out first pick six. I’m like, damn. All right. You know, like I’m trying to do way too much,” said Will Howard. Of course, media hyping up Arch Manning for his last name, despite being a two-game starter, was a major factor in Arch’s regression.

For context, young Arch, despite having no major experience against elite defenses, was the Heisman favorite going into the season (+650 at ESPN Bet). Moreover, he was also projected to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft in most early mock drafts. Now, facing a defense like Ohio State with this kind of hype would easily bring out the worst in any 21-year-old, and that’s exactly what happened with Arch Manning. If anything, it was the best thing that could have happened, because Arch still has time and at least 12 games on his hands to prove the critics wrong.

Will Howard is finding it easier in the NFL due to his stint at OSU

Will Howard, despite some jitters in the regular season (against Oregon), still led Ohio State to the natty final and went on to win the title, ending 10 10-year wait for the team. Howard’s performances, passing for 4,010 yards and rushing for another 226, might have been supported by an elite OSU offense. But according to Howard, coming in from Kansas State and transitioning to OSU wasn’t easy.

“For me, I think a bigger difference in speed was going from K-State to Ohio State,” said Will Howard. But now that he has finally sealed his status as an OSU legend, Howard is finding the NFL easier to cope with. “That jump from Ohio State to here, I don’t think was as drastic, honestly, as that jump from K-State to Ohio State. Because really, if you look at it, we were playing against NFL guys every single day. Our defense last year, I think, had 12, 13, maybe 14 NFL dudes all on one team.”

The former OSU QB was selected in the 6th round as the 185th pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers and is now working his way up the Steelers’ depth chart. As for Arch, the guy has everything to be successful, right from his arm talent to rushing ability. All he needs is to remove that background hype’ talks and focus on the eye of the tiger. And if he can do that, then no one can stop Arch from registering his legacy for the Longhorns as he leads them to a national title.