It’s the kind of moment you can build a legacy on, and Howard is sure he will if the Buckeyes get this victory. But all those emotions mean nothing if you can’t transform them into something tangible. That’s what OSU is missing today.

Ohio State keeps banging its head against the wall by trying to establish a running game that hasn’t been seen against its rival in four years. The result was 14 runs for 36 yards (2.6 yards per run). Defense always gives the Buckeyes chances, but they can’t rely on that forever, and a 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl last season proved that.

Perhaps part of the confidence comes from not being sure where their quarterback’s head is – literally and figuratively – and the ability to hit open receivers may not be as there they need it. But even then it wasn’t all that wrong as they went 12 of 18 for 119 yards and the touchdown allowed them to go into halftime tied at 10 points. Howard’s only real mistake came long before his injury and was the reason for Michigan’s touchdown by giving the Wolverines prime field position.

No matter the reason, the Buckeyes have to figure it out, because if they don’t, there’s a lot at stake. They have spent 11 months discussing the meaning of today and how everything that happened was a direct result of them putting themselves on this field for this moment.

They don’t want to screw it up by being stubborn and thinking that emotions are all that’s needed to bring about victory. Emotions must be translated into actions in the second half. Unless Ohio State wants a different kind of emotion to come from it.

The Buckeyes brought in a veteran quarterback and spent 11 months turning him into an NFL quarterback. Now he’s fighting to put an end to her football trauma. Let him do it. Instead of trying to prove something to the ghosts thanks to games that they can’t get back.