Gabriel vs. Howard: The Rematch in the Rose Bowl

© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The sport of college football has been evolving at a speed unseen at any point in the history of the sport. The changes seem to come daily and with little to no restrictions the sport has turned into a modern-day Wild-Wild West. In all the chaos and unprecedented changes, the football gods gifted us maybe one last classic matchup in one of the most iconic venues in all of sports.

The Rose Bowl will feature two of the nation’s best teams in former Pac-12 Conference/First-year Big Ten Conference member Oregon (13-0) against the Big Ten's Ohio State (11-2). In the game it will be two quarterbacks looking to add to their legacies and leave a lasting impression on their teams' fanbases.

Both QBs are in their first year with their respective teams having transferred this past offseason. Oregon’s Dillion Gabriel delivered the Big Ten Championship and has fans believing he can lead them to a national championship. Ohio State’s Will Howard wants to prove he was the right move in the offseason.

On the Season

Howard and Gabriel had good seasons with more than 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. After the season Gabriel was in New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and finished third with 516 points and 24 first-place votes. Travis Hunter of Colorado took home the award with Ashton Jeanty of Boise Statein second place. Kyle McCord, the starting QB for Ohio State a year ago, finished 10th adding more pressure on Howard to perform in the playoff.

Gabriel led his team to a perfect 13-0 on the season and a Big ten championship. Gabriel completed 73.2 percent of his throws going 297-of-406 for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions.

Howard led the Buckeyes to an 11-2 overall record and a 7-2 record in the Big Ten, with one of the losses coming to Oregon. Howard completed 72.2 percent of his throws going 251-of-343 for 3,171 yards and 29 touchdowns with 9 interceptions.

Gabriel would finish with more yards, but Howard threw for 1 more touchdown. Both completed almost the exact same percentage of their passes, yet Gabriel got praise while Howard received criticism with some fans questioning if Ohio State should have kept McCord.

Big Games, Big Moments

A college football season on paper is 12 games, but in reality, it is only three to four games. A majority of a season for conference and national champion contenders is made up of games that teams are expected to win. It’s in those three to four games where top programs show just how good they are. It’s also in those games when the lights are the brightest that a QB sets his legacy and his ability to carry his team to victory.

There were four games where Oregon was tested this year with three coming in the regular season and the fourth in the conference championship. Gabriel was a perfect 4-0 and never trailed in the Penn State (12-2) and Michigan (7-5) games. In the Ohio State and Boise State games, Oregon was down late but Gabriel made the plays to win the games. In those four games Gabriel completed 70.2 percent of his passes going 85-of-121 with 9 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Ohio State played in five games this season where they had a chance to lose and went 3-2. The biggest disappointment was a loss at the end of the year to Michigan as more than a 20-point favorite. Howard only put up 175 yards on 19-of-33 passing with 1 TD and 2 interceptions. Howard led his team past three top-10 teams in Penn State, Indiana and Tennessee, and played well enough to beat Oregon in Week 7. Howard completed 74.1 percent of his passes in those games going 109-of-147 with 8 touchdowns but had 5 interceptions. Howard had 55.6 percent of his interceptions come in his five biggest games, unlike Gabriel who threw none.

Now the two quarterbacks get to square off again in a rematch everyone has been waiting for and thought was coming in the Big Ten Championship. Gabriel got the better of Howard in the first meeting thanks to Oregon’s coach Dan Lanning using a loophole in the rules to gain an advantage and a questionable offensive pass interference call. 

For Howard, it’s the last play people remember after sliding with no time left on the clock and Ohio State still with a timeout down one point. Now the stage is set at the "Granddaddy of Them Al." Can Gabriel get it done again or will Howard make up for past mistakes and lead his Buckeyes to victory?  It would be no surprise if it’s Howard's turn to celebrate after this one.