Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star Malik Zaire has fueled excitement for Saturday's national championship game with his harsh criticism of Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.
Howard led the Buckeyes to a 28-14 victory over the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Howard completed 24 of 33 for 289 passing yards and one touchdown pass. He also made an interception.
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Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard leaves the field after the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Zaire was unsure if Howard could do enough to overcome the Fighting Irish on January 20th.
“Ohio State has had great QBs over the past 15 years, but Howard is arguably the worst QB ever. Convince me, OSU fans, he's going to lead them to the tip.” LOL, it’s okay,” Zaire wrote to X. “I'm going to put OG Jaelin Marshall at QB before Howard!!!!!”
Zaire added that Ohio State's loss to Michigan before the start of the College Football Playoff is more questionable than Notre Dame's early-season loss to Northern Illinois.
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Notre Dame's Malik Zaire waves as he leaves the field after Notre Dame's 45-27 loss to Southern California. (Robert Franklin, via FTP)
“Honestly, we lost to NIU and it was embarrassing, but Yale lost to Michigan at home for the fourth year in a row as a 20-plus point favorite, and we had to plant a flag in the middle of the field at Yale. We won.'I stayed up after the game with the head coach watching…LOL, I have nothing to say about this Ohio State team, LOL,'' he added.
Notre Dame will be aiming for its first national championship in the College Football Playoff era, but it will have to face a tough defense and an offense that has the ability to explode with big plays.
The Fighting Irish narrowly defeated Penn State in the semifinals.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard and defensive end Jack Sawyer celebrate their victory during the College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl on January 10, 2025. (Tim Heitman Imagine Images)
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Howard has 3,779 passing yards and 33 touchdowns this season. He transferred from Kansas State to Ohio State.
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