Devin Brown felt the adrenaline pumping.
After throwing a touchdown late in the second quarter of Ohio State’s 38-7 win at Michigan State last week, he was shaking as he returned to sit on a bench on the visitors’ sideline at Spartan Stadium.
“I thought I was going to throw up,” Brown said. “I was so juiced up.”
The series was unexpected for the Buckeyes ’ backup quarterback. Only moments earlier he had watched Will Howard fall to the grass after absorbing a hard hit in the pocket that knocked the wind out of him .
Howard’s exit with 34 seconds left until halftime prompted Brown to replace him on a third-and-10 from the Spartans’ 17-yard line.
Even with the abrupt change behind center, the Buckeyes looked to extend their 17-7 lead, as Brown aired a pass down the sideline to freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who reeled it in with his right hand for a touchdown .
“There’s definitely a little bit of a different stress in your mind, going in there and having to do that,” Brown said. “I wasn’t warm at all. My legs were super stiff. But when your number’s called, you’ve got to go out there and make a play.”
As trainers tended to Howard on the field between second and third down, Brown threw a small handful of passes to warm up, but that was all the time he had to prepare to lead Ohio State for the rest of the drive.
Brown said he trusted his teammates in the moment. Speaking after practice on Wednesday, he acknowledged both running back TreVeyon Henderson and Smith for their roles. Henderson picked up a blitz from cornerback Nikai Martinez, buying him time to flee the rush and look to his right to find Smith on a go route.
“All the pieces fell together,” Brown said.
More: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
A month and half ago, Brown, a redshirt sophomore, had been competing for Ohio State’s starting quarterback job before Howard, who transferred from Kansas State for his fifth year of eligibility, prevailed .
It was not ideal for Brown, who had pushed Kyle McCord in another preseason battle the previous year.
“Obviously there is going to be a little disappointment,” Brown said, “but at the end of the day, I’m here to be a Buckeye, and I knew they were going to make the best decision for this team, so I just have to keep doing everything I can in my power to get myself better and help this team.”
That has included preparing as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart and staying ready in case of injury.
“I feel like I’ve put in a lot more time than I did last year,” Brown said.
As the backup, Brown has appeared in all four games, taking over for Howard late in blowouts, and he returned for the fourth quarter at Michigan State. He’s completed 10 of 18 passes for 108 yards, including his 17-yard touchdown.
It was last year that he also rotated for McCord in a handful of short-yardage situations with the Buckeyes looking to use his mobility. He ran for a 2-yard touchdown at Purdue last October.
But his relief of Howard felt special. It was not scripted.
“I didn’t know that I was going in,” Brown said, “didn’t know I had to be ready. I was called, and I made the play.”
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day felt it deepened Brown’s confidence.
“When you actually physically do it, it builds real confidence in you,” Day said. “It’s hard to do that unless you’ve put it on the field.
“So for him to step up in that moment in a big spot, not only was it a two-minute drill, but it was also in the red zone at the end of the half, two big situations to win right there, it has to give him a little bit of juice this week. I feel like it has, and he’s had a good week of practice.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com .
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Ohio State QB Devin Brown stepped up in relief of Will Howard at Michigan State
Local News
Comments / 0