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Will Howard‘s first exit from the Ohio Stadium turf following Ohio State‘s spring game took a detour. Hundreds of Buckeye fans, who had gathered by the home tunnel, waved him over, eager to give the Kansas State transfer the starter treatment — even though Ohio State has yet to name its starting quarterback.

Howard signed mini helmets, footballs, hats and even offered a few high-fives. Finally, after several minutes, he escaped to the locker room with fans still shouting “Go, Will!” as he jogged away.

Howard arrived in Columbus hoping to win the quarterback competition heading into one of the most pivotal seasons in recent Ohio State history. An aggressive offseason in the portal landed the Buckeyes a series of notable transfers, including Howard, loading an already-talented Ohio State team with the players it hopes can wrest back control of the Big Ten from rival Michigan. The reigning national champion Wolverines have rolled to three straight conference titles, highlighted by three consecutive victories over the Buckeyes.

Michigan, however, has its own quarterback battle to settle in 2024. The Wolverines face the enormous task of replacing J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick of the Minnesota Vikings in this year’s NFL draft who went 27-1 as Michigan’s starter.

How these Big Ten bluebloods answer their quarterback quandaries figures to have major implications for the College Football Playoff, the Big Ten race and, of course, “The Game” on Nov. 30 in Columbus. Not since 2015 have the two schools had high-profile quarterback battles in the same year.

“We want to win, and the goal is to do the same thing we did last year,” said Michigan senior quarterback Davis Warren, the star of the Wolverines’ spring game. “The quarterback is a really important part of that.”

Beginning with McCarthy, the Wolverines had 13 players selected in the draft, two more than any other school.

In a year of transition in Ann Arbor, Michigan also has a new head coach in 38-year-old Sherrone Moore. He takes over for Jim Harbaugh, who is now coaching the Los Angeles Chargers.

But the Wolverines still boast plenty of leftover talent, with several intriguing options at quarterback.

Jack Tuttle, who was McCarthy’s backup last year, was approved for a seventh college season in February. Tuttle did not play in the spring game due to an undisclosed injury. But the 25-year-old easily brings the most experience. Before transferring to Michigan last year, he started five games at Indiana while playing behind another top 10 NFL draft pick in 2024.

“We talked about this as a team, as a staff — the dudes that he backed up are Michael Penix (before Penix transferred to Washington) and J.J. McCarthy,” Moore said of Tuttle, who’s expected to be cleared to resume throwing this summer. “So he’s got talent. … He’ll be in it.”

Tuttle isn’t the only one in it, though.

Junior Alex Orji brings a compelling dual-threat skill set to the competition. On the opening drive of Michigan’s spring game, he led the Wolverines down the field before dashing in for an 18-yard touchdown. After the score, Orji rolled the ball into his offensive teammates, mimicking a bowling strike knocking over pins.

“I think as a QB group,” Orji said, “we’ve all taken the necessary steps to put ourselves in a position, to be in position.”

Warren took a big step himself in Michigan’s spring game, taking over in the fourth quarter. Off play-action, he launched a pass that hit Kendrick Bell in stride for a 42-yard touchdown. On his next drive, Warren scrambled outside of the pocket to his right, then threw another strike across his body to Fredrick Moore, who scampered the other way for a 48-yard score to give the Maize the 17-7 comeback victory.

“Grateful that [new offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell] and Coach Moore and the whole team believes in me, feels like I have an opportunity to be the guy for this team and win games in the fall,” Warren said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity and I don’t take it lightly.”

Junior Jayden Denegal and true freshman Jadyn Davis, who was the fourth-ranked dual-threat quarterback recruit in the country before enrolling early, both also had moments in the spring game. Both will have their opportunities to win the job, too.

“Everybody’s getting better,” Moore said of his quarterbacks. “Think that will go into the summer, the fall. We’ll see when we get to fall camp.”

The Buckeyes are taking a patient approach with their quarterback competition, as well.

Though Howard passed for 5,786 yards and totaled 67 touchdowns over 34 games playing for K-State, the Buckeyes haven’t just handed him the job.

“Not trying to get ahead of myself and look at the end goal,” Howard admitted to reporters during Ohio State’s pro day. “Just trying to get better. … Every single day, it’s just getting more comfortable. It’s a process.”

Howard completed 9 of 13 passes for 77 yards in the Buckeyes’ spring game, while rotating with five other quarterbacks. Junior Devin Brown, a former four-star recruit, threw the scrimmage’s only touchdown pass. Last preseason, Brown lost the starting job to Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse in December. Still, Brown has already declared that he has no plans to transfer himself, even if he loses the competition again.

“I’m a Buckeye, and I’m here to compete, no matter what,” he told reporters in March.

Five-star freshman Julian Sayin, sophomore Lincoln Kienholz and freshman Air Noland all got snaps in the spring game.

Sayin, who originally signed with Alabama before enrolling at Ohio State, completed 10 of 17 passes for a scrimmage-high 85 yards, but he also threw a pick-six.

It won’t be easy for Sayin to win the job as a true freshman, at least immediately. But similar to Davis at Michigan, Sayin has already impressed in just a few weeks on campus and could be Ohio State’s eventual successor under center.

“Julian is a very fast processor,” said offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who left his job as UCLA’s head coach in February to call plays for the Buckeyes. “He really thinks very, very quickly on his feet. He makes really quick decisions. He doesn’t stick on [receivers] in reads. He can progress and he sees things really well for a young player.”

Ohio State coach Ryan Day didn’t have much to say about his quarterback battle after the spring game, only that he would have to “look at the film.” But Kelly noted when the Buckeyes are finally ready to decide on a starter, there won’t be much of a decision to make.

“You always want to do it earlier, but I also believe every time I’ve been involved in this, it kind of happens organically and authentically because the players know,” Kelly said. “Players understand who they feel is the guy. And most of the time the decision is very obvious.”

The last time the Buckeyes and Wolverines had quarterback battles seemingly this wide open in the same summer was 2015. And both Urban Meyer and Harbaugh waited until opening drives of the openers to publicly reveal their starters.

In Columbus, Cardale Jones had just led the Buckeyes to a pair of playoff wins, including the 2014 national championship. But J.T. Barrett was having an All-Big Ten season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against Michigan, opening the door for Jones to take over. Jones ended up starting the 2015 opener against Virginia Tech, but ultimately split time with Barrett.

Harbaugh, meanwhile, kept his quarterback plans a secret during his first preseason in Ann Arbor. Iowa transfer Jake Rudock got the start over Shane Morris against Utah. Despite losing that first game, Rudock led the Big Ten in completion rate (64.0%). But Barrett totaled four touchdowns in Ohio State’s 42-13 win over the Wolverines to end their regular seasons.

Neither the Buckeyes nor the Wolverines reached the playoff in 2015, with Michigan State claiming a spot instead. With the start of the 12-team playoff era, Ohio State and Michigan both missing the playoff again seems unlikely. And so, two of college football’s most consequential quarterback competitions will continue into the summer. With the rivalry, the Big Ten title and, likely, a playoff berth all firmly on the line.

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Granlund OT goal gives Finland 1st 4 Nations win

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Granlund OT goal gives Finland 1st 4 Nations win

MONTREAL — Mikael Granlund scored the overtime winner, and Finland beat Sweden 4-3 Saturday in an instant classic, back-and-forth game between the bitter rivals at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Granlund scored 1:49 into 3-on-3 OT, sending fans in Finland’s blue and white at Bell Centre to the exits cheering and chanting, “Suomi!”

“It’s always great to beat Sweden,” Granlund said in his postgame media availability.

Anton Lundell and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Finland, and Kevin Lankinen made 21 saves in his debut at the NHL-run international tournament, including a pad stop on Mika Zibanejad seconds into overtime. Coach Antti Pennanen switched from Juuse Saros to Lankinen after his team lost 6-1 to the United States on Thursday night.

“I don’t think we needed to do much, we knew that there was a lot of good things we did in the game against USA,” Finland captain Aleksander Barkov said in his postgame interview on SportsNet. “Obviously, the result, 6-1, was not great, it did not look good. But I thought we did a lot of good things. And same thing today.”

Knocking off Sweden puts the Finns right back in it with one game for them left in round-robin play. The top two teams among the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland meet in the championship game next week in Boston.

Despite goals from Zibanejad and Rasmus Dahlin, the Swedes are in trouble and now might need some help to make the final. Filip Gustavsson was pulled after allowing two goals on four shots in the first period, and Linus Ullmark allowed two on 17 the rest of the way.

Finland also has a potential injury situation to monitor after Barkov came up limping from blocking a shot late in the second. The reigning Stanley Cup champion from the Florida Panthers continued playing through it.

“We got a little better, and played for a full 60-something minutes,” Barkov said. “We knew, playing against Sweden, even if it’s 4 a.m., it doesn’t matter. Everyone is going to be fired up. We came out hard, and we played really well.”

The U.S. faces Canada on Saturday night in the most anticipated game in Montreal, but Sweden and Finland put on quite the show in the matinee. Facing off 19 years after Sweden defeated Finland in the 2006 Olympic gold medal game in Turin, this time the Finns were on the winning end of an entertaining game featuring a blend of speed, skill and physicality — and some pushing and shoving after the whistles, which was expected of players from countries that do not like each other.

The tournament shifts to Boston, where Finland faces Canada on Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET and Sweden plays the United States at 8 p.m.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Finland sits Saros after giving up 6 in loss to U.S.

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Finland sits Saros after giving up 6 in loss to U.S.

MONTREAL — Kevin Lankinen will start in net for Finland against Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday after Juuse Saros allowed six goals on 32 shots in a 6-1 loss to the United States in each team’s tournament opener, coach Antti Pennanen said.

“We have three good goalies,” Pennanen said after practice Friday. “It’s a good situation for us. Juuse, I think he was really good the first 40 minutes, but 6-1, so we need to do something. And Kevin, he has played good games lately, so that was behind that decision.”

Saros’ struggles stretched into the 4 Nations from his rough half-season-plus in the NHL with the Nashville Predators. The 29-year-old has lost 29 of his 41 starts, ranks 38th among goalies in goals-against average with a 2.95 and is 33rd in save percentage with an .899.

Asked how he would evaluate his performance against the U.S., Saros said: “Obviously you always want to help your team even more on games like that.”

Saros’ new, eight-year, $61.92 million contract does not even kick in until next season.

Lankinen is 19-8-7 for the Vancouver Canucks with a 2.53 GAA and a .905 save percentage, making just above the league minimum at $875,000. A late bloomer who was never drafted, he grinded through minor leagues in Finland and North America before breaking through.

“I feel like there’s still more — a lot more — to accomplish, so many more levels to step up to, and I feel like every single season so far has been good progress,” Lankinen said. “Some of the pieces are coming together, but at the same time I recognize there is so much more to achieve.”

Pennanen hinted at making other lineup changes after scratching Kaapo Kakko and Juuso Valimaki on Thursday night but would not reveal much. Valimaki said he was not playing.

“Could be, but tomorrow you will know about those,” Pennanen said. “Again, 6-1, I think you need to do something but I know more exactly tomorrow, and those changes are public tomorrow.”

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‘No bigger rivalry’: USA, Canada to renew history

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'No bigger rivalry': USA, Canada to renew history

MONTREAL — The storied USA-Canada hockey rivalry will be reintroduced — and reignited — when the two countries take center stage at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday night.

It can’t be defined as an ordinary game — not for players who have waited a lifetime to be part of best-on-best hockey against their nation’s greatest on-ice foe.

“This one’s a big one, the biggest of my career,” USA forward Dylan Larkin said. “Just watching [international games] as a kid with my family, it’s like a holiday, it’s like the Super Bowl for us. To be able to be a part of it, on a Saturday night in Montreal, it’s perfect. It’s just great.”

The opportunity for NHL skaters to be involved in events such as the Olympics came to a halt after the 2014 Sochi Games and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Many of the league’s current top stars were left wondering if they’d ever go toe-to-toe against the world’s greatest players in tournaments like the ones they were raised on.

It’s a reality now.

“I think it’s going be the biggest game that I’ve ever played in my career,” USA forward Brady Tkachuk said. “I’m really looking forward to that. There’s a big buildup to it. USA vs. Canada is bigger than just the guys on the ice. There’s so many people past, present and down the road [that it affects]. We’ve been talking about this game especially. It’s going to be a long couple days [waiting] until it happens, but it’ll be exciting.”

Canada and the USA will enter Saturday night with one tournament win apiece — the U.S. pounded Finland 6-1 on Thursday, and Canada outlasted a stubborn Swedish team 4-3 in overtime Wednesday.

Those appetizers will be nothing like the upcoming main event, though. There’s unmatched history between these two countries that has found its way into the 4 Nations discourse already.

The most memorable chapter — at least for most skaters now — was the 2010 Olympics. Canada and the U.S. faced off in the gold medal game, and Canada let slip a 2-1 lead with less than a minute to play. In overtime, it was Sidney Crosby — captain of Canada’s 4 Nations team — who scored the winner to down the Americans and send Canada home with gold.

Canadian forward Connor McDavid claims that as his favorite moment produced by these rival countries. He watched it happen then as a junior hockey player; now, for the first time at this level, he’ll be counted on to help lead his nation to victory.

“It’s what you dream of,” McDavid said. “It’s big; it’s exciting. It’s playing the Americans in Montreal. That’s a big game.”

Defenseman Drew Doughty was part of Canada’s 2010 and 2014 gold medal Olympic teams. That has done nothing to dampen his passion for what’s coming Saturday.

“The wait has just amplified [the rivalry]. It’s made you more hungry. And I know that the Americans are feeling the same way about playing us. It’s going to be a hard-fought game. I suggest everyone watches that one.”

Canada defenseman Drew Doughty

“When you play the Americans, you want to beat them so bad,” Doughty said. “And I still have this feeling at 35 years old, how bad [I] want to beat the Americans. They’re a really good hockey team. … It’s going to be a tough battle. But this is probably the most exciting matchup of the tournament.”

The world junior championships have provided a dose of elite-level best-on-best hockey in the years since that latest World Cup. But the men’s rivalry was still simmering beneath the surface just waiting to be released again with this generation of talent.

“The wait has just amplified [the rivalry],” Doughty said. “It has made you more hungry. And I know that the Americans are feeling the same way about playing us. It’s going to be a hard-fought game. I suggest everyone watches that one.”

“There’s no bigger rivalry than Canada-USA in hockey,” Canada’s Brad Marchand added. “They’re the games that everybody dreams about playing growing up. They’re memories that will last a lifetime. We’re all really looking forward to it. Can’t come quick enough.”

Canada will have a distinct hometown advantage, a reaction the U.S. anticipated for every game it will play this tournament.

Still, there was some surprise that fans at Bell Centre booed the United States anthem when it was performed ahead of Thursday’s game. That has become more of a trend around the league since President Donald Trump threatened — and subsequently enforced — significant tariffs on Canadian imports.

“I’m not going to get into that,” Crosby said. “We respect the anthems; I’ll leave it at that.”

“I just kind of stay out of it,” Doughty said. “I know what’s going on, and I understand the Canadians’ frustration, but I think we should respect the anthems. I don’t think anyone should be booing.”

Some fans might save that reaction for what happens during the game. Coaches, like players, are expecting to see the best out of their lineups for what is projected to be a tournament highlight. And no amount of practice time or conversation can prepare players for a potentially emotional night.

“There’s a lot of pride,” USA coach Mike Sullivan said. “There’s a lot of familiarity on both sides. These guys play with and against each other in the NHL all the time. An event like this where it’s best-on-best, I think it brings out the competitive spirit of both sides. The biggest difference is when you have the privilege to play in an event like this and represent your country, it has become something that’s bigger than any individual. There’s a responsibility to bring your best when you have the privilege to participate in these types of events.

“I would envision it being a real competitive hockey game.”

That might be an understatement.

“Saturday night in Canada, against Canada — I don’t think there’s much better than this for a hockey player of this level,” Jake Guentzel said. “The crowd’s going to be intense, it’s going to be hostile, it’s going to be all of the above, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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