Will Howard survived a roller-coaster afternoon in State College on Saturday, and he not only lived to tell about it, he left Happy Valley with one of Ohio State’s biggest victories in recent memory.

The senior quarterback transferred from Kansas State so he could play in games like Saturday’s and to lead the Buckeyes to a national title. But that doesn’t mean he left Kansas State totally behind. In fact, Howard drew on his experiences at K-State during Saturday’s game, as he made a few crushing mistakes that could’ve cost Ohio State a shot at a huge victory over Penn State.

There was the 1st-quarter pick-6 that put the Buckeyes in a 10-0 hole. Then, after Ohio State got its feet underneath it and took a 14-10 lead, there was Howard’s fumble in the shadows of the Penn State goal line that cost the Buckeyes a chance to extend their lead.

Howard could’ve caved, but he knew better. He learned some valuable lessons at Kansas State.

“I would say I was bad at it my freshman and sophomore years, to be honest with you. And I just felt it so many times. … When I finally realized how important that next play after a pick is, and I think it was really my junior year I figured that out,” said Howard during Tuesday’s weekly press conference. “I just said, ‘Screw it, move on’ and didn’t really let it affect my confidence.”

Those lessons from early in his career at Kansas State were crucial in helping Howard navigate an experience like Saturday’s game.

“It took taking some hits and taking some lumps early in my career, but once I was able to kind of work through that, it’s all about how you respond,” said Howard. “It’s the next play after that bad play. Because as much as I’d like to go back and change that bad play, you can’t. You can’t do it. So, you just gotta move on and make it right. I’ve gotten better at that … just played a (lot of) ball and seen a lot, so I think not much fazes me anymore.”

Howard’s next task will come in Week 11 when the Buckeyes host Purdue in a noon ET kickoff on FOX.