Here's what you need to know about former Kansas State and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard's record, history against Texas ahead of Friday's Cotton Bowl:

Football players are tough, and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is no exception, especially as he pushed through playing in the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Texas on Friday night with a giant knot on his hand.

Will Howard completed seven of nine passes for 52 yards in a pivotal fourth quarter and had a crucial 4th-down conversion run on Ohio State’s go-ahead touchdown drive vs. Texas.

Ohio State football quarterback Will Howard is playing with a large knot on his non-throwing left hand in the CFP Cotton Bowl semifinal vs. Texas:

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard appeared to hit his non-throwing hand on a Texas player's helmet during the first half of the Cotton Bowl against the Longhorns on Friday. Howard stayed in the game despite a gruesome knot the ESPN broadcast noted was the size of a golf ball on hand.

The Texas Longhorns are off to the Cotton Bowl after surviving against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals in the Peach B

Ohio State and Texas will kick off the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 ET on Friday night from AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, and the game will be airing on ESPN. The Buckeyes are currently favored by 5.5 points.

DALLAS -- Jeremiah Smith just his least productive game as a college football player and Ohio State still won by 14 points. Texas’ entire game plan was telling the Buckeyes that everyone but the freshman wide receiver was allowed to touch the ball. The result was only one three-yard catch as the Buckeyes had to look elsewhere for offense.

Ohio State football beat writers Bill Rabinowitz and Joey Kaufman react to the Buckeyes' 28-14 win over the Texas Longhorns in the 2025 Cotton Bowl.