The Ohio State football team had a fast start in the Cotton Bowl, scoring a touchdown on their first drive. Quinshon Judkins had a touchdown run to put them up 7-0. Ohio State then proceeded to beat themselves with penalties, so they couldn't extend the first-half lead.
Will Howard played great in the first half, putting throws in some tight windows. Most of Howard's incompletions in the half were drops from Ohio State's receivers, which were uncharacteristic. He was carving up Texas' zone and did so despite suffering an injury.
Howard didn't let the injury affect him. It was on his non-throwing hand. He suffered it on a run play when a Texas player put his facemask right into his left hand. While Howard didn't receive treatment for it, it certainly looked like a nasty injury.
Ohio State football player Will Howard's left-hand injury goes viral
Even though it didn't affect his play, Howard had a nasty-looking knot on his left hand. Take a look at the injury below.
Will Howard's hand 😬 pic.twitter.com/cxiUZLmJtV
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 11, 2025
That doesn't look natural. Quite frankly, it looks like it would hurt under normal circumstances. Adrenaline probably helped him not feel the pain as much. Holly Rowe reported on the ESPN broadcast that he didn't seek treatment for it, so it's more aesthetically bad than anything.
The Buckeyes don't have much depth behind Howard at the quarterback spot. Devin Brown is still with the team despite entering the transfer portal, but he hasn't played many meaningful snaps. Howard was not going to be taken out of the game, though.