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.

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:

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers used to wear scarlet and gray. On Friday night at the Cotton Bowl, he saw a lot of it in his face. Ewers was sacked three times in the first half, one of the reasons the Buckeyes took a 14-7 lead into the locker room.

Will Howard never beat Texas when he played quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats. But he led his his new team to a thrilling 28-14 victory over the Longhorns on Friday in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. His reward is a trip to the national championship game with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Kansas State fans base was relatively quiet the first half of Friday's game between Ohio State and Texas in the Sugar Bowl. And then they were awakened on the first drive of the third quarter. That's when former K-State quarterback Will Howard,