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 Buckeyes took a 7-0 lead early in the game as the Ohio State defense had kept Texas in check. And Howard’s hand was not the only high-profile injury of the first half. Texas’ top receiver Matthew Golden suffered an ankle injury after he got rolled up on in the first half and tried to return before leaving the game.

Ohio State, for a third straight College Football Playoff game, jumped out of the gates on fire against Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night. Quarterback Will Howard led the Buckeyes on an easy touchdown drive on their first possession.