"Before every game, I listen to two voicemails": Will Howard warms hearts with a unique gesture as Ohio State takes on Texas 

Will Howard's performances are fueled by the best wishes of his late grandmother. The Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback revealed a unique pre-game routine ahead of the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Texas Longhorns.

The signal-caller shared that he listens to two voicemails his late grandmother sent him, to prepare himself for his games.

Here's what Howard told ESPN's Jen Lada:

"Before every game, I listen to two voicemails that my late grandmother sent me."

ESPN's College GameDay published the unique routine as part of their coverage of today's Cotton Bowl between the Buckeyes and Longhorns. A short video published on the program's X/Twitter account revealed the messages Howard's grandmother said, comforting and supporting him.

According to Howard, he has been doing this every game for three years now and considers it as a key part of his successes.

Matthew Golden heads to locker room as Ohio State leads Texas 14-7 after first half

Midway through the first quarter of the Cotton Bowl, Texas's wide receiver Matthew Golden left for the locker room after seemingly suffering a foot injury. He was initially seen entering the medical tent on the sidelines to assess the injury, before leaving for the locker room under the gaze of the cameras.

In between, he re-entered the field during another drive. He was seen in some discomfort and could be seen limping off the field once again. On the next offensive side, he committed a facemask penalty while blocking before going into the locker room. Eventually, he returned to the sidelines and could be seen testing his foot but without a helmet on. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Golden has returned to the sidelines but won't feature in the game again.

Entering the second half, the Ohio State Buckeyes lead the Texas Longhorns 14-7. Ohio State entered the field determined to score, with Quinshon Judkins scoring a rushing touchdown in their opening offensive drive. Near the end of the second half, Quinn Ewers scored a touchdown but the status quo was quickly reinstated as in the next offensive drive Howard's first pass was a 75-yard touchdown pass to TreVeyon Henderson.