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ARLINGTON, Texas—In a game many thought would showcase plenty of offensive fireworks, an electric defensive play decided the outcome of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff Semifinal on Jan. 10 between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns. On fourth-and-goal from the Ohio State 8-yard line, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers rolled to his left only to be run down by OSU defensive end Jack Sawyer who forced a fumble, recovered it and then rumbled 83 yards down the field for a touchdown with 2:13 left in the game to seal a 28-14 win for the Buckeyes, as Ohio State advanced to the CFP National Championship game.
After Ohio State (13-2) broke a 14-14 tie with 7:20 left in the fourth quarter on a Quinshon Judkins 1-yard touchdown run to take a 21-14 lead, Texas (13-3) answered by marching down the field thanks in large part to a 27-yard catch by Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden to get into Ohio State territory with 5:57 left in the game. The Longhorns eventually found themselves with a first-and-goal situation from the Ohio State 1-yard line due to back-to-back pass interference calls with just over four minutes left to play. But an outside run that resulted in a 7-yard loss forced the Longhorns to look to the pass to try to draw even. On third down Ewers couldn’t complete a pass to Ryan Wingo, setting up a fourth-and-goal with 2:29 remaining and the game hanging in the balance.
On the climactic play, Ewers escaped the pocket, but his former Ohio State roommate, Sawyer, caught him from behind, knocked the ball out, corralled it and then sprinted down the sideline with a convoy of blockers to score the game-sealing score.
"It came down to the fourth quarter. And I believe that the resilience that we've had to show throughout the entire season and through some of these guys' careers has led us to this opportunity to win this game and go play for a national championship," Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said after the game.
Slow Start
Although Ohio State scored on its first possession of the game on Judkins’ 9-yard run to take a 7-0 lead, the two teams struggled mightily through much of the second quarter. After the first score of the game, the Buckeyes and Longhorns combined to punt on the next eight possessions.
The Longhorns finally got on the scoreboard late in the first half using the momentum of a first-down run by backup quarterback Arch Manning on fourth-and-1 from the 50-yard line with 1:01 remaining before intermission. Ewers (23-of-39, 283 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) then hit WR Silas Bolden for a 24-yard gain to set up the Longhorns at the Ohio State 18-yard line with 39 seconds left. Texas tied the game at 7 when Ewers found running back Jaydon Blue (5 catches, 59 yards, 2 TDs) for an 18-yard pass for the score with 29 seconds left.
It didn’t take long for the Buckeyes to strike back. On Ohio State’s ensuing drive, quarterback Will Howard (24-of-33, 289 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) threw a screen pass out to running back TrayVeyon Henderson who had four blockers in front of him to clear the way and he sprinted 75 yards to give the Buckeyes the lead once again 14-7 with 16 seconds left in the half.
Longhorns Steal Momentum
Ohio State received the kickoff to open the second half, but after just four plays, Texas linebacker David Gbenda picked off a pass from Howard. Although the Longhorns were forced to punt after the interception, the defense stepped up and stuffed Judkins on third-and-1 for no gain to force the Buckeyes to punt with 9:30 left in the third. Ewers then led Texas on a 12-play, 67-yard scoring drive—capped by Blue’s second receiving TD of the game—tying the socre at 14 with 3:19 left in the third.
After trading punts to end the third quarter and start the final period, Ohio State put together a substantial drive. Thanks to two crucial third-down passing conversions by Howard and an 18-yard scramble on fourth-and-2 from the Texas 34-yard line, Ohio State retook the lead for good on a 1-yard touchdown run by Judkins with 7:20 left in the game.
“Two really good teams. Ton of credit to Ohio State,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game. “They’re a very good football team, well-coached, hard-fought game. I’m really proud of our players for the resiliency they showed tonight to fight back to get into the game, to have an opportunity first to go on the one, and weren’t able to put it in.”
Both teams had more than 300 yards of total offense on the night but neither team rushed for more than 100 yards in the game. Running backs Quintrevion Wisner and Blue led the Longhorns in receiving, combining for 11 receptions for 101 yards. WR Carnell Tate led the Buckeyes in receiving with 7 receptions for 87 yards, while standout freshman Jeremiah Smith was held to just 1 catch for 3 yards.
What’s Next?
The No. 8-seeded Buckeyes will now face the No. 7-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-1) for the CFP National Championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta. This is Ohio State’s first trip to the championship game since falling to Alabama in 2021. Notre Dame will play in its first championship game since 2013—also a loss, to Alabama.
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