ARLINGTON, Texas — Jack Sawyer remembers wearing an Ohio State jersey, playing catch with his dad in the backyard of their Ohio home that sits not too far from campus. He dreamed of playing for the Buckeyes one day, making plays to help them win a championship.
That dream became a reality on Friday as Sawyer etched his name into Buckeyes lore, returning a fumble 83 yards for a scoop-and-score touchdown, ending a potential game-tying drive by Texas and putting Ohio State one step away from a title with a 28-14 victory in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
“I hit about the 30-(yard line) and I look back like, ‘I hope I have some blockers.’ I’m running out of steam here,” Sawyer said. “But they were running with me side by side. That just speaks volumes of who this team is — we always have each other’s back. It was a special moment.
“I love Columbus, I love the state of Ohio, I love Ohio State football.”
No. 8 seed Ohio State (13-2) will face No. 7 seed Notre Dame (14-1) in the CFP national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta. Ohio State, a 9 1/2-point favorite, will be looking to win its first championship since 2014.
As proud as he was with his team’s performance in the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State coach Ryan Day made it clear: “It’s not finished. We’re not done yet.”
Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins rushed for two touchdowns and Will Howard threw for one, but Sawyer emerged as the star of the night.
Texas, trailing 21-14 with just over four minutes left in the game, had a first-and-goal from the 1. The Longhorns (13-3) went backward over the first three plays, losing 7 yards on a sweep to Quintrevion Wisner on second down, and faced a fourth-and-goal from the 8.
Sawyer capped the defensive stand by coming off the edge and ripping the ball loose from quarterback Quinn Ewers. He picked it up at the Ohio State 17 and then raced down the sideline for the game-sealing touchdown.
“I felt him. I started drifting away,” Ewers said. “I thought I was going to get the ball out before he got there.
“Obviously, it’s not like I tried to give them the game. But I saw Jack running with the ball down the sideline and, you know, it sucks. But he’s a great player, great individual, great person.”
Ewers finished 23 of 39 for 283 yards with two TDs and one interception for the fifth-seeded Longhorns. Both touchdown passes went to Jaydon Blue on wheel routes, one in each half. Their second connection, a 26-yard play late in the third quarter, tied the game at 14-14. But the Longhorns never scored again.
The Buckeyes took a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left in the game on a 1-yard run by Judkins. That 13-play, 88-yard drive was kept alive when Howard delivered an 18-yard run on a fourth-and-2 from the Texas 34.
“It was a great play and a statement drive,” Howard said. “We needed that. We’d been beating ourselves all day with penalties and just getting behind the sticks, and that was a statement drive.”
On the ensuing possession, the Longhorns moved into position to tie before Sawyer came through.
In the first half, Ohio State scored on its opening drive but then the teams combined for eight consecutive punts. Texas showed life when Ewers and Blue connected for an 18-yard score with 29 seconds left in the half.
Ohio State answered seconds later when TreVeyon Henderson took a screen pass from Howard 75 yards for a score just before halftime.
Howard finished 24 of 33 for 289 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Carnell Tate caught seven of Howard’s passes for 87 yards.
The Henderson and Sawyer touchdowns were the two plays that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian pointed to as the difference-makers.
“Hell of a football game. Two really good teams battling,” Sarkisian said. “They made two big plays, you know? … As I told (my team), today’s game is the life of a competitor. You put yourself in this arena. You compete your tail off. We have nothing to hang our heads about.”
–Drew Davison, Field Level Media
