Ohio State Wins Fourth Quarter to Defeat Texas in College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, 28-14

The Buckeyes punched their ticket to the national championship game by defeating Texas, 28-14, in Friday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.

While Ohio State wasn’t able to pull away from the Longhorns early like it did in its first two games of this year’s CFP against Tennessee and Oregon, the Buckeyes pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring the game’s final 14 points with an 83-yard scoop-and-score touchdown by Jack Sawyer effectively securing the victory for the Buckeyes. 

The win earned the Buckeyes a berth in the national championship game, where they will play Notre Dame on Jan. 20.

Ohio State’s defense started the game by forcing a turnover on downs with Cody Simon breaking up a Quinn Ewers pass intended for DeAndre Moore Jr. on 4th-and-3. The Buckeyes took over at the 36-yard line and proceeded to drive 64 yards in 10 plays, culminating with a 9-yard Quinshon Judkins touchdown run, to take a 7-0 lead after one possession for each team.

Quinshon Judkins puts Ohio State on the board pic.twitter.com/SfLT94RHrd

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 11, 2025

Two sacks by JT Tuimoloau led to a punt on Texas’ second possession. Ohio State got back into Texas territory on its subsequent drive, but the drive stalled after TreVeyon Henderson incurred a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for pushing a Texas defender in the face after being tackled on a run, forcing Ohio State to punt.

Both teams punted again on their third, fourth and fifth possessions.

It looked as though would be tied going into halftime when Ewers completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jaydon Blue over coverage from Sonny Styles to even the score, 7-7, with 29 seconds left to play in the second quarter. TreVeyon Henderson delivered a massive momentum swing in the Buckeyes’ favor, however, as he took a screen pass 75 yards to the house on Ohio State’s subsequent offensive play to put OSU back ahead 14-7.

TREVEYON HENDERSON HOUSE CALL pic.twitter.com/gRXJUxh4Cn

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 11, 2025

Texas came up with the game’s first takeaway on the opening drive of the second half as Longhorn linebacker David Gbenda intercepted a Will Howard pass intended for Jeremiah Smith. The Longhorns were unable to capitalize on the turnover as Ohio State allowed just one first down before forcing a punt.

After Ohio State went 3-and-out on its next possession, however, Texas was able to capitalize, driving 67 yards in 12 plays and tying the game as Blue scored his second touchdown of the game on a 26-yard catch-and-run.

After both teams punted on their third possessions of the second half, Ohio State retook the lead on its opening drive of the fourth quarter as it went 88 yards in 13 plays, chewing seven minutes and 45 seconds off the clock before finishing the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Judkins. The touchdown was set up by a crucial fourth-down conversion by Howard, who ran for an 18-yard gain on 4th-and-2 and likely would have gone all the way for a touchdown if he hadn’t tripped on his own.

Texas came close to tying the game back up on its subsequent possession, but Sawyer sealed the win for the Buckeyes by knocking the ball out of Ewers’ hands on 4th-and-goal and returning it all the way to the end zone for an 83-yard touchdown that gave Ohio State a two-score lead with 2:13 to play.

The 83-yard scoop-and-score touchdown that just made Jack Sawyer a Buckeye legend. pic.twitter.com/Fr9xjW6SZK

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 11, 2025

Caleb Downs sealed the victory from there with an interception on Texas’s subsequent possession.

Ohio State is now 13-2 on the season, having won three College Football Playoff games after finishing the season 10-2. The Buckeyes will look to finish their season with a 14th win on Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. when they play Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the final game of the college football season. ESPN will televise the game.

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