Five Things: Big Plays Boost Buckeyes Past Texas, Secure Spot in CFP Title Game Versus Notre Dame

By Chris Lauderback on January 11, 2025 at 10:10 am
Ryan Day and Jack Sawyer
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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In just nine sleeps, Ohio State will play for a national championship.

That sentence became reality after the Buckeyes levied a 14-0 fourth quarter knockout punch featuring a gritty 88-yard touchdown drive from the offense and an 83-yard scoop-and-score from Jack Sawyer to cap a goal line stand from the defense propelling Ohio State past Texas in an instant classic CFP semifinal contest in the Cotton Bowl. 

The win was Ohio State's fourth this season over an AP Top-5 squad - only four teams have ever done that. Through three CFP games, the Buckeyes have outscored Tennessee, Oregon and Texas by a 111-52 margin, more than doubling up their opponents. And they've done all this under the guidance of Ryan Day, who is now one victory away from legendary status in Columbus just 42 days after suffering an upset loss to Michigan that rocked the the program and the fanbase to the very core.

I surely had my concerns and can't salute Day, his staff and his players enough, particularly leaders like Will Howard, Jack Sawyer, Cody Simon, Emeka Egbuka, Donovan Jackson, TreVeyon Henderson and a few others, for blocking out the noise, getting up off the mat, and coming out swinging in the CFP thus far. 

Howard didn't have his best game as he was consistently pressured on the way to a 24-of-33 night for 289 yards with one touchdown and one pick but he made plays when it mattered most. He completed 7-of-10 tosses for 56 yards and picked up a gigantic 4th-and-2 with an 18-yard keeper before a Quinshon Judkins touchdown run capped what turned out to be a game-winning 88-yard fourth quarter drive. 

Salute to Carnell Tate who recorded a career-high seven catches on nine targets, good for 87 yards to help Ohio State's passing game as Jeremiah Smith was effectively taken out of the game by the Longhorns (1 catch, 3 yards, 3 targets) and No. 2 receiver Emeka Egbuka wasn't exactly running free either with five for 51. 

Penalties were a huge problem - OSU racked up nine for 75 yards - particularly on offense where a personal foul, a couple holds and a false start almost singlehandedly killed three first half possessions. 

Again though, Day's team showed tremendously resiliency to overcome their own mistakes but also a damn good Texas team that was not going down without a fight. 

With clutch plays and straight up physical and mental toughness catapulting Ohio State to the winner's circle, the Buckeyes now have a little over a week to prepare for Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame squad in a contest for all the marbles. 

The storylines for that one are beyond plentiful but before we turn full attention to what will be a shot at Ohio State's 9th national championship, here are Five Things from last night's indelible 28-14 win over the Longhorns. 

THE DRIVE

Locked in a 14-14 tie with the Longhorns and taking possession with 14:47 left in regulation after the Silver Bullets forced a 3-and-out, Ohio State's offense needed to do something. The group had done nothing but sputter in the second half to that point, recording a 4-play drive for 27 yards before a Will Howard pick, a 3-and-out gaining nine yards, and a 4-play drive netting -5 yards. 

Backed up to the OSU 12 yard line, Chip Kelly and Day came out aggressive taking a deep shot on first down resulting in a 15-yard defensive pass interference call. Two plays later, Howard found Carnell Tate for 18 yards to move the chains on 3rd-and-8. After another deep throw went for naught, Howard hit Judkins for six yards to set up a 3rd-and-4 that became 3rd-and-9 following a Josh Fryar false start. The next snap saw Gee Scott Jr. grab a Howard pass and fight his ass off for seven yards to set up 4th-and-2 from the Longhorns 32 with 9:50 left in regulation. 

After a timeout, Day opted against a long field goal attempt from Jayden Fielding and dialed up a Howard keeper up the gut for 18 yards. If not for a turf monster, Howard might still be running. Alas, the big gainer kept the drive alive giving OSU a first down at the Texas 16.

A nifty Egbuka end around for eight yards set up a Judkins 6-yard run giving OSU 1st-and-Goal at the Texas 2. Two plays later Judkins plunged one yard for the touchdown giving Ohio State a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left in the game. 

After doing nothing offensively across the three prior second half possessions, the offense churned out a massive 13-play, 88-yard scoring drive, chewing up 7:45 of clock giving the defense a ton of rest. It proved out the Silver Bullets would indeed need that breather on the way to its own game-clinching series. 

Scoring came easy against Tennessee and Oregon but that certainly wasn't the case against a legit Texas defense so tip your cap to Day, Kelly, Howard and company for responding in that moment with a gritty, clutch drive to shift all the pressure back to Texas. 

QUINSHON BRINGS THE PAIN

Judkins didn't have the most electrifying stat line against a stout Longhorns defense but his two touchdown runs were gigantic as part of a 12-touch, 58-yard night. 

Beyond the numbers, Judkins set a tone with his physicality and intensity all night long. Hell, his modest 5-yard run on Ohio State's first offensive play let Texas know what kind of night it was going to be. Nine plays later, he capped that possession with a 9-yard touchdown run up the middle which was huge for not only getting the Buckeyes out to an early 7-0 lead but it immediately erased the pain of Tate dropping an easy would-be touchdown toss from Howard the play prior. Instead of momentum potentially shifting if Texas could force a field goal after Tate's drop, Judkins forcefully reached the end zone. 

On Ohio State's next offensive series, it wouldn't put up any points due a TreVeyon Henderson personal foul derailing the drive but on the play preceding Henderson's flag, Judkins levied a monster block to help spring Henderson for a 22-yard run. The venerable Andy Backstrom captured it for you to enjoy again and again: 

His other obvious highlight came as he capped the crucial touchdown drive summarized above with a 1-yard plunge. 

Shout out to Judkins, who now has four touchdowns across three CFP games, for always bringing the wood and energy within Ohio State's attack and certainly last night as his determination was infectious all night long. 

HENDERSON'S REDEMPTION

Ohio State's offense was moving the ball early, marching 64 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown on its opening possession and racking up 55 yards on the first six plays of its following drive (16 plays, 119 yards, 7.4 per play) before TreVeyon was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after he slapped a Texas player in the facemask following a 1-yard run. Instead of 2nd-and-9 from the Texas 37, the Buckeyes faced 2nd-and-24 from their own 48 which essentially killed the drive as OSU punted three plays later. 

Not only that, the infraction stifled Ohio State's offensive momentum as the next 13 snaps saw the Buckeyes go for just 42 yards, or 3.2 yards per play on the way to four straight punts. 

Likely feeling the burn from how his lack of discipline hurt his team, Henderson trotted out with his offensive mates as the Buckeyes looked to see if they could do anything with the 29 seconds left in the first half after the OSU defense allowed a Texas touchdown tying the game at 7-7. 

Starting from the OSU 25, Howard took a deep drop to lure some defensive linemen his way and floated a screen pass to Henderson at the OSU 19. Henderson galloped upfield, letting three blockers take shape, cut right and then up the right sideline where he outraced Texas defenders on the way to an improbable 75-yard touchdown strike with 13 ticks left in the half and OSU back in front 14-7. 

With Henderson's blend of speed and vision, plays like this aren't surprising, just ask Oregon, but what a huge play as it allowed Ohio State to regain not just the lead but also momentum that slipped away following his earlier gaffe. 

On the night, Henderson tallied 117 yards on seven touches and like so many others from the class of 2021, now has a chance to cement his own legacy on January 20 versus the Fighting Irish. 

UNBREAKABLE

What do you even say about Jim Knowles' defense at this point other than if you don't rep them with one of these tees, I frankly question your fandom. 

With Ohio State nursing a 21-14 lead late in the fourth quarter, the Silver Bullets turned in yet another goal line stand that not only stopped Texas from tying the score but resulted in Jack Sawyer forcing a fumble via a strip sack and rumbling 83 yards for a touchdown giving Ohio State a 28-14 lead with 2:13 left in regulation. 

The goal line stand saw Texas set up with 1st-and-Goal at the OSU 1 yet unable to cash in.

The Longhorns went with a jumbo package on first down but Ohio State's defensive front stoned the Texas offensive line led by JT Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams resulting in no gain for Jerrick Gibson. Texas tried to run away from the OSU defense on second down via a sweep left to Quintrevion Wisner but Caleb Downs sniffed out the play and shot through the right edge the disrupt the running lane, allowing Lathan Ransom and Davison Igbinosun to lay the wood for a huge 7-yard loss. 

Now looking at 3rd-and-Goal from the 8, Ewers went shotgun and attempted a throw over the middle but Sawyer, set up inside, read the play beautifully, knifing through the crease between right guard and right tackle to get a hand on the pass for an incompletion. Fourth-and-Goal from the 8 went even worse for UT as Sawyer turnstile'd Cameron Williams, caught up to a rolling left Ewers and strip-sacked him before the loose ball bounced right into his arms leading to an 83-yard touchdown to seal the deal. 

The game squarely in hand, Caleb Downs added one more turnover on the ensuing possession, intercepting an Ewers pass, allowing OSU to run out the clock on the Longhorns' season. 

Sifting through the wreckage, Ohio State held Texas to a season-low 14 points, harassed Ewers into his third-worst completion rate of the season (59%) and sacked him four times. Texas converted just 5-of-15 third downs and finished with 58 rushing yards. 

Sonny Styles paced the unit with nine stops including three for loss and Cody Simon added seven tackles, giving him 104 for the season. Tuimoloau battled through an ankle injury to post seven tackles, 2.5 sacks and 1.5 TFL in a gritty performance. 

Across three CFP games, Ohio State's defense has 28 TFL and 16 sacks. It now stands one win away from immortality. 

JACK F. SAWYER

The elite success enjoyed by Ohio State's defense is the result of all 11 guys working in concert but it's impossible not to single out Jack Sawyer for not just what he did last night but what he's done in the CFP so far, what he's meant to the building of this current roster and ensuring the team circled the wagons and came out stronger following the loss to Michigan. 

Through three CFP games the dude has (take a breath first if you're reading this out loud for some odd reason) 10 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks, seven PBU, two QBH, a forced fumble and a touchdown. 

Obviously Sawyer was the hero last night as he blew up Texas' last two snaps during the fateful goal line stand resulting in Jack strip-sacking Quinn Ewers on 4th down before scooping up the loose ball and trudging 83 yards for the longest such play in Cotton Bowl history, giving Ohio State a 28-14 lead and a spot in the national title game. 

Sawyer was so deserving of such a moment after some of his very best performances have come in losing efforts such as in last year's Cotton Bowl matchup with Missouri and this year's loss to Michigan, to name a few. 

If Ohio State can knock off Notre Dame and hoist the CFP title trophy, last night's big time performance will ensure Sawyer goes down in OSU lore and man has he earned it. 

The dude bleeds scarlet and gray to his core, serving as the heartbeat of a defense that has the chops to ensure his class achieves the ultimate goal after so many shortfalls against Michigan, in the B1G race and in the CFP. 

With that, let's wrap it up with this. Next stop, Atlanta. 

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