“A Drop-Your-Nuts Moment”: Ohio State’s Offense Steps Up with Game on the Line in Fourth Quarter Against Texas

Going into the fourth quarter, Ohio State had scored on only two of its nine possessions in the game. After scoring on its opening drive of the game, Ohio State punted four times in a row. The Buckeyes broke through at the end of the first half with a 75-yard touchdown on a screen pass to TreVeyon Henderson, but then failed to score on all three of their possessions in the third quarter, leaving the game tied 14-14 entering the final period.

Much like against Michigan, Ohio State’s defense had done what it needed to do to keep the Buckeyes in the game, holding Texas to just two touchdowns on its first 10 possessions. But as Ohio State’s offensive line struggled in ways it hadn’t in its first two College Football Playoff games and Texas limited star receiver Jeremiah Smith to only one catch, there was increasing doubt as to whether Ohio State’s offense would be able to put together the drive it needed to beat Texas and advance to the national championship game.

Then, on their opening possession of the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes imposed their will in a way they hadn’t been able to all night as they drove 88 yards in 13 plays, chewing up more than half of the fourth-quarter clock before Quinshon Judkins punched the ball into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Buckeyes a lead they wouldn’t relinquish as they ultimately won the game 28-14.

Jack Sawyer’s 83-yard scoop-and-score will undoubtedly be remembered as the signature play of Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl victory, but that play might have never happened if not for the offensive touchdown drive that preceded it. Had Ohio State not scored a touchdown on its previous possession, Texas could have kicked a field goal on 4th-and-goal to take the lead; instead, it had to go for it just for a chance to tie the game.

A game that could have ended in heartbreak like the loss to Michigan instead culminated with a statement-making fourth quarter, much like in Ohio State’s first marquee win of the season against Penn State, when the Buckeyes ran the final 5:13 off the clock to secure a 20-13 victory. After that drive, Ohio State left tackle Donovan Jackson eloquently said the Buckeyes “had to drop our nuts”; when asked Friday if that statement applied to the fourth-quarter touchdown drive against Texas, Jackson said “it certainly did.”

“We knew the momentum was going to and from, and we felt as an O-line that the run lanes were starting to open up a little bit. And so when that happened, in the huddle, like, (Josh) Fryar and I were yelling, like, ‘We've got to go now.’ Like, ‘This is the drive we've got to execute on,’” Jackson said. “And so being able to run the ball and being able to protect as long as we did and execute down the field, just taking those little chunks because they weren't giving us the long balls there; they did a great job of making sure the lid was on the defense. So we knew that we had to drive down the field because that's what they're going to give us, so we're going to take what they give us. But being able to execute, man, it's a drop-your-nuts moment right there.”

Texas gave Ohio State some help to start the drive as Malik Muhammad committed defensive pass interference on a Will Howard pass intended for Emeka Egbuka, but Howard and the Buckeyes had to make things happen from there. On their next set of downs, Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons beat Ohio State right tackle Josh Fryar to bring pressure on 3rd-and-8, but Howard expertly eluded him to complete an 18-yard pass to Carnell Tate to keep the drive going.

Great throw under pressure by Ohio State QB Will Howard on 3rd-and-8.

WR Carnell Tate reeled in the pass for an 18-yard gain. He's got a game-high 7 grabs for 87 yards tonight. pic.twitter.com/VmUEU7SM27

— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) January 11, 2025

Facing 3rd-and-9 on the next set of downs, Howard and Gee Scott Jr. connected on a 7-yard pass to set up a 4th-and-2 from the 34-yard line. Howard delivered with the drive on the line once again, checking into a quarterback run play at the line of scrimmage before following some strong blocks up front to rush for an 18-yard gain that likely would have been a touchdown if Howard hadn’t tripped on his own.

WHAT A CALL BY @TimTebow

FIRST DAHN OHIO STATE #PMSCFPESPN2 pic.twitter.com/wXbVkq3uYr

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 11, 2025

“The offensive line did a great job opening that hole for me on that last play,” Howard said in the locker room after the game. “I fell on purpose because I wanted to – I'm joking, you can laugh, I'm kidding – but I fucking tripped, and it ended up taking a little clock off.”

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, the end result of the drive would be the same. An 8-yard gain over the middle by Emeka Egbuka was followed by a 6-yard run to the 2-yard line by Judkins. After Howard was stopped just short on his attempt to punch it into the end zone on 1st-and-goal from the 2, Judkins finished off the drive with his second touchdown run of the night.

BUCKEYES TAKE THE LEAD IN THE FOURTH

Quinshon Judkins punches it in for his second touchdown of the game pic.twitter.com/TeORvLn7Kc

— ESPN (@espn) January 11, 2025

Given that Texas had run 13 more offensive plays (54 to 41) through the game’s first three quarters, Ryan Day felt the Buckeyes needed to start the fourth quarter with a long touchdown drive in order to win the game, and that’s exactly what they did, chewing seven minutes and 45 seconds off the clock before giving the ball back to Texas.

“At that moment, I was getting a little concerned that the defense was getting worn out because we (the offense) were not on the field very much,” Day said in his postgame press conference. “We needed a big, long drive, and that's what these guys answered with, and obviously Will was the leader in the huddle.”

Jackson said the biggest thing the Buckeyes have learned about themselves since their loss to Michigan is how resilient they are as a team, and that resilience enabled them to achieve a different result with their backs against the wall in the fourth quarter this time around.

“We knew that if we just keep on chipping, keep on chipping, that eventually something's going to break,” Jackson said.  “We had to remind ourselves who we are. You know, stuff doesn't always go your way. They had a great defensive plan to put us in a bind a couple times. We shot ourselves in the foot with penalties half the time, and so we had to find a way to strain, find a way to overcome the adversity, and just being able to overcome that is a testament to this team's resilience.”