Jack Sawyer's scoop-and-score was one of the greatest moments in Ohio State history. It was also a moment Ryan Day knew the Buckeyes would win the national championship.
In an appearance on Urban Meyer's "Triple Option" podcast with Rob Stone and Mark Ingram, Day described two moments in which he believed Ohio State would complete its historic run to a title in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff: Sawyer's scoop-and-score, and Notre Dame's final drive in the championship game.
"In the Texas game on that fourth down when Jack had that sack and the ball bounced right up to him, that ball hadn't bounced that way in previous games in those moments for us," Day said. "When it bounced up into him, and he started running – it wasn't then – it was when I looked back to make sure there were no flags on the ground. I said, 'You know what? I think we're gonna win the national championship.' That ball hadn't bounced for us. There was the Georgia game (in 2022) and the Clemson game (in 2019)."
Ohio State fans remember both of those games well. The Buckeyes had chances to win them both, but Noah Ruggles missed a 50-yard field goal as time expired against the Bulldogs, and Justin Fields threw an interception late in the fourth quarter against the Tigers.
However, Sawyer's scoop-and-score against the Longhorns allowed Ohio State to leave no doubt. Ten days later, the Buckeyes did the same against the Irish.
"In the national championship, there was a moment where we were up 31-7. I was doing the math on this, like, 'We got this game. We just have to eat up clock. We have to run the ball. There's no way they can win the game,'" Day said. "Well, we call a reverse to Emeka (Egbuka in the fourth quarter), and I mean, Emeka is one of my favorite players of all-time, and I said, 'No matter what, you come back with that ball and hand the ball to the official.' Somehow, the ball got punched out, and I said to myself, 'Oh, my gosh. Now this thing is in the balance.' Now, it's panic mode.
"But we call the shot to Jeremiah (Smith), and he catches it. But it wasn't then. It wasn't even after we kicked the field goal. It was when (Notre Dame) ran that first-down play and the clock kept running, and I finally took the headset and said, 'Get off of me!' and threw it away."
What a moment for Ryan Day and his team. pic.twitter.com/sJ1CGUo0lV
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) January 21, 2025
Day (2024) and Meyer (2014) are two of five Ohio State head coaches to win national championships with the Buckeyes, along with Paul Brown (1942), Woody Hayes (1954, 1957, 1961, 1968 and 1970) and Jim Tressel (2002). Through six seasons as the program's leader, Day has a 70-10 record and an FBS-best .875 winning percentage.
