One drive after his fumble, Quinn Ewers threw an interception for Texas with 1:44 remaining, and the Buckeyes ran out the clock from there to clinch a spot in the Jan. 20 national championship, and a matchup with Notre Dame.
Ohio State finished with 370 yards, and Texas 341, but although the Longhorns had grabbed so much control between the third and fourth quarters — and effectively neutralized wideout Jeremiah Smith all game — their two turnovers in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter ruined their opportunity to advance to the College Football Playoff championship.
Facing fourth down, just eight yards from tying the game, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers dropped back to pass but fumbled under the pressure of Jack Sawyer, Ewers’s former roommate at Ohio State in 2021. Sawyer picked up the ball and returned it for a game-changing, 83-yard touchdown and a 28-14 lead with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter.
Did Ohio State just secure its berth in the national championship?
Quarterback Will Howard’s 18-yard run on fourth down kept a key drive alive for Ohio State that ends with a 1-yard touchdown run by Quinshon Judkins. That drive lasted 13 plays and 88 yards and 7 minutes, 45 seconds. In this fourth quarter, only 7:02 remains.
Ohio State closed the first half with a big boost of momentum but ever since, Texas has seized much of the confidence. Ohio State has 282 yards to 267 for Texas, with each team over 200 yards passing. The biggest area of improvement for the Longhorns in that quarter was on third down; on their scoring drive to tie the game, they went 4-for-4 on third down.
Buckle up for the final quarter.
Ohio State’s quarterback was lucky not to commit his second turnover of the second half after a sack by Texas. This drive would ultimately end in a punt by Ohio State with a minute left in the third quarter.
What a play call for Texas, which counters Ohio State’s blitz on the left side of the offensive line by sending Jaydon Blue right past the blitzer into space, wide open. Blue turned the catch into a 26-yard touchdown to tie this game at 14-14 with 3:12 left in the third quarter.
Despite possessing an offense with perhaps the most pure talent in the country, Ohio State ranked only 50th out of 134 teams nationally in third-down conversion percentage this season. The Buckeyes were forced to punt after being stuffed when their toss play on third and short was swallowed up by the Texas defense. The Longhorns ranked ninth-best nationally in stopping opponents short on third down.
For one, star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau is back in the game, albeit with a heavy wrap on the ankle he injured in the first half. Then, it negated Texas in its chance to tie the game following the Ohio State turnover on its last drive. The Longhorns gained one first down before punting with 10:36 left in the third quarter.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard was intercepted to open the second half, and instead of a big opportunity to take a two-score lead and control, the Buckeyes have now given the Longhorns a chance to tie.
After seven points were scored in the first 29 minutes, 14 more were added in the first half’s final 29 seconds. Ohio State has hurt itself with drive-stalling penalties, while Texas is looking for more help running the ball. Can either team get its best receiver involved? Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has one catch for three yards while facing often double coverage. Matthew Golden of Texas (1 catch, 24 yards) is dealing with an ankle injury.
The tale of the tape:
Total yards: Ohio State 236, Texas 177
Penalties: Ohio State 5-50, Texas 2-19
Third-down efficiency: Ohio State 2-6, Texas 1-7
Ohio State QB Will Howard: 14-19, 200 yards, 1 TD
Texas QB Quinn Ewers: 10-20, 133 yards, 1 TD
It took just one play from scrimmage for Ohio State to take the lead again and deflate Texas before halftime. Will Howard’s pass to TreVeyon Henderson goes 75 yards for a touchdown, and now Ohio State is back ahead, 14-7, with only 13 seconds before halftime. It’s an enormous play also because the Buckeyes will receive the ball to open the second half, giving them an opportunity to go up two touchdowns.
The Longhorns tie the score at 7-7 after quarterback Quinn Ewers throws an 18-yard touchdown to Jaydon Blue with only 29 seconds left until halftime. It was the big play the Longhorns had not been able to produce all half, and it wouldn’t have happened without a gutsy fourth-down conversion — on a run by fan-favorite Arch Manning — near midfield three plays earlier.
A golden opportunity to keep its drive alive went right through the fingers of Texas receiver Isaiah Bond on third-and-5, leading to a punt for the Longhorns with 3 minutes to play before halftime. But the mistake was mitigated when Ohio State also went nowhere on its ensuing drive after a sack of Will Howard on third down. Two minutes before halftime, this is still anyone’s game.
If so, it can gain momentum as halftime approaches, because Ohio State’s offense has stalled. Ohio State went 3-and-out on its latest possession, giving Texas the ball back with 5:18 before halftime. Texas still has just six rushing yards all game, unchanged since the first quarter, and is 1-for-5 on third down. Fix those and it will be back in the game.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian vehemently argued for a pass-interference penalty on his team’s latest drive, but no flag came, and instead the Longhorns missed a pass play on third down and punted for the third time tonight.
Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau walked off the field after appearing to hurt an ankle and is being looked at now. His impact has already been felt with 1.5 sacks, and losing the player better known as “JTT” would be a significant blow for Ohio State’s defense, if indeed he is hampered.
Since scoring on their opening drive the Buckeyes have yet to score again and still lead, 7-0. Their latest possession lasted five plays and 14 yards. Ten minutes remain before halftime. Star Ohio State freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith has been limited to just one catch for three yards. Reminder: He had 161 yards before halftime last week in a quarterfinal win against Oregon.
The Longhorns are 0-for-3 on drives and still scoreless after their first possession of the second quarter goes nowhere. Worse yet, star Texas receiver Matthew Bolden is going to the locker room after injuring an ankle.
Ohio State produced 122 yards of offense to 77 by Texas in the opening quarter. The Longhorns have a glaring problem on the ground thus far, with six rushing yards on six carries. Texas needs to establish success there to help the passing of Quinn Ewers.
Ewers is 4-for-7 passing for 65 yards. Ohio State’s Will Howard is 8-for-10 passing so far for 79 yards.
When Ohio State can get to the quarterback, their defense is as tough as any in the country. (Case in point: Its eight sacks in the playoff quarterfinal last week.) Star defensive end JT Tuimoloau sacked Quinn Ewers twice to force a punt on the Longhorns’ second drive.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported during the first quarter that Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers plans to enter the NFL draft once this season ends. A three-year starter at UT, Ewers reportedly was offered $6 million to transfer to another school and play in 2025, but he appears bound for the pros. If Ewers goes to the NFL, that would open the door for Arch Manning — the highly celebrated recruit who is the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning — to start next season at Texas.
Quinshon Judkins runs in from nine yards for the game’s first points. It’s 7-0, Ohio State, with 7:24 to play in the first quarter. Judkins had a nifty move to juke to his right and found a hole to the end zone.
The Longhorns converted one third down on their opening drive thanks to a one-handed highlight catch from wideout Matthew Golden, but couldn’t go much further before punting. Ohio State and its explosive offense gets the ball next.
Ohio State won the opening coin-toss and deferred possession until the second half. That suits their specialty: The Buckeyes have been excellent this season at scoring going into and out of halftime.
We’re moments away from kickoff for Texas vs. Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas.
If you believe Ohio State, it’s secret to success in the playoff has been to buck the major trend of college football’s past decade — and go slow.
Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly revolutionized offense 17 years ago when he installed a fast-paced offense at Oregon that cut down on time between snaps. It fatigued defenses and scored quickly. But since stepping down as UCLA’s coach last year to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State under his longtime friend, Ryan Day, Kelly put in a scheme that has done the once-unthinkable. It huddles.
Now, Ohio State has run the fewest offensive snaps this season among the playoff’s final four, and that has kept the Buckeyes healthier and potent, Day said.
“We felt like by cutting down the number of snaps it would certainly help with the length of our season and the health of our team,” Day told reporters Friday morning. “But also getting in a huddle and having Will Howard look 10 guys in the eye and break a huddle together, kind of grew as a team as the season went on. And there was a little bit of a part of that that we felt like gave us a little bit of an edge.
“We broke the huddle together. And I know it sounds crazy, the huddle, it’s almost like going back in time. But it’s sort of a new thing, really, because of the no huddle offenses that have been around; and certainly we have been a part of that.”
A contributing factor in Ohio State’s stunning loss to Michigan in late November was its lack of involving one of its best players in the offense. The Buckeyes targeted freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith with only two passes in the second half of the rivalry loss.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly hasn’t made the same mistake ever since. Smith caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s first-round playoff win against Tennessee, then had seven receptions for 187 yards and two more touchdowns against top-seeded Oregon in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl.
“That kid can ball,” Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron said. “He can ball. He’s a big baller. Strong, strong ability. He’s a deep threat. And they love to get him the ball, and they love to create opportunities to get him the ball.”
Before his transfer to Ohio State one year ago, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard faced Texas often in the Big 12 Conference while playing at Kansas State. Howard was 0-3 as a starter, and 0-4 overall … not that he’s counting.
“That was the only team I didn’t beat when I was in the Big 12,” Howard said Sunday. “So, yeah, there’s definitely, personally for me, a little extra motivation there, because I never got the chance to beat these guys. Played them four years. They’re always a good team, but I don’t think — none of those games were unwinnable. Last year we lost in overtime, so definitely excited to get another chance at these guys.”
Bettors believe in Ohio State. And that means Texas will enter Friday’s game as an underdog for the first time since Sept. 9, 2023, when the Longhorns played at Alabama.
“I feel like any time any football team is counted out going into a game, it definitely puts a chip on their shoulder to want to go out there and prove people wrong,” offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. said.
These teams are playing in a playoff semifinal because of their prowess on the defensive side of the ball. Ohio State has 12 sacks in its last two games, including eight in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal victory against top-seeded Oregon. In fact, Ohio State led 34-0 by the time the Ducks ran their first offensive play on Ohio State’s side of the 50-yard line.
The Longhorns, meanwhile, have held 10 of their 15 opponents to 17 points or fewer.
The numbers tell the story of where these two defenses rank among the 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Total defense: Ohio State, 1st; Texas, 3rd
Scoring defense: Ohio State, 1st; Texas 4th
Passing yards allowed: Ohio State, 1st; Texas, 3rd
Red zone defense: Ohio State, 2nd; Texas 3rd
These are two of the country’s most historic and successful college football programs yet have met just three times, with all three games coming between 2005-2009. Texas is 2-1 against Ohio State.
You won’t have to wait long for a rematch — Ohio State and Texas will meet in the 2025 regular-season opener on Aug. 30 in Columbus.
