Whatever Ryan Day said to his team after losing to Michigan, it clearly worked.
After calls to fire their head coach after Thanksgiving due to their fourth straight loss to the Wolverines — and this one by far the worst — the Buckeyes are heading to the national championship after going 28-14 on Friday night. Classic cotton bowl victory on Texel.
After Ohio State took a 21-14 lead with 7:02 remaining (on a drive that included a huge 4th down conversion), Texas quickly came down the field in response, thanks in large part to a 34-yard catch by Gunnar Helm. After back-to-back defensive pass interference in the end zone, the Longhorns got another set of downs at the goal line. It was only a matter of time before the game was tied, but then a nightmare occurred for Texas.
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Jack Sawyer (33) of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after a play during the first quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. (Jerome Miron-Imagn images)
After being stuffed on first down, Quintrevion Wisner lost seven yards on a second-down throw, putting Texas in trouble. The third down pass fell incomplete, and on fourth down Ewers lost a fumble that was forced and picked up by Jack Sawyer, who took it 82 yards the other way for a touchdown.
In what seemed like another overtime game for the Longhorns, their season flashed before their eyes with the snap of a finger. Hoping for a miracle, Ewers threw a pick on their next ride, and just like that, it was all over.
The Buckeyes got on the board first, scoring a touchdown right after stopping Texas on fourth down. The Longhorns’ offense stalled throughout the first half, but they tied the game with 29 seconds left in the half, ready to head into the locker room with the game tied at seven.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) scores a touchdown on a 75-yard touchdown catch and run against the Texas Longhorns in the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January 10, 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
However, Ohio State was not. Immediately after a touchback, Will Howard threw a pass to TreVeyon Henderson, who got a pair of blocks in front and ran 75 yards to the house, giving the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead into the locker room. It’s kind of easy to point out the two plays that cost Texas their season, hindsight is 20/20.
Both teams traded points for most of the third quarter, but with just over three minutes remaining, Ewers found Jaydon Blue for their second touchdown connection of the evening, tying the game. But then came the Buckeyes score to make it 21-14.
Before the game, it was revealed that the Ewers said he expected to play in the NFL next season, so it will be interesting to see if his plans change.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) celebrates the sack of Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) in the first quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on 10 January 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Now the eighth-seeded Buckeyes will be against No. 7 Notre Dame on January 20 – score one for the expanded playoff.
Like Ohio State, the Fighting Irish suffered an embarrassing loss of their own this season, dropping a game at home to Northern Illinois in September. But since then, thirteen victories in a row have been achieved.
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