How Ohio State defeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl to set up a CFP final game with Notre Dame.

Jack Sawyer was out of breath and needed water. The Ohio State defensive end returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown to seal the Cotton Bowl semifinal versus Texas, nearly passing out in the process. Then he took another drive. As the final seconds ticked away on the sideline, he had barely enough stamina to hold up his head coach, Ryan Day, who had leaped into his arms.

Forty-one days ago, it appeared that the two men would be characterized by another loss to Michigan. Today is the day we lose the game again. Sawyer for his outburst of emotion and frustration, removing a Michigan flag from a Wolverines player and reigniting a postgame altercation that began with a flag-planting at midfield. Sawyer, from neighboring Pickerington, Ohio, was Day’s first major recruit after becoming head coach in 2019. Both now advance to the national championship game, but their narrative is far from over.

“There are some players on this team today who will become legends in Ohio State history,” Day stated after the game.

Through two College Football Playoff rounds, Ohio State appeared to be invincible. However, in order to reach the national championship game, the Buckeyes had to struggle, scratch, and claw their way through enemy territory in Texas.

Ohio State defeated Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl semifinal, celebrating once more at the stadium where the program won its last national championship in 2015, and will go to Atlanta on January 20 in search of another title. There, the Buckeyes will face Notre Dame, which defeated Penn State in the Orange Bowl semifinal on Thursday night. The two historic programs last fought on September 23, 2023, with Ohio State winning 17-14 thanks to a 1-yard touchdown run with one second left with the Fighting Irish missing a defensive player.

Quinshon Judkins’ one-yard touchdown run with 7:02 left proved to be the game-winner on Friday night, just a few plays after quarterback Will Howard surged through the line for 18 yards to convert a fourth down and keep the drive going. Texas’ next drive was one yard away from tying the game just outside of the two-minute timeout, but Sawyer sacked Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on fourth-and-goal, batted the ball loose, and went untouched the opposite way past an erupting Ohio State bench, putting the game away.

The conclusion extended the Buckeyes’ incredible run in the CFP, which appears to have been fueled by their startling 13-10 loss to Michigan in the regular season finale on Nov. 30. That setback, Ohio State’s fourth in a row to its archrival, this time as a 19.5-point favorite, robbed the Buckeyes a Big Ten championship and a possible bye in the College Football Playoff. It also sparked calls for Day to be fired.

However, it proved to be a watershed moment. Unlike prior losses to Michigan, this one did not end the Buckeyes’ national championship prospects. At Ohio State’s next practice, the team turned inward and focused, well aware of what being said about them on the outside.

Since then, the Buckeyes have been a buzzsaw, defeating Tennessee 42-17 at home in the first round and blasting past No. 1 seed and undefeated Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal. Early on, it appeared like the Cotton Bowl semifinal would follow the same pattern as the previous two games.

More than 1,000 flights into and out of Dallas were canceled Thursday as a snowstorm threatened to hamper travel for spectators, but the sun was out and the snow had melted by the time the game began, and Ohio State fans arrived in droves. What was believed to be a de facto Texas home game drew a sold-out crowd that felt more evenly split.

The Buckeyes got off to another strong start, scoring a touchdown on their first drive for the third straight CFP game when Judkins received a handoff nine yards into the end zone.

However, the offensive began to stagnate after that, owing primarily to self-inflicted mistakes. A personal foul on running back TreVeyon Henderson ended the second drive, forcing a punt. The third drive was halted by a wide receiver holding penalty on a running play. Another holding penalty and a false start eliminated the fourth.

“I felt like we were stopping ourselves on offense with the penalties,” Day told ESPN. “That was the conversation that was being had on the sideline and the locker room at halftime.”

Ohio State was leading the way, especially as Texas’ offense kept running into barriers. The Longhorns’ defense, however, kept them in the game, and with a minute left in the half, backup quarterback Arch Manning entered the game and ran for the first down. (With Ewers expected to leave for the NFL, as he announced to ESPN prior to Friday’s game, Manning will start for Texas’ trip to Columbus on August 30 for a rematch with the Buckeyes to open the 2025 season. A few plays later, Ewers found running back Jaydon Blue on a wheel route, resulting in a touchdown and a tie game.

But as soon as Texas got back in the game, Ohio State attacked. On the next offensive drive, running back TreVeyon Henderson took a screen ball 75 yards for a touchdown, giving Ohio State a 14-7 lead with 13 seconds left in the second quarter and putting the Longhorns back behind at halftime.

Texas’ defense made it plain that a Buckeye other than standout freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith would have to beat them, bracketing Smith with double coverage throughout the game. He had one grab for three yards on three targets. When Howard forced a pass to him on the first drive of the second half, Texas linebacker David Gbenda intercepted it.

“They did a good job,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said of the defense against Smith. “They are good players. We have other guys. Carnell (Tate) made several plays. Emeka (Egbuka) created some plays. Scott had a few receptions. If you want to win the whole thing, you’ll need them all.”

The Longhorns held on to the ropes, keeping a drive alive when Ewers threw the ball to Blue was on the edge of being sacked, and Blue picked up the first down. A few plays later, Ewers connected with Blue on a wheel route touchdown for the second time, tying the game at 14 with 3:12 left in the third quarter. This game was tied going into the last frame, even though the

But Ohio State won the fourth quarter. Texas answered to Judkins’ second touchdown by driving all the way down to the one-yard line, poised to tie the game again. Then, an ill-advised running back toss on second-and-goal cost seven yards. Two plays later, Sawyer sealed the victory with a sack of Ewers, his old Ohio State roommate in 2021 during Ewers’ only season as a Buckeye.