Ohio State football immediate opinion: Jack Sawyer will be a Buckeye hero forever.
Jack Friggin Sawyer. JACK FRIGGIN SAWYER.
He fired his previous roommate. Secured the victory. And congratulations to the Ohio State defense for standing tall (with some aid from a perplexing play call by Texas coach Steve Sarkisian) when it counted the most.
Final score: Buckeyes 28, Shorthorns 14.
Onward to Atlanta and the Fighting Irish.
Jack Sawyer holds a role in Ohio State football history.
It will be remembered as one of the most significant defensive plays in recent Ohio State history. I can’t vouch for anything that happened in, say, 1904, but senior defensive end Jack Sawyer forcing a fumble on a strip sack of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers – his roommate when Ewers played one season for the Buckeyes – and returning it 83 yards for a touchdown to give OSU a 28-14 lead with 2:13 remaining is something anyone who witnessed will tell their young children and grandchildren about. And everyone else who wishes to listen. Or does not want to.
The Buckeyes essentially came up with two big plays against the Longhorns in a game that otherwise looked like a train wreck, but Sawyer’s touchdown and TreVeyon Henderson’s 75-yard touchdown off a screen throw did the trick.
Sawyer came off the edge after battling off a weak block and blindsided Ewers, putting the ball in the DE’s hands. Then things became fun. Put another way, Sawyer will not win many 100-meter dashes, but do you think Buckeye Nation cares? Not a chance.
The Pickerington North product will never have to purchase another beer in his life. Given how many Ohio State alumni there are across the country, whether in Columbus or elsewhere.
Treveyon Henderson makes atonement with a 75-yard touchdown
Henderson followed up his left jab with a right hook. The first strike harmed the Buckeyes. Texas resided on the second floor.
After his unsportsmanlike penalty stymied a scoring drive that would have put OSU up by two scores early in the second quarter, the senior caught a Will Howard screen pass at the 19-yard line and raced 81 yards through traffic for what was officially a 75-yard touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead with 13 seconds left in the half.
Henderson caught Howard’s throw and ran up the right sideline, separating Texas defenders before putting on the jets for the dagger. The Longhorns tied the game 16 seconds earlier with an 18-yard pass from Ewers to Jaydon Blue.
Henderson quickly neutralized the Horns’ momentum with a superbly designed call.
The unsportsmanlike penalty was almost as surprising as the touchdown. Henderson, who is generally a model citizen, deviated from the script by drawing the flag after taking a shot at Texas lineman Alex January. The Buckeyes had a first-and-10 at Texas’ 38 when Henderson raced for one yard before getting up and slapping January in the face, prompting the foul. The penalty resulted in a second-and-24 on OSU’s 48, and the drive swiftly stopped.
However, minutes later, Henderson made the Cotton Bowl’s third-longest touchdown reception in history.
Unstoppable Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith got stopped.
At some point in the last three months, the concept became a reality: Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith could not be stopped.
Then Texas stopped him. It wasn’t all Texas, though; Smith’s back constricted after a hard fall early in the game, which helps explain why the Buckeyes only targeted him three times.
But one catch for three yards? It’s hard to believe.
Or not? Texas has one of the strongest defensive secondaries in the country, allowing the fewest yards per pass attempt (5.5) among the 134 FBS teams. The Horns also allowed the second fewest touchdowns (eight). That number increased to nine following Henderson’s 75-yarder, but Texas also added to its remarkable interception total (22), which ranks second nationally, by intercepting Will Howard, who was not particularly on target for much of the game.
Still, just one catch? Fortunately, Carnell Tate (seven catches) and Emeka Egbuka (five) made up the difference.
