Texas’ Arlington Ohio State defeated Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night, advancing to a shot at their sixth national championship. Quinshon Judkins ran for two touchdowns before Jack Sawyer forced a fumble by his old roommate, which he returned 83 yards for a deciding touchdown.
The Buckeyes (13-2), led by Judkins and Sawyer, won the semifinals in the stadium where they won the first College Football Playoffs in a four-team format ten years earlier. Now that the 12-team field has been expanded, they have the chance to win again.
On January 20, Ohio State travels to Atlanta to play Orange Bowl champion Notre Dame.
On fourth and goal from the eight, Sawyer went to Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, knocked the ball loose, then picked it up and lumbered all the way to the opposite end zone with 2:13 remaining. In CFP history, it was the longest fumble return.
Before the quarterback moved back to Texas, Ewers and Sawyer shared a room in Columbus for a semester. The upcoming season will be the Longhorns’ 20th since their last national championship with Vince Young in 2005, although Ewers helped guide the team (13-3) to consecutive CFP semifinals.
Quintrevion Wisner was stopped for a 7-yard loss after Texas had advanced to the 1 with the help of two pass-interference penalties in the end zone.
With 7:02 remaining, Judkins scored a 1-yard touchdown to put the team ahead 21–14. That score came four plays after quarterback Will Howard nearly scored with a wobbly 18-yard dash after converting a fourth and 2 from the Texas 34.
Howard had a touchdown, an interception, and 289 yards on 24 of 33 passes. It was his first game at AT&T Stadium since two years ago, when he led Kansas State to victory against TCU, who were unbeaten, in the Big 12 title. During his tenure at K-State, he started 0–3 versus the Longhorns, including a thrilling overtime game in Austin the previous season.
After recovering the ball one last time, Ewers finished 23 of 39 for 283 yards, two touchdown passes to Jaydon Blue, and an interception. Given that he could enter the NFL draft, that might have been his final play for the Longhorns.
Judkins scored a 9-yard run to give the Buckeyes the lead on their first drive of the game. Having jumped ahead 21-0 and 34-0 in their previous two playoff games, it appeared as though they could start off quickly again.
However, Texas leveled the score at 7-7 with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Blue with 29 seconds remaining in the first half after Ohio State punted on four straight possessions. That drive was maintained by Arch Manning, the backup and eventual starter quarterback, who made his only play of the game, converting fourth and one from midfield with an 8-yard keeper.
Following a wall of blockers, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson converted a short toss into a 75-yard score shortly after Texas’ first touchdown. He then raced through an open gap and ran to the end zone.
With 3:12 remaining in the third quarter, Blue made a 26-yard touchdown reception that tied the score. On third and ten, Ewers was being pulled down by Sawyer when he made a fantastic play by scooping the ball underhanded to Wisner for a 13-yard gain.
UPCOMING
Texas awaits a rematch with the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in the previously planned 2025 season opening on August 30, while Ohio State is on its way to the CFP national title.
— AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins
