ARLINGTON, TX — The Texas Longhorns saw their first season in the SEC come to an end in heartbreaking fashion with a 28-14 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night.
The loss sees Texas finish just two wins shy of a national championship for the second straight season as the program was seeking their first natty win since 2005.
Texas’ offense struggled all game long up until the middle of the third quarter when they found its groove against a tough Buckeyes defense. With the Longhorns trailing 21-14 with just over two minutes remaining, Ohio State’s defense stepped up with a goal-line stand, which would turn out to be a season-ending fourth-and-goal play for the Longhorns.
Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers fumbled the ball and Jack Sawyer returned it 83-yards for Ohio State for a touchdown to seal a trip to Atlanta for the Buckeyes.
They made two big plays,” Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Hit the screen at the end of the first half and got the sack fumble on 4th down for a touchdown. A ton of credit to Ohio State, they’re a very good football team. Well coached.”
Here are the takeaways from Texas’ loss to Ohio State:
Ohio State got physical
The Buckeyes entered the game riding high after two consecutive wins — including over No. 1 Oregon — and did not miss a beat. They were physical and fast, getting in passing lanes and making life difficult for Ewers all night long.
Ohio State’s defense did not allow much on third down in the first half as Texas went 1-for-8 on third down chances before the Longhorns offense got in sync in the third quarter and went 3-for-3 on third down.
Texas Fight
Despite the talk surrounding Ohio State, Texas fought and as it has been all season, the Longhorns defense kept them in the game. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith was held to just one catch for three yards thanks to the defensive play of Jahdae Barron, who will be tough to replace in the offseason.
The Buckeyes were held to 28 points after scoring at least 40 points in its first two CFP wins over Tennessee and Oregon. Ohio State totaled just 377 yards, with 75 of those coming on a one-play touchdown pass to TreVeyon Henderson at the end of the first half.
Ewers complicated legacy
As Ewers prepares to leave college, Ewers will leave behind at complicated legacy at the University of Texas. While he played a major part in turning the Longhorns around, leading them to back-to-back CFP semifinals, his inconsistent play will leave fans wondering “what if?”
Ewers walked right into pressure from Ohio State in the first half, leading to the first of several sacks on the night. He played mostly a clean game for most of the night. With 2:48 left and with the game on the line on fourth down from the Ohio State 8-yard line, Ewers was hit by Buckeyes rusher Jack Sawyer, who forced a fumble and returned the ball 83-yards for the game-sealing touchdown.
“I thought I was going to be able to get the ball off before he got there,” Ewers said of the play. “It sucks, man. But he’s a great player, great individual, great person. It sucks, but Jack’s a good player and he made a great play.”
Prior to that with Texas trailing 21-14, the Longhorns had the ball just inches away from the end zone and a chance to tie the game. On first down, Ewers threw a risky pass that resulted in a second consecutive pass interference call on Ohio State. On second down, Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss, which would lead to the Ewers fumble.
“We had a plan to try to get the ball on the edge,” Sarkisian said. “It’s one of those plays if you block it all right, you get in the end zone — and we didn’t.”
