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ARLINGTON, Texas – Steve Sarkisian got cute, but it sure didn’t look pretty.
Sarkisian earns acclaim for being one of the nation’s premier play callers, but he fell into a familiar coaching trap Friday of trying to show just how very smart he is with a play sheet in his hands.
Only, Ohio State’s defense made Sarkisian look foolish at the close of the Buckeyes’ 28-14 victory in the Cotton Bowl.
The scene: First-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Texas trailed by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns needed to move three feet to tie this College Football Playoff semifinal.
First down: Texas audibles into a Power-I formation, but Ohio State stuffs a run up the middle.
No harm. Three more tries for three feet.
Second down: Sarkisian goes way too deep into his bag. He calls a toss sweep off left tackle out of the shotgun formation. The Buckeyes had it defended, dead to rights. Safety Caleb Downs shot into the backfield untouched and nearly ended the play then and there.
Texas ball carrier Quintrevion Wisner escaped Downs, but he made no headway toward the end zone, as his run pushed further to the sideline. Safety Lathan Ransom pinballed off Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. Ransom wrapped up Wisner 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
That’s how you go from first-and-1 to third-and-8.
Two plays later, Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer ended Texas’ comeback hopes with a strip-sack of Quinn Ewers. Sawyer scooped up the fumble and lugged his prize 83 yards into the end zone.
“Just a miraculous play,” linebacker Cody Simon said of Sawyer’s strip-sack and score. “That moment is going to live in history forever.”
Absolutely, it will, but Texas got off into the weeds two plays previously, when Ransom’s tackle for loss put the Longhorns behind the 8-ball.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian reacts as he heads to the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-steve-sarkisian-crumble-ohio-110738130.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-11 11:07:00
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