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Jan. 11—ARLINGTON, Tex. — Jack Sawyer will probably never be at a more right place at a more right time than he was with 2 minutes, 13 seconds to go in Ohio State’s 28-14 win over Texas in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl on Friday night.
The senior defensive end sacked the Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers, stripped the football out of his hands and ran 83 yards for a touchdown to clinch a trip to the College Football Playoff national championship game against Notre Dame on Jan. 20 for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State (13-2) never was behind in the game. But Texas (13-3) applied more pressure by far than Tennessee or Oregon did in blowout victories in the first two rounds of the playoff.
Ohio State never led by more than seven points until Sawyer produced his legendary play. The game was tied at 7-7 and 14-14. And it looked like it was going to be tied at 21-21 when Texas was first-and-goal at OSU’s 1-yard line with three minutes left in the game.
But a run for no gain, a pitchout on which Lathan Ransom dropped the ball carrier for a 7-yard loss and an incomplete pass were the prelude to Sawyer’s big moment.
“It was a special moment,” Sawyer said. “We’re going to compete for a national championship now, which is something I’ve always dreamed of bringing back to Columbus since I was a little kid,throwing the football in the backyard with my dad with an Ohio State jersey on.”
OSU coach Ryan Day said, “I’m sure the whole city of Columbus and Buckeye Nation exploded during that play.”
Linebacker Cody Simon said Sawyer “has got a knack” for making big plays. “He’s an elite player doing elite things. Not many players in America can make that play.”
The other huge play for the Buckeyes came in the final minute of the first half after Texas had tied the game 7-7 on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/one-more-championship-ohio-state-003300610.html
Author : The Lima News, Ohio
Publish date : 2025-01-12 00:33:00
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