ARLINGTON, Texas — Quinshon Judkins ran for two touchdowns before Jack Sawyer forced a fumble by his former roommate and returned it 83 yards for a clinching TD as Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night, earning a shot at their sixth national title.
Led by Judkins and Sawyer, the eighth-seeded Buckeyes (13-2) posted the semifinal victory in the same stadium where 10 years ago they were champions in the debut of the College Football Playoff as a four-team format. Now they have the opportunity to be the winner again in the debut of the expanded 12-team field.
Ohio State plays Orange Bowl champion Notre Dame on Jan. 20 in Atlanta. It could be quite a finish for the Buckeyes after they lost to rival Michigan on Nov. 30.
“About a month ago, a lot of people counted us out. And these guys went to work, this team, these leaders, the captains, the staff,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Everybody in the building believed. And because of that, I believe we won the game in the fourth quarter.”
Sawyer got to Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on a fourth-and-goal from the 8, knocking the ball loose before scooping it up and lumbering all the way to the other end zone with 2:13 left. It was the longest fumble return in CFP history.
“I saw the ball pop out right to me after I tackled him, I was just thinking, I’ve got to stay on my feet, because I almost blacked out when I scooped it and saw a bunch of green grass ahead of me,” Sawyer said. “Just walking off, he said, ‘Screw you,’ and started laughing. Obviously that’s my boy.”
Ewers and Sawyer were roommates in Columbus for one semester before the quarterback transferred home to Texas. Ewers helped lead the fifth-seeded Longhorns (13-3) to consecutive CFP semifinals, but next season will be their 20th since winning their last national title with Vince Young in 2005.
Texas had moved to the 1, helped by two pass-interference penalties in the end zone, before Quintrevion Wisner was stopped for a 7-yard loss. Ewers threw a third-down incompletion while being pressured by Sawyer on the play before the defensive touchdown.
“He’s everything that we possibly ask for in a captain,” Day said. “To make a play like that in that moment, we talked about before the game, if you want to leave a legacy behind, you become a legend. He just became a legend at Ohio State.”
Judkins had a 1-yard touchdown for a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left. That score came four plays after quarterback Will Howard converted a fourth-and-2 from the Texas 34 with a stumbling 18-yard run that was almost a score.
Howard was 24-of-33 passing for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He played his first game at AT&T Stadium since leading Kansas State to a win over undefeated TCU in the Big 12 championship game two years ago. He was 0-3 as a starter against the Longhorns while at K-State, including an overtime thriller in Austin last season.
Ewers finished 23 of 39 for 283 yards with two TDs to Jaydon Blue and an interception after getting the ball back one final time. It might have been his last play for the Longhorns since he opt for the NFL draft.
The Buckeyes went ahead on their opening drive of the game when Judkins scored on a 9-yard run. It looked as if they could get off to another fast start, after jumping ahead 21-0 and 34-0 in their first two playoff games.
But Ohio State then punted on four consecutive possessions before Texas tied it at 7 on Ewers’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Blue with 29 seconds left in the first half. Arch Manning, the backup and future starting quarterback, kept that drive alive when he converted fourth-and-1 from midfield with an 8-yard keeper — his only play in the game.
Right after Texas’ first TD, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson turned a short pass into a 75-yard touchdown, following a wall of blockers before shooting through an open gap and sprinting to the end zone.
Blue had a tying 26-yard touchdown catch with 3:12 left in the third quarter. The drive featured a terrific play by Ewers, who was being dragged down by Sawyer on third-and-10 when he managed to scoop the ball underhanded to Wisner for a 13-yard gain.