CFP Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Recap
Score by Quarters
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #8 Ohio State (13-2) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| #5 Texas (13-3) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME
PLAYER OF THE GAME
The Buckeyes (13-2) got 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 in Atlanta on Jan. 20
Sawyer got to Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers on a fourth-and-goal from the 8, knocking the ball loose and scooping it up before lumbering all the way to the other end. It was the longest fumble return in CFP history.
Ewers and Sawyer were roommates in Columbus for the one semester the quarterback was there before transferring home to Texas, and helping lead the 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 gotten to the 1, helped by two pass-interference penalties in the end zone before Quintrevion Wisner was stopped for a 7-yard loss.
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 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.
Ewers finished 23 of 39 for 283 yards with two TD passes to Jaydon Blue and an interception after getting the ball back one final time.
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Score (V-H) | Team | Scoring Play | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 07:24 | 7-0 | Ohio State | Quinshon Judkins 9 yd rush (Jayden Fielding kick) | 10-64 (04:18) |
| 2nd | 00:29 | 7-7 | Texas | Jaydon Blue 18 yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Will Stone kick) | 7-59 (01:22) |
| 2nd | 00:13 | 14-7 | Ohio State | TreVeyon Henderson 75 yd pass from Will Howard (Jayden Fielding kick) | 1-75 (00:16) |
| 3rd | 03:12 | 14-14 | Texas | Jaydon Blue 26 yd pass from Quinn Ewers (Will Stone kick) | 12-67 (05:18) |
| 4th | 07:02 | 21-14 | Ohio State | Quinshon Judkins 1 yd rush (Jayden Fielding kick) | 13-88 (07:45) |
| 4th | 02:13 | 28-14 | Ohio State | Jack Sawyer 83 yd fumble return (Jayden Fielding kick) | 04:49 |
Team Statistics
| OSU | UT | |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 18 | 20 |
| Rushing | 5 | 7 |
| Passing | 12 | 10 |
| Penalty | 1 | 3 |
| Rushes-Yards | 24-81 | 29-58 |
| Passing Yards | 289 | 283 |
| Passes Comp-Att-Int | 24-33-1 | 23-39-1 |
| Total Offense (Plays-Yards) | 57-370 | 68-341 |
| Punt Returns-Yards | 1--1 | 2-16 |
| Kickoff Returns-Yards | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts (Number-Avg) | 6-42.0 | 6-43.8 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| Sacks By (Number-Yards) | 4-27 | 2-17 |
| Penalties-Yards | 9-75 | 5-54 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 3-of-10 | 5-of-15 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 1-of-1 | 1-of-3 |
Individual Statistics
| OSU | UT | |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing | TreVeyon Henderson 6-42; Quinshon Judkins 9-36, 2 TD; Will Howard 7-4; Emeka Egbuka 1-0. | Quintrevion Wisner 17-46; Jaydon Blue 4-16; Arch Manning 1-8; Ryan Wingo 1-6; Jerrick Gibson 1-0; Quinn Ewers 5--18. |
| Passing | Will Howard, 24-33-1, 289, 1 TD. | Quinn Ewers, 23-39-1, 283, 2 TD. |
| Receiving | Carnell Tate 7-87; Emeka Egbuka 5-51; Gee Scott Jr. 5-30; Quinshon Judkins 3-22; Will Kacmarek 2-21; TreVeyon Henderson 1-75, 1 TD; Jeremiah Smith 1-3. | Quintrevion Wisner 6-42; Jaydon Blue 5-59, 2 TD; DeAndre Moore Jr. 4-31; Matthew Golden 2-51; Gunnar Helm 2-42; Silas Bolden 1-24; Ryan Wingo 1-22; Isaiah Bond 1-8; Juan Davis 1-4. |
| Punting | Joe McGuire, 6-252, 42.0. | Michael Kern, 6-263, 43.8. |
| Returns | Punt: Emeka Egbuka 1--1; Kickoff: None; Intercept: Caleb Downs 1-7. | Punt: Silas Bolden 2-16; Kickoff: None; Intercept: David Gbenda 1--3. |
| Field Goals | None. | None. |
| Tackles (Solo-Assist-Total, Sacks-Yds, TFL-Yds) |
Sonny Styles (6-3-9, 1.0-10, 3.0-13); Cody Simon (4-3-7, 0, 0); JT Tuimoloau (3-4-7, 1.5-6, 2.5-8); Jordan Hancock (5-1-6, 0, 0); Davison Igbinosun (4-1-5, 0, 0); Caleb Downs (4-1-5, 0, 1.0-2); Lathan Ransom (4-0-4, 0, 1.0-7); Tyleik Williams (1-3-4, 0, 0); Ty Hamilton (0-4-4, 0.5-2, 0.5-2); Jack Sawyer (1-2-3, 1.0-9, 1.0-9); Denzel Burke (2-0-2, 0, 0); Arvell Reese (0-2-2, 0, 0); Caden Curry (1-0-1, 0, 0); Jeremiah Smith (1-0-1, 0, 0); Lorenzo Styles Jr. (1-0-1, 0, 0); Jermaine Matthews Jr. (1-0-1, 0, 0); Kayden McDonald (0-1-1, 0, 0); Hero Kanu (0-1-1, 0, 0); Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (0-0-0, 0, 0); Malik Hartford (0-0-0, 0, 0). | Jahdae Barron (4-2-6, 0, 0); Anthony Hill Jr. (4-2-6, 0.5-4, 0.5-4); Andrew Mukuba (3-3-6, 0, 0); Michael Taaffe (2-3-5, 0, 0); Liona Lefau (2-2-4, 0, 0); Colin Simmons (2-2-4, 0, 0); Gavin Holmes (2-1-3, 0, 0); Malik Muhammad (2-0-2, 0, 0); Morice Blackwell Jr. (1-1-2, 0, 0); Alfred Collins (0-2-2, 0, 0); Jermayne Lole (0-2-2, 0, 0); Trey Moore (1-0-1, 0, 0); Ethan Burke (1-0-1, 0, 1.0-2); David Gbenda (1-0-1, 0, 0); Vernon Broughton (1-0-1, 1.0-10 1.0-10); Jaylon Guilbeau (1-0-1, 0, 1.0-2); Tiaoalii Savea (0-1-1, 0, 0); Warren Roberson (0-1-1, 0, 0); Xavier Filsaime (0-1-1, 0, 0); Bill Norton (0-1-1, 0, 0); Colton Vasek (0-1-1, 0, 0); Barryn Sorrell (0-1-1, 0.5-3, 0.5-3). |
Starters & Reserves
Ohio State Starters
| Pos. | No. | Offense |
|---|---|---|
| RB | 1 | Quinshon Judkins |
| WR | 17 | Carnell Tate |
| QB | 18 | Will Howard |
| WR | 2 | Emeka Egbuka |
| WR | 4 | Jeremiah Smith |
| OL | 51 | Luke Montgomery |
| OL | 70 | Josh Fryar |
| OL | 74 | Donovan Jackson |
| OL | 75 | Carson Hinzman |
| OL | 77 | Tegra Tshabola |
| TE | 89 | Will Kacmarek |
| Pos. | No. | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| LB | 0 | Cody Simon |
| CB | 1 | Davison Igbinosun |
| DB | 10 | Denzel Burke |
| DB | 2 | Caleb Downs |
| DE | 33 | Jack Sawyer |
| DL | 44 | JT Tuimoloau |
| DL | 58 | Ty Hamilton |
| LB | 6 | Sonny Styles |
| CB | 7 | Jordan Hancock |
| S | 8 | Lathan Ransom |
| DL | 91 | Tyleik Williams |
Ohio State Reserves
11 - Brandon Inniss, 17 - Mitchell Melton, 20 - Arvell Reese, 24 - Jermaine Matthews Jr., 3 - Lorenzo Styles Jr., 32 - TreVeyon Henderson, 38 - Jayden Fielding, 42 - Joe McGuire, 43 - John Ferlmann, 67 - Austin Siereveld, 68 - George Fitzpatrick, 82 - David Adolph, 85 - Bennett Christian, 88 - Gee Scott Jr., 9 - Malik Hartford, 92 - Caden Curry, 93 - Hero Kanu, 97 - Kenyatta Jackson Jr., 98 - Kayden McDonald.
Texas Starters
| Pos. | No. | Offense |
|---|---|---|
| WR | 0 | DeAndre Moore Jr. |
| WR | 2 | Matthew Golden |
| RB | 26 | Quintrevion Wisner |
| QB | 3 | Quinn Ewers |
| OL | 52 | DJ Campbell |
| OL | 56 | Cameron Williams |
| OL | 65 | Jake Majors |
| OL | 76 | Hayden Conner |
| OL | 78 | Kelvin Banks Jr. |
| TE | 81 | Juan Davis |
| TE | 85 | Gunnar Helm |
| Pos. | No. | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| LB | 0 | Anthony Hill Jr. |
| DB | 16 | Michael Taaffe |
| LB | 18 | Liona Lefau |
| DB | 3 | Jaylon Guilbeau |
| DB | 4 | Andrew Mukuba |
| DL | 45 | Vernon Broughton |
| DB | 5 | Malik Muhammad |
| DB | 7 | Jahdae Barron |
| DL | 8 | Trey Moore |
| DL | 88 | Barryn Sorrell |
| DL | 95 | Alfred Collins |
Texas Reserves
11 - Colin Simmons, 11 - Silas Bolden, 15 - Will Stone, 15 - Bill Norton, 16 - Arch Manning, 21 - Ryan Niblett, 21 - Xavier Filsaime, 23 - Jordon Johnson-Rubell, 23 - Jaydon Blue, 24 - Warren Roberson, 25 - Jelani McDonald, 26 - Ty'Anthony Smith, 33 - David Gbenda, 37 - Morice Blackwell Jr., 39 - Michael Kern, 4 - CJ Baxter, 49 - Ian Ratliff, 5 - Ryan Wingo, 54 - Cole Hutson, 58 - Lance St. Louis, 6 - Kobe Black, 67 - Malik Agbo, 7 - Isaiah Bond, 72 - Neto Umeozulu, 73 - Brandon Baker, 74 - Trevor Goosby, 83 - Spencer Shannon, 9 - Gavin Holmes, 9 - Jerrick Gibson, 91 - Ethan Burke, 92 - Colton Vasek, 97 - Alex January, 98 - Tiaoalii Savea, 99 - Jermayne Lole.
