Texas fans didn’t wait for the final whistle of Friday’s Cotton Bowl loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes to blast Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian.
‘The worst play call I have ever seen,’ read one post on X after Texas blew a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, only to surrender the winning touchdown moments later.
Texas had gotten to the goal line, helped by two pass-interference penalties in the end zone. Trailing 21-14 with two minutes to play, the Longhorns simply had to gain a single yard to put the Buckeyes on their back foot.
But instead of running between the tackles, Sarkisian instead called for a toss sweep out of a shotgun formation, putting running back Quintrevion Wisner well behind the line of scrimmage. And when Buckeyes defenders easily sniffed out the ill-fated pitch left, Wisner was quickly dropped for a seven-yard loss.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers would toss an incompletion on the next play before being stripped by Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer on fourth down.
Sawyer, who actually roomed with Ewers before the quarterback’s transfer to Texas, took off, returning the fumble 83 yards to give Ohio State a 28-14 win and a chance to play Notre Dame in the national championship game.
‘Steve Sarkisian with some of the all time (sic) worst play calls in a big spot,’ one fan wrote. ‘Just gave the game to Ohio State.’
‘Sarkisian has to go,’ another added. ‘1st & goal from the 1 and you give up 7 points the other way? Have to fire him. Just absurdly stupid play calling. Never seen anything dumber in my entire life than that toss play.’
One fan kept it shorter: ‘Steve Sarkisian’s play-calling at the goal line was horrendous.’
‘Ryan Day gave up play-calling this year,’ one fan wrote of Ohio State’s once-embattled coach. ‘Steve Sarkisian didn’t. And play-calling there is going to cost Texas a chance at the national championship.’
Quinshon Judkins ran for two touchdowns before Sawyer’s fumble return to give Day’s team a shot at their sixth national title.
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 January 20
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.
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.
