Texas fans didn’t wait for the final whistle of Friday’s Cotton Bowl loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes to gun down Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian.
“The worst play call I’ve ever seen,” read one post on
Texas had reached the goal line, aided by two pass interference penalties in the end zone. Trailing 21-14 with two minutes to play, the Longhorns simply had to gain one 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 the Buckeyes defenders easily sniffed out the ill-fated field, Wisner was quickly dropped for a loss of seven yards.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers would throw an incompletion on the next play before being stripped by Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer on fourth down.
Sawyer, who was actually staying with Ewers before the quarterback’s transfer to Texas, left and returned the fumble 83 yards to give Ohio State a 28-14 victory and a chance to play Notre Dame in the national championship game .
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day meet after Ohio State defeated Texas 28-14 in Friday’s Cotton Bowl in Dallas
Texas fans didn’t even wait for the final whistle of Friday’s Cotton Bowl loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes to blast Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian
“Steve Sarkisian with some of the worst play calling of all time in a big spot,” one fan wrote. “I just gave the game to Ohio State.”
“Sarkisian needs to go,” another added. ‘1st & goal from the 1 and you give up 7 points to the other side? Must fire him. Just absurdly stupid play calling. I’ve never seen anything dumber than that coin toss in my entire life.’
One fan put it more succinctly: “Steve Sarkisian’s play-calling at the goal line was terrible.”
“Ryan Day quit play-calling this year,” one fan wrote about Ohio State’s once-embattled coach. “Steve Sarkisian didn’t do that. And play-calling there is going to cost Texas a shot at the national championship.”
Quinshon Judkins ran for two touchdowns before Sawyer’s fumble return gave Day’s team a shot at their sixth national title.
The Buckeyes (13-2) earned the semifinal victory in the same stadium where they became champions a decade ago in the College Football Playoff’s debut as a four-team format. Now they have the chance to be the winners again in the debut of the expanded field of 12 teams.
Quinn Ewers is fired by his former roommate, Jack Sawyer, who recovered the fumble
Ohio State will play Orange Bowl champion Notre Dame on Jan. 20 in Atlanta
Ewers and Sawyer were roommates in Columbus during the quarterback’s one semester there before transferring to Texas and helping 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 to go. That score came four plays after quarterback Will Howard converted fourth-and-2 from the Texas 34 on a stumbling 18-yard run that was nearly 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.