any Ryan Day What he said to his team after the loss to Michigan clearly worked.

With their fourth straight loss to the Wolverines, the team’s far and away worst, and with some calling for their head coach to be fired after Thanksgiving, the Buckeyes will look to return the favor after Friday night’s 28-14 win. The national champion attacks. cotton bowl classic A win over Texas.

Ohio State led 21-14 with 7:02 left (on a drive that included a huge fourth-down conversion), and Texas responded quickly, in large part because of 34-yard catch from Gunnar Helm. The Longhorns suffered a new series of lows at the goal line after back-to-back defensive pass interferences in the end zone. It was only a matter of time before the game was tied, but then, the Texas nightmare happened.

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Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) during the first quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium celebrate. (Photo by Jerome Miron-Iman)

After getting stuffed on the first play, Quintrevion Wisner lost 7 yards on the second play to put Texas in trouble. The third pass was incomplete and on fourth down, Ewers lost a fumble and Jack Sawyer forced the ball for an 82-yard touchdown.

It looked like another overtime game for the Longhorns, whose season was flashing before their eyes in the blink of an eye. Hoping for a miracle, Ewers threw a pick on the next possession, and just like that, it was over.

The Buckeyes came up first and scored an immediate touchdown after stopping Texas on fourth down. The Longhorns’ offense stalled throughout the first half, but they tied the game with 29 seconds left in the half and headed into the locker room at the end of the game.

Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) during the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic against Texas during the College Football Playoff semifinals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, January 75-yard touchdown catch and run for Longhorns, 10, 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

But that’s not the case at Ohio State. After the catch, Will Howard passed the ball to Trevyan Henderson, who got some blocks in front and ran 75 yards to help the Buckeyes go into the locker room with a 14-7 lead. . In hindsight, it’s easy to point to the two games that cost Texas their season, and hindsight is 20/20.

The teams traded punts for most of the third quarter, but Ewers found Jayden Blue for his second touchdown of the night to tie the game with just over three minutes left. But then the Buckeyes chased the score to 21-14.

Before the game, news broke that Ewers said he expected to play in the NFL next season, so it will be interesting to see if his plans change.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) celebrates his first victory in the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on January 10. Sacked Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) in one quarter. 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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Now, the eighth-seeded Buckeyes will face Notre Dame 7 January 20 – Scored a point in the expansion play-offs.

Like Ohio State, the Fighting Irish suffered an embarrassing loss this season, falling at home to Northern Illinois in September. However, it has been a 13-game winning streak since then.

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