Ryan Day Embraces Jack Sawyer After the Linebacker Sends Ohio State to Title Game

The coach and linebacker had a moment of excitement together on the sideline as the Buckeyes clinched a Cotton Bowl victory.

Ohio State's star pass rusher Jack Sawyer clinched the Cotton Bowl for the Buckeyes. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State clinched a spot in the national championship after beating Texas 28–14 in Friday night's Cotton Bowl.

Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer stripped the football from Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers, picked the fumble up and ran it back 83 yards to give Ohio State a two-score lead with two minutes to play. The touchdown all but iced the game for the Buckeyes, who will face Notre Dame in the national championship on Jan. 20.

After Sawyer's game-clinching play, he shared an embrace with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day as the two emphatically celebrated the victory.

This moment between Ryan Day and Jack Sawyer ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tedn2lArIL

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 11, 2025

Since the debacle against Michigan in the regular season finale back on Nov. 30, the white-hot Buckeyes have won three straight games against Tennessee, Oregon (in the Rose Bowl) and Texas—and now sit one win away from from their third national title of the 21st century.

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