Buckeyes Now

Ohio State's Jack Sawyer Delivers Dagger TD on Strip Sack vs Texas

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer may have just put the Cotton Bowl on ice against the Texas Longhorns.
Matthew Schmidt|
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) celebrates a fourth down stop during the first half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) celebrates a fourth down stop during the first half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes looked like they were about to fold as the Texas Longhorns marched down the field en route to a possible game-tying score in the Cotton Bowl, but in the end, Ohio State held up.

Jack Sawyer came up with a crucial strip sack on Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and then returned it 85 yards for a touchdown, representing a back-breaking score to put Ohio State up 28-14 late in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State had been getting pressure on Ewers for much of the night, but as the game progressed, the Longhorns' offensive line began to hold up a bit better.

As a matter of fact, Ewers was afforded terrific protection as he completed multiple big passes to move Texas down the field and put it in position for a potential big score.

But all year long, the Buckeyes' defense has made huge stops in critical situations just like this, and Sawyer has been at the forefront of many of those plays.

It has certainly been a dogfight for Ohio State against a tough Texas squad, but the Buckeyes have been able to hold serve throughout the entire night.

Here's the best part: Sawyer and Ewers were once roommates when the Longhorns quarterback was at Ohio State in 2021, but Ewers transferred to Texas after just one year.

It has certainly been an unorthodox evening for the Buckeyes, who haven't been able to get their usual explosive plays on offense.

But apparently, they haven't needed them. Sawyer delivered one.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.