The Scary Reality of Ohio State's Cotton Bowl Victory

Let's discuss the very scary reality of the Ohio State Buckeyes' win over the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (97) and Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) do a hand shake during final warm ups at the Cotton Bowl Classic before their game against Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January, 10, 2025. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Texas Longhorns by a score of 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night to advance to the National Championship Game.

It was a rather unorthodox win for Ohio State, especially after thoroughly thrashing the Tennessee Volunteers and Oregon Ducks the previous couple of games.

This one was close, and it easily could have been 21-21 had Jack Sawyer not come up with a colossal strip sack on Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers that he took back 83 yards for a touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 28-14 lead late in the fourth quarter.

But here is the scariest part of Ohio State's victory: Jeremiah Smith had one catch for three yards.

Yes, Smith, the freshman phenom who may very well be the best wide receiver talent to ever walk the planet, was nearly shut out and was an essential non-factor in the affair.

Texas threw multiple defenders Smith's way the entire night, and the one time he did get the ball, he was absolutely swarmed.

Yet, the Buckeyes managed to come away with a win thanks to big-time performances by Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka.

While I won't go as far to say that Smith is a luxury, Ohio State did prove that it can win without him having a monster night.

Heck, this was actually Smith's worst game of the year by a country mile, and it still didn't prevent the Buckeyes from topping one of the best teams in the nation.

Ohio State is a Swiss army knife of a football club. It can beat you in a vast number of ways, which was on full display against the Longhorns.

Take away Smith? Okay. The Buckeyes have Egbuka and Tate. Limit the passing game? Alright. Ohio State has running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

Contain the Buckeyes' offense as a whole? Oh, well Ohio State boasts arguably the fiercest defense in college football and will make sure you don't outscore it.

The Buckeyes are an absolute buzzsaw at the moment. Even if they don't rout you, they will find a way to win the ballgame.

That has to be an absolutely terrifying thought for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who await Ohio State in the National Championship Game.