Texas football’s 15–2 season and first year in the Southeastern Conference ended at the hands of Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals, 28-14, ultimately, due to its season-long issue of offensive efficiency.
Despite some mistakes on both sides of the ball, Texas managed to keep it a one score game with the Buckeyes until the last three minutes of the fourth quarter. The Longhorns, trailing, 21-14, made a run down the field and with two back-to-back pass interference calls and found itself on first down with one yard to the goal.
Yes Texas was not able to convert a touchdown and lost seven yards. On its fourth-and-goal on the 8-yard line attempt, Texas fumbled, leading to an Ohio State 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown making the game a two score lead and sealing Texas’ fate. The return by Buckeyes’ senior defensive end Jack Sawyer is the second longest touchdown drive in CFP semifinal history.
Coincidentally, Sawyer was a former teammate and freshman roommate of junior quarterback Quinn Ewers.
“It’s the life of a competitor, and it sucks being on this side of things, for sure,” Ewers said. “Back-to-back years, pretty much the game was decided in one play. It’s hard. All the work we put in, being in the Final Four back-to-back and coming up short two years — it’s tough. But I think that’s how life is. You’re going to get punched in the face and (get) some hard moments.”
Texas came into the first half slow going one-out-of-seven on third down conversions. The Longhorns also weren’t able to establish a run game in the first quarter holding a mere six rush yards. Sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner led the Longhorns ground game with 46 yards contributing the team’s overall 58.
Without a substantial effect on the ground, Texas used junior running back Jaydon Blue with two impressive touchdowns and 59 receiving yards to keep the Longhorns neck-and-neck with the Buckeyes, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. Ewers also had a below-par game holding a 59% completion rate.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian, while stating how beyond proud he is of his team this season, acknowledged the team’s mistakes on that crucial drive.
“There’s a really nice drive by the offense to get all the way down there,” Sarkisian said as he referenced the drive before Sawyer’s touchdown. “And first-and-goal on the one, and we don’t score. Quite frankly, we probably don’t deserve to win that way.”
This is the second year in a row that Texas has lost a playoff semifinal game with both coming down to one substantial play. Players that have appeared in both games said they felt the weight of the loss differently.
Junior defensive back Michael Taaffe was emotional while singing “The Eyes of Texas” and while exiting the field.
“We felt this pain last year, all the guys that were in the locker room hugged each other, and the guys that were returning, we had a look with one another,” Taaffe said. “It was like ‘Alright nobody’s gonna believe in us, going to the SEC, nobody’s gonna count on us to be the last SEC team.’ … Just knowing that we got so close and I saw the vision for this team and just knowing that vision felt short.”
