ARLINGTON, Texas — Quinshon Judkins ran for two touchdowns before Jack Sawyer forced a fumble by his former roommate that he returned 83 yards for a clinching score as Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night to advance to play for their sixth national title.
Led by Judkins and Sawyer, the Buckeyes (13-2) posted the semifinal victory in the same stadium where 10 years ago they were champions in the debut of the College Football Playoff as a four-team format. Now they have the opportunity to be the winner again in the debut of the expanded 12-team field.
Ohio State plays Orange Bowl champion Notre Dame in Atlanta on Jan. 20.
Sawyer got to Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on fourth and goal from the eight, knocking the ball loose before scooping it up and lumbering all the way to the other end zone with 2:13 left. It was the longest fumble return in CFP history.
Ewers and Sawyer were roommates in Columbus for one semester before the quarterback transferred home to Texas. Ewers helped lead the Longhorns (13-3) to consecutive CFP semifinals, but next season will be their 20th since winning their last national title with Vince Young in 2005.
Texas had moved to the one, helped by two pass-interference penalties in the end zone, before Quintrevion Wisner was stopped for a seven-yard loss.
Judkins had a one-yard touchdown for a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left. That score came four plays after quarterback Will Howard converted a fourth and two from the Texas 34 with a stumbling 18-yard run that was almost a score.
Howard was 24 for 33 for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He played his first game at AT&T Stadium since leading Kansas State to a win over undefeated Texas Christian in the Big 12 championship two years ago. He was 0-3 as a starter against the Longhorns while at Kansas State, including an overtime thriller in Austin last season.
Ewers finished 23 for 39 for 283 yards with two touchdown passes to Jaydon Blue and an interception after getting the ball back one final time. It might have been his last play for the Longhorns since he could enter the NFL draft.
The Buckeyes went ahead on their opening drive when Judkins scored on a nine-yard run. It looked as if they could get off to another fast start, after jumping ahead 21-0 and 34-0 in their first two playoff games.
But Ohio State then punted on four consecutive possessions before Texas tied it 7-7 on Ewers’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Blue with 29 seconds left in the half. Arch Manning, the backup and future starting quarterback, kept that drive alive when he converted fourth and one from midfield with an eight-yard keeper — his only play in the game.
Right after Texas’ first touchdown, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson turned a short pass into a 75-yard touchdown, following a wall of blockers before shooting through an open gap and sprinting to the end zone.
Blue had a tying 26-yard touchdown catch with 3:12 left in the third quarter. The drive featured a terrific play by Ewers, who was being dragged down by Sawyer on third and 10 when he managed to scoop the ball to Wisner for a 13-yard gain.