With 2:24 to play in Friday’s Cotton Bowl, Texas was knocking on the door of a game-tying touchdown. The Longhorns were at the 8-yard line with a 4th-and-8, and Ohio State needed a stand to all but seal a College Football Playoff national championship appearance.

Georgia fans suffered unfortunate flashbacks during Friday night's Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Texas. During the Sugar Bowl last Thursday, the referees penalized Georgia sophomore Parker Jones for sideline interference.

Texas thrived on being able to take away the run and make Ohio State one-dimensional. It held Ohio State to just 81 rushing yards and 3.4 yards per carry. That was Ohio State’s third-lowest average per carry this season, limiting what the offense wanted to do because it lived behind the sticks.

Watch: Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer destroys a camera after hugging Ryan Day following his fumble returned for a touchdown.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Ohio State coach Ryan Day is now one win away from a national title, just weeks after it seemed the program was in long-term trouble. Now, after three-straight playoff wins, the Buckeyes will face Notre Dame in the national title game on Jan. 20.

Weeks after facing immense pressure following another Ohio State loss to Michigan, Day is a win away from the college football mountaintop.

Sawyer is a senior from Pickerington, Ohio, and the local product made a massive play with everything on the line. A Texas touchdown would've tied the game with just minutes left, but Sawyer's scoop-and-score extended the lead and sent the Buckeyes Nation into a frenzy.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has a chance to lead his team to the College Football Playoff national championship game on Friday night, but first the Buckeyes must defeat the Texas Longhorns. Here’s a look back at Day’s complete history in bowl games through the years.

Ohio State defeated Texas football in the 2025 Cotton Bowl, 28-14. The Buckeyes will play Notre Dame in the national championship on Jan. 20.

Why Ryan Day said the Buckeyes will not have a letdown after blowing out Tennessee and Oregon to become CFP favorites

The No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes are set to face off against the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns in a highly-anticipated Cotton Bowl matchup on Friday night. In

This is getting real fun. Ohio State is playing its best football of the season and at just the right time. It sure looked like doom and gloom after a f ourth-straight loss to arch rival Michigan to finish up the regular season, but that seemed to have motivated the this current Buckeye squad to get its act together and go on a run.