Longhorns’ Playoff Dreams Fizzle: Ohio State’s Late Surge Extinguishes Texas Hopes

It’s a tale as old as time—or at least as old as the Longhorns’ recent football seasons. Texas once more found itself grappling with an all-too-familiar specter of inconsistency during their Cotton Bowl face-off with Ohio State. The scoreboard glowed ominously by the end of this duel, spelling out a 28-14 defeat that snapped the Longhorns’ playoff aspirations like a flimsy twig.

The Texas squad began the year with a blazing hope, much like a fast-lit fuse. Yet, as the clock ticked on, that spark fizzled when it mattered most. Flashback to their quarterfinal with Arizona State—a game where they sprinted to a 24-8 lead and then stumbled. It demanded near-athletic heroics from quarterback Quinn Ewers to stave off disaster in the dying embers and overtime of that matchup.

Friday’s encounter at AT&T Stadium might have been a chance for redemption—a slow burn that could turn into a roaring blaze. The Longhorns, playing solidly in what was arguably their best third quarter of the season, kept pace with the Buckeyes as they entered a tense fourth quarter tied. Hope flickered.

Yet, with just over seven minutes left, Ohio State seized control. Texas, pinned on a fourth-and-8 at their opponent’s 8-yard line with a mere 2:13 remaining, watched the relentless Jack Sawyer charge like a predator. He pounced on Ewers, creating a fumble that he converted into an 83-yard score—a dagger to Texas’ heart. The Buckeyes’ defensive end, with swift feet and keen instinct, sealed victory for Ohio State—a game that started slipping away far before this pivotal moment.

Quinn Ewers expressed the sting poignantly: “It sucks being on this side of things, for sure. I mean, back-to-back years pretty much a game decided in one play and it’s hard.”

His words resonate in the cavernous echo of promise interrupted—a team that could not convert when the stakes demanded more than a whisper. The Buckeyes, now en route to face Notre Dame in the CFP national title, left Texas in the dust.

The unraveling was not solely tied to that one fumble—like a thread tugged from a seam, it began earlier. Texas, for all its fight, was its own undoing. A second-and-1 at the Ohio State 1-yard line should have been routine, yet a pitch play gone sour turned a gimme into a seven-yard loss. A third-down pass to Ryan Wingo slipped from grasp, and the rest is quickly descending history. Texas, strong in metrics through three quarters, found its momentum sapped when it counted, out-passing and out-turnover-ing Ohio State but failing to cash in on crucial opportunities.

Coach Steve Sarkisian lamented the cruel twist of fate: “They made two big plays, you know? They hit the screen at the end of the first half and got the sack fumble on fourth down there for a touchdown,” highlighting the game’s razor-thin margins.

Despite holding Ohio State to just 46 yards of offense in the third quarter, the resolve and resilience of the team faltered under the fourth-quarter pressure. The Longhorns’ defensive line, akin to an iron curtain, shut down Ohio’s attempts, yet the offense could not capitalize.

The journey for the Texas Longhorns may have ended here—in the arena of dreams dashed and lessons learned. As the echoes of defeat fade, it’s a reminder that in football as in life, it’s not just the talent on the pitch but the relentless spirit to seize moments that defines lasting success.