Texas vs. Ohio State final score, results: Jack Sawyer scoop-and-score sends Buckeyes to national title game

Morgan Moriarty

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Texas vs. Ohio State final score, results: Jack Sawyer scoop-and-score sends Buckeyes to national title game image

Friday night's Cotton Bowl semifinal game between Ohio State and Texas delivered. Facing a fourth-and-goal, Quinn Ewers was strip-sacked by Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, who returned it 83 yards for a touchdown. The Buckeyes beat Texas 28-14 to advance to the CFP national championship.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard finished with 289 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception. It was a very quiet night for Jeremiah Smith, who was held to just one reception for three yards all game. Carnell Tate led the Buckeyes in receiving with seven receptions for 87 yards. Buckeye running back Quinshon Judkins had two touchdowns on the night.  

TreVeyon Henderson had a 75-yard touchdown reception with 13 seconds left in the first half and added 42 yards on the ground.

Ewers threw for 283 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Running back Jaydon Blue had five catches for 58 yards and scored both of Texas' touchdowns through the air.

Next up for the Ohio State is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which won a thrilling game against Penn State Thursday night. The two will play on Jan. 20 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This will be just the ninth meeting between these two schools all-time. They had a home-and-home series in 2022 and 2023, with Ohio State winning both. 

Ohio State will be making a trip back to the national championship for the first time since 2020. That year, the Buckeyes fell 52-24 to Alabama. Ohio State will be looking to win their first national title since the 2014 season. 

Texas vs. Ohio State live score

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Texas vs. Ohio State highlights from 2025 College Football Playoff semifinals

(All times ET) 

Ohio State 28, Texas 14

10:54 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN: OHIO STATE SCOOP-AND-SCORE! On fourth-and-goal, Ewers gets strip sacked by Jack Sawyer and it's returned for a touchdown. What a shift in momentum—Texas was down to OSU's 1-yardline!  

10:52 p.m. — Oh man, Ohio State's defense gets flagged for back-to-back pass interference penalties in the end zone. Texas is on the OSU 1. 

10:48 p.m. — Texas is responding nicely, and the Longhorns are already in Ohio State territory. Matthew Golden returns from the sidelines and makes a huge grab from Ewers, getting this offense down to the Buckeyes' 13.  

Ohio State 21, Texas 14

10:44 p.m — TOUCHDOWN: Quinshon Judkins takes it in for the one-yard touchdown. Ohio State takes back the lead again, and a hell of a drive by the Buckeyes. Let's see how Texas responds.  

10:41 p.m. — On 4th-and-2, Ohio State calls Will Howard's number and he takes it up the gut untouched on quarterback power for a first down. 

10:37 p.m. — Oof, a costly Ohio State false start penalty gave the Buckeyes a 3rd-and-9 attempt instead of a 3rd-and-4. Buckeyes will go for this on 4th-and-2. Ohio State has seven penalties for 70 yards on the night. 

10:30 p.m. Will Howard hits Carnell Tate on 3rd-and-5 for 18 yards and a first down. Nice drive for the Buckeyes here so far.  

10:28 p.m. — Ohio State gets the ball back following a Texas three-and-out. Texas' Malik Muhammad gets flagged for a pass interference on the very first play. 

End of the third quarter: Texas 14, Ohio State 14

10:21 p.m. — What a stand by this Longhorn defense. Will Howard had a pass batted down on 3rd-and-15, and was sacked for a loss of 10 yards earlier. Ohio State has to punt and Texas gets the ball back.  

10:16 p.m. — Jeremiah Smith still has just the one reception on the night. Let's see if Ohio State tries to target him on this next drive to get him going. 

Texas 14, Ohio State 14

10:10 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN: Quinn Ewers hits Jaydon Blue for a 26-yard touchdown pass, and its his second of the night. All tied up folks!

10:08 p.m. — Texas has a great drive going here, and the Longhorns are running the ball well. Longhorns are down to Ohio State's 26. 

10:04 p.m. — Oh man, what an improv job by Quinn Ewers! It looks like he is about to get sacked by Jack Sawyer, but he flips it to Quintrevion Wisner, who takes it 14 yards for a first down. What a play by Ewers there. 

9:58 p.m. — Huge stand by the Longhorn defense, forcing an Ohio State three-and-out. Texas' defense stuffed Quinshon Judkins on the 3rd-and-1 attempt. Questionable playcall there from Ohio State—Ryan Day called Judkins on a sweep around the left side that Texas snuffed out immediately. 

9:54 p.m. — Texas punts following that Howard interception, giving Ohio State the ball back. 

9:52 p.m. —Although Texas receiver Matthew Golden hasn't been ruled officially out, it looks doubtful he'll come back in. ESPN's Laura Rutledge reported that Golden came out of the locker room and tried running full speed, but kept shaking his head. He's still dressed on Texas' sideline, though.  

9:48 p.m. — Well, that's one way to respond, Texas! Will Howard throws a pick on his first drive of the second half.

Let's see how the Longhorns respond on offense here.  Ohio State had a nice drive going there, too.

Start of the third quarter: Ohio State 14, Texas 7

9:41 p.m. — The second half should be getting underway here shortly. Remember, OSU won the toss and deferred to the second half, so it'll be Ohio State's ball first. 

Halftime: Ohio State 14, Texas 7

9:23 p.m. — What a first half! Texas has just 133 yards of total offense, and has gone 1-for-7 on third down. Ohio State, meanwhile, has 236 total yards, 200 of those from Will Howard. The most shocking statistic of the night? Jeremiah Smith has just one reception for three yards.  

Ohio State 14, Texas 7

9:16 p.m. — TOUCHDOWN: Oh my, things have changed real quick! On Ohio State's very first play of the next drive, Will Howard finds TreVeyon Henderson for a 75-yard for a touchdown. What a response!

This sums up how Texas fans felt about that one: 

Ohio State 7, Texas 7

9:13 p.m. —TOUCHDOWN: Quinn Ewers finds Jaydon Blue for an 18-yard touchdown pass. We got a game, folks!

9:08 p.m. — Arch Manning comes into the game and converts it on 4th-and-1! Although the ball popped out at the end and recovered by Ohio State, the refs rule he was down. 

9:06 p.m. — The refs are taking a look at the spot on a Quinn Ewers scramble here. Looks like he was short of the first down, and the refs rule that he was. 4th-and-1 here from the 50. 

8:59 p.m. — Texas' Anthony Hill Jr. and Barryn Sorrell sack Will Howard on third down, a nice stop for the Longhorns. Texas' defense has also limited Jeremiah Smith to just one catch for three yards tonight so far.

Texas really needs some points here before halftime. 

8:55 p.m. — Oh man, Isaiah Bond drops what would have been a Texas first down, he was wide open too. Let's see if the Longhorns can hold Ohio State in the final 3:23 of this half. 

8:53 p.m. — Looks like Texas' Matthew Golden still hasn't been cleared to go back in this game. He's seen on the sidelines with his helmet in his hands.  

8:49 p.m. — Ohio State is forced to punt after a drive that has holding and false start penalties that backed the Buckeyes up. Texas holding Ohio State to just seven so far is a win for this Longhorn defense. 

8:45 p.m. — J.T. Tuimoloau is shown on the sideline with a heavily taped left ankle and is trying to warm up, but ESPN's Holly Rowe reports that he is in some pain. As for Howard's golf-ball hand injury, it looks like this might've been the hit to cause it:

8:42 p.m. — Ohio State gets away with a pass interference penalty on third down that should have been called. Meanwhile, Buckeyes EDGE rusher J.T. Tuimoloau has gone into the injury tent after limping off the field. 

8:38 p.m. — Texas is facing a 3rd-and-6 from its own territory. Longhorns could use some momentum here as the clock is winding down in the first half. Steve Sarkisian wanted a targeting call on a hit on Gunnar Helm, but he didn't get it. Here's that play: 

8:30 p.m. — Texas forces an Ohio State punt as Will Howard's 3rd-and-8 pass to Emeka Egbuka fall incomplete. Speaking of Howard, it looks like he has a gnarly bump on his non-throwing hand. Something to monitor for sure, but it doesn't appear to be affecting him too much. 

Longhorns receiver Matthew Golden is back on Texas' sideline, as well. 

8:24 p.m. — Wow, Ohio State is going after the ball. On third down, the Buckeyes bring pressure and Ewers gets sacked, fumbling the football. Luckily his lineman recovers it. Crisis averted, for now, but unfortunately, Matthew Golden is headed to the locker room with an ankle injury: 

8:21 p.m. — Oh man, Texas almost has a complete disaster. On the punt return, Matthew Golden fumbles the ball but gets it back. Longhorn fans breathe a big sigh of release there. 

End of the first quarter: Ohio State 7, Texas 0

8:16 p.m. — Texas gets a big stop, thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty on TreVeyon Henderson and a Will Howard sack that backed the Buckeyes up to a 3rd-and-26.  Let's see what Texas can do in this next possession. 

8:13 p.m. — TreVeyon Henderson goes 22 yards for an Ohio State first down, and Ohio State has Texas on its heels again. And man, Will Howard has some great protection early on here. He's just sitting back in the pocket. 

8:09 p.m.— On the ensuing drive following the Ohio State touchdown, Texas got down to Ohio State's 39, helped by a big gain on a pass from Ewers to Ryan Wingo. But a false start penalty and Ewers sack forced the Longhorns to punt. 

Ohio State 7, Texas 0

7:55 p.m. —TOUCHDOWN: Well, OSU made that one look easy! The Buckeyes marched down the field pretty easily, and Quinshon Judkins punches it in for the score. OSU gets an early lead. The Buckeyes haven't slowed down all playoff: 

7:57 p.m. — The Buckeyes are slicing through this Texas secondary. Will Howard has 44 passing yards already. 

7:55 p.m. — Ohio State is across midfield. On 3rd-and-2, Will Howard finds Emeka Egbuka, then hits Carnell Tate for 14 yards on the next play. Buckeyes have a nice drive here to start.  

7:50 p.m. — On 4th-and-2, Ohio State's defense brings pressure on Quinn Ewers, and his pass falls incomplete. Nice stand by the Buckeye defense there after a strong start from Texas. 

7:48 p.m. — Oh wow, on 3rd-and-2, Quinn Ewers finds Matthew Golden, who makes an incredible one-handed grab. First down, Longhorns on OSU's 43. 

Start of the first quarter: Ohio State 0, Texas 0 

7:43 p.m. — The coin toss is here! Ohio State wins the toss and defers to the second half, so it's Texas ball first. Texas chose to wear is traditional white uniforms, despite being the higher-ranked seed. These uniforms worked well for them against Arizona State. 

7:35 p.m. — The National Anthem is done, and we're getting much closer here. Should be kicking this one off in less than 10 minutes. 

7:30 p.m. — Lee Corso picks Texas on College GameDay! He picked the Irsh to win last night. 

6:55 p.m. — We are just under an hour until kickoff! Can't wait to get this one started. 

6:30 p.m. — Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith is in the house tonight: 

6:28 p.m. — A nice moment from Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian pre-game, as he Facetimes his parents before every game: 

5:48 p.m. — Fans have already started making their way into the stadium: 

5:25 p.m. — As a good chunk of the United States is dealing with snow today, it's a good thing this game is being played indoors. No weather for this one to keep an eye out for:  

5:00 p.m. — Happy Gameday to all! We're just over two and a half hours from kickoff here. Should be a great game between two programs with a ton of history. 

Texas vs. Ohio State start time

  • Day: January 10, 2025
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Texas and Ohio State will face off in the CFP at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday evening. The semifinal playoff matchup will be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS

How to watch Texas vs. Ohio State in Cotton Bowl

  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo

Friday's CFP matchup between Texas and Ohio State will be broadcast on ESPN. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call with Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge as sideline reporters.

Streaming options include ESPN+ or Fubo, which offers a free trial to new users.

College Football Playoff schedule 2025

Thursday, Jan. 9

GameMatchupTime (ET)TV/Live stream
CFP Semifinal (Orange Bowl)No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame7:30 p.m.ESPN, Fubo

Friday, Jan. 10

GameMatchupTime (ET)TV/Live stream
CFP Semifinal (Cotton Bowl)No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State7:30 p.m.ESPN, Fubo

Monday, Jan. 20

GameMatchupTime (ET)TV/Live stream
CFP National Championship (Atlanta)TBD vs. TBD7:30 p.m.ESPN, Fubo

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Morgan Moriarty

Morgan Moriarty Photo

Morgan Moriarty joined The Sporting News as a content producer in the fall of 2024. Her sports journalism career started at the University of Florida in 2012, where she graduated in 2015. She has covered college football and basketball, the NFL and numerous other major sports for outlets like the Tampa Bay Times, Saturday Down South, UPROXX Sports and SB Nation. She also covers college football for Bleacher Report, and is a featured guest on various CNN programs.