The only way Jack Sawyer could have become more of a legend in Ohio State football would be if the play he made Friday night in the Cotton Bowl had happened against the School Up North.
With Texas on the verge of scoring and tying the national semifinal game late in the fourth quarter, Sawyer hit Longhorn quarterback Quinn Ewers and forced a fumble. The ball bounced up into Sawyer’s hands and he went 83 yards untouched for the touchdow. that wrapped up a 28-14 victory for tbhe Buckeyes and put them into the championship game against Notre Dame.
A dream play?
Absolutely, but it gets even dreamier. Ewers actually started his college career at Ohio State and during his one year in Columbus, his roommate was …
No way.
… Jack Sawyer.
As someone who spent 10 years of my childhood (ages 3-13) living an hour from Columbus, I could not be happier for OSU. The Bucks have beaten three top 10 teams — Tennessee, Oregon and Texas — to reach the title game, and they will play the Fighting Irish here in Georgia on January 20th for the national championship.
Columbus is the capital of Ohio and has a population of more than 900,000 people. I saw a survey some years back of Columbus adults that said 90 percent had attended at least one OSU game and 50 percent said Buckeye football was their No. 1 topic of conversation with their friends year-round.
I can only imagine the level of joy in central Ohio today.
The play should never have happened. Trailing 21-14, Texas had a first and goal from the OSU 1 yard line. Four chances to punch it in for the tie. A dive play on first down gained nothing, and a pitch and sweep to the left on second down took too long to develop and lost seven yards.
An incomplete pass on third down set up the last play. It’s a pretty good bet that UT Coach Steve Sarkisian will remember that second-down play call for the rest of his life.
When you have the ball on the 1, you don’t give ground. Apparently Sarkisian had so much respect for the Buckeyes’ goal-line defense he didn’t think he could get 1 yard in four plays.
So Jack Sawyer, a hometown Columbus boy, got to be the hero in a moment that Hollywood screenwriters would call too farfetched, and the Buckeyes are one victory away from another national championship.
Bring on Notre Dame.
And who knows? Maybe if OSU wins the national title, fans will forgive the Bucks for losing to the School up North.