Tag: Texas Football

Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer sealed a Cotton Bowl win by strip-sacking former roommate Quinn Ewers and scoring a TD

Before Quinn Ewers transferred to Texas, he was Ohio State DE Jack Sawyer’s roommate.

It couldn’t have been scripted more poetically or heartbreakingly, but the way Ohio State secured its College Football Playoff semifinal win over Texas on Friday felt cinematic.

Trailing by a touchdown with a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl, the Longhorns were on Ohio State’s eight-yard line with one more chance to score and tie the game. On fourth-and-goal, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers — who transferred from Ohio State — dropped back before quickly being sacked by Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer.

But Sawyer wasn’t done there. He stripped the ball from Ewers, recovered it and took off down a wide-open field for an 83-yard touchdown, putting Ohio State up, 28-14 — the eventual final score.

OHIO STATE-TEXAS: Will Howard had a gnarly looking knot on his hand during the Cotton Bowl

An incredible play, and Sawyer later said he blacked out on it. But the real dagger against Texas, and specifically Ewers, is that Sawyer was the quarterback’s roommate when he was still at Ohio State, as NBC News and ESPN noted.

After the touchdown return, the ESPN broadcast played an interview clip of Sawyer talking about Ewers. He said:

“Quinn was my roommate when he was here. So me and Quinn, we have a good friendship, and I’m excited to play against him. He’s a great player, had a great year, had a great career at Texas.”

In his postgame interview, Sawyer told ESPN he saw Ewers for a moment after the game, and the pair shared a cheeky moment. Sawyer told Holly Rowe of Ewers: “He was walking off, and he said, ‘Screw you.’ That’s my boy.”

Obviously, Ewers would want that play back regardless, but it has to sting a little bit more because it was Sawyer who forced the fumble. It was straight out of Hollywood with flashes of A League of Their Own.

Sawyer was already a star but became an instant Ohio State legend with that play against his old roommate.

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Nick Saban predicts Ohio State vs. Texas Cotton Bowl winner in College Football Playoff

Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes or Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns? Here’s who the GOAT picked.

Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban has been high on the Ohio State Buckeyes since the College Football Playoff began.

Saban, who blasted some Ohio State fans for their fury over the team’s 13-10 loss to hated rival Michigan on Nov. 30, has arguably been the Buckeyes’ biggest supporter from the standpoint of respected media voices during his various appearances on ESPN’s “College GameDay” and other platforms (Pat McAfee’s show).

The college football legend has consistently touted the job of Ohio State coach Ryan Day, as well as the play of Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard, freshman sensation wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and his former safety Caleb Downs, who spent his freshman season at Alabama before transferring to Columbus.

So it’s no surprise who Saban picked to win Friday’s CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. From his seat on “College GameDay” set, which broadcast live from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Saban picked the Buckeyes to beat the Texas Longhorns and advance to the national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

The winner of tonight’s game will meet Notre Dame, who defeated Penn State 27-24 in the Orange Bowl on Thursday to advance to their first national championship game since the 2012 season.

When picking the Buckeyes, Saban said:

“To me, the most physical team is going to win and whichever quarterback plays the best and takes care of the ball. Ohio State has shown that in these playoffs so far, so I’m going with Ohio State.”

Earlier in the broadcast, Saban offered plenty of praise for Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who won a national championship as Alabama’s offensive coordinator on Saban’s 2020 staff.

“Sark is a great play-caller and a great planner. He’s a great teacher and he’s got a really good system that’s hard to defend, so Ohio State’s going to have their hands full. I think the key is, can Sark create balance by being able to control the line of scrimmage and run a little bit?”

RELATED: Former Alabama football offensive coordinator to interview for NFL head coaching job

Ohio State got to the Cotton Bowl by whipping the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks, 41-21, at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Texas survived Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime at the Peach Bowl.

The Cotton Bowl can be seen on ESPN.

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Texas signs former 5-star North Carolina DT through transfer portal

Texas Longhorns add second transfer portal defensive tackle in former North Carolina Tar Heels DT and former 5-star Travis Shaw.

The Texas Longhorns added a second player over the weekend via the transfer portal. Sunday night North Carolina Tar Heels defensive tackle Travis Shaw signed with UT. Texas also signed QB CJ Rogers.

Shaw entered the portal after UNC fired former Texas coach Mack Brown in November. The 6’5.5, 330-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining. Shaw was one of Brown’s biggest signings in Chapel Hill. In 2022, he was a 5-star and the No. 20 player in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

In his three seasons at North Carolina, Shaw had a hard time being consistent. But his junior campaign showed a lot of improvement, recording 26 tackles, up from his freshman high of 18.

Shaw becomes the second interior defensive lineman added by the Longhorns during the transfer portal window. The Horns signed former Purdue DT Cole Brevard in December. Brevard has been practicing with the team during the playoffs.

Former five-star Alabama football recruit re-enters transfer portal

This former Alabama receiver is back in the transfer portal.

Former Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas Longhorns wide receiver Agiye Hall is back in the transfer portal.

A five-star recruit by On3 out of Bloomingdale, Fla., Hall committed to Alabama in 2021 but left the program after being suspended by Nick Saban in April 2022 for violating team rules. He had four catches for 72 yards in his freshman season at Alabama in 2021.

Hall joined Steve Sarkisian at Texas in 2022 but was arrested before the season on criminal mischief charges. He was suspended before appearing in three games, making one catch for seven yards. Hall left the Longhorns after the 2022 season.

More recently, Hall had committed to play for Gus Malzahn at UCF in 2024 but never joined the program. He sat out the entire 2024 season after the Birmingham News reported that Hall had been arrested in December 2023 on charges of drug trafficking.

AL.com’s Matt Stahl reported that Hall “pled no contest to first-degree felony charges of trafficking in 300 plants or 25 pounds of cannabis in Florida, according to court documents obtained by AL.com.”

On3 first reported that Hall had reentered the transfer portal.

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Bevo is Back! Texas mascot will return to sideline for CFP Semifinal in Cotton Bowl

Bevo is Back! After being barred from the SEC Championship Game and Peach Bowl, Texas’ mascot will be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington

After being banned from the sidelines for the SEC Championship Game and the CFP Quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl, both held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Bevo will be back for the CFP Semifinal in the Cotton Bowl. It seems AT&T Stadium in Arlington is more accommodating than Mercedes-Benz.

In a statement when Bevo was barred from the SEC title game, the SEC said in a statement, “The reality is there is limited sideline space at the stadium. We can’t jeopardize the safety of Bevo or the game participants. With the narrow sidelines, location of multiple sets for television and camera carts, there is not enough space. While we want to honor tradition across the conference, the space limitation is a reality.”

The Peach Bowl VP of communications Matt Garvey made a very similar statement when it was announced Bevo couldn’t go to Atlanta, “For the safety of Bevo and the players and the media and the camera crews that are on site there, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to accommodate him.”

Of course, before the SEC championship, there was a thought the conference was fearful of another Bevo-Uga incident. Bevo famously changed Georgia’s bulldog mascot at the 2019 Sugar Bowl during a summit between the two icons.

The Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium is familiar with Bevo. He was last year’s Big 12 Championship win over Oklahoma State.

If Texas beats Ohio State to advance to the CFP National Championship Game, don’t bet on Bevo being there. The game is at … you guessed it … the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Peach Bowl gods cruelly punish Texas after baffling no-call on clear targeting

How was this not targeting?

Texas got away with one of the more egregious targeting no-calls of the season, and the officiating whiff cost Arizona State in crunch time of an eventual 39-31 Texas victory in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

During Wednesday’s Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt’s pass got tipped at the line by a Texas defender and landed awkwardly in the hands of wide receiver Melquan Stovall for the catch.

In an instant, Texas safety Michael Taaffe came barreling in and snacked Stovall helmet-to-helmet for the tackle. Stovall stayed on the game turf with an injury, and the game officials reviewed the hit for targeting.

Since the hit happened on third down, a targeting call would have given Arizona State a fresh set of downs and excellent field position to set up a game-winning field goal or touchdown.

The final call from the replay didn’t make it into a targeting call for some bizarre reason, which made Arizona State punt the ball back to Texas.

A targeting call changes the entire dimensions of the game’s final moments, and it’s genuinely impossible to understand how Taaffe wasn’t flagged for targeting with the way he hit a defenseless receiver.

Texas got the ball back, missed a field goal and the game went to overtime.While Arizona State got extra life after regulation, the team should have been granted a targeting call and given a chance to win it in the fourth quarter.

At the least, the Peach Bowl gods felt it just that Texas not get the walk-off field goal in regulation.

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Why Bevo won’t be on sidelines of Texas vs. Arizona State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals Peach Bowl

Texas will have to play without Bevo cheering it on from the sidelines.

No. 5 seed Texas will take on No. 4 seed Arizona State on Wednesday in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals game at the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It’s a big deal for both teams, but the Longhorns will be without one key member of the team.

Bevo, Texas’ beloved live mascot, won’t be on the Peach Bowl sidelines. The reason? It’s a space issue, just like it was for the SEC title game in December also at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Explaining the reasoning last month, the Peach Bowl said: “We love all of the great traditions of college football and no doubt, Bevo is one of the best, but the unfortunate reality is there simply is not enough room on the sidelines of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”

The bowl added that it’s prioritizing not only Bevo’s safety but also that of players, media, cheerleaders and support staff, and there isn’t enough room for Bevo on the sidelines.

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How to Watch Peach Bowl – Time, TV, Streaming for CFP quarterfinal

What channel, what streaming and what time is the Peach Bowl CFP Quarterfinal between Texas Longhorns and Arizona State Sun Devils?

Ring in 2025 with the Texas Longhorns! Thanks to UT’s 38-24 win over the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the college football playoffs, the Horns will face Big 12 champion Arizona State in the Peach Bowl.

The CFP quarterfinal will be played in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Arizona State had a bye in the first round of the playoffs thanks to winning the Big 12 title game against Iowa State.

The game features a battle of two good quarterbacks. Texas’ Quinn Ewers will square off against ASU’s Sam Leavitt. Leavitt told the media, “I’m gonna go prove why I’m the better quarterback.”

The winner of the Peach Bowl will advance to college football playoff semifinal to play the winner of Oregon vs. Ohio State who play in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.

Texas is three wins from a possible national championship. The Sun Devils are up first on New Year’s Day.

What channel is Texas vs Arizona State on New Year’s Day?

  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Streaming: ESPN+ and Sling

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Texas vs. Arizona State live on SlingTV” link=”https://sling-tv.pxf.io/PyLvRQ”]

The commentators for the game will be Joe Tessitore on play-by-play, Jesse Palmer as the color analyst and Katie George will serve as the sideline reporter.

Texas vs Arizona State start time for College Football Playoff game

  • Date: Wednesday, Jan. 1
  • Start time: Noon CT
  • Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Texas vs Arizona State Betting Odds

All College Football Odds via BetMGM:

  • Point spread: Texas -13.5 -110 / Arizona State +13.5 -110
  • Money line: Texas -550 / Arizona State +400
  • Over-under: 52.5 -115

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Longhorns Wire staff predictions for Texas vs. Arizona State in Peach Bowl

Our Longhorn Wire Staff of experts give their predictions for the Texas vs. Arizona State in Peach Bowl CFP Quarterfinal.

The Texas Longhorns will ring in the New Year in Atlanta to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl CFP quarterfinal. UT is coming off a 38-24 win over the Clemson Tigers in the first round. ASU had a bye in the first round.

Arizona State is lead by QB Sam Leavitt, who called out Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers this week, and RB Cam Skattebo. Skattebo sent a warning to the Texas defense, saying, “There’s nobody out there that can stop me.”

The winner at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will advance to the college football semifinals against the winner of the Rose Bowl rematch between Oregon and Ohio State.

From an injury standpoint, Isaiah Bond, Jake Major and Kelvin Banks Jr. are expected to play. OL Cam Williams is more of a game time decision.

Texas is a 12.5 point favorite and ESPN’s FPI Matchup Predictor puts UT at a 79.5% chance of winning.

’s Prediction:

The Longhorns have had a nice break, but there have been some comments circulating about who’s the better team or player, I think the Longhorns enter embracing the “All gas no breaks” mentality. As an SEC team, I expect the Longhorns to enter the game strong.

I anticipate decent scoring in the first half, but I believe they’ll lock in their defense in the second half. I don’t foresee much of Arch Manning playing; this is Quinn’s time to shine, hopefully. I simply can’t see Arizona State managing to get past the firepower of Texas.

In my opinion, Texas has too many weapons, and although Arizona State is a good team this year, I just can’t see them stopping Texas. I’ll project some quarterback tension early on, maybe a fumble or interception by Ewers. But I don’t think the pressure lasts.

Final Score: Texas 35, Arizona State 14

Jamie Gatlin’s Prediction:

The Longhorns will be looking to extend their playoff run on Wednesday when they take on Arizona State. They will be led by a talented running back duo of Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner, who combined for 246 yards against Clemson.

The Longhorns are heavy favorites entering this matchup. The Sun Devils will need a big day from Cam Skattebo, who has been stellar during the 2024 campaign, to pull off an upset. If the Longhorns can keep him contained, it will be a long afternoon for the Sun Devils. This is a game that the Longhorns offense could dominate.

Final Score: Texas 34, Arizona State 20

Trey Luerssen’s Prediction:

There were some concerning signs in Texas first round win over Clemson. Primarily, the 336 yards the UT defense gave up to QB Cade Klubnik. The 141 yards Texas gave up on the ground against Georgia is also a worry. Is the Texas defense losing it’s grip at the wrong time of the season?

The Horns’ defense stood strong when they needed to and the Texas offense did enough to beat Clemson and advance. But the Longhorns will need to play better if they want to be playing any further into 2025.

I think Texas wins, but it will be closer than the spread.

Final Score: Texas 31, Arizona State 24

Texas kicker Bert Auburn to remain with Longhorns for fifth year

Senior Bert Auburn will remain with the Longhorns for a fifth year.

Chip Brown of 247 Sports confirmed on Monday that Texas senior kicker Bert Auburn will remain with the Longhorns for his additional year of eligibility.

Auburn, a fourth-year kicker, has appeared in 28 games. He was selected to Phil Steele’s 2024 Preseason All-America Second Team and named to the 2024 preseason first-team All-SEC by the media.

In 2023, Auburn established UT single-season records for field goals made (29) and points scored by a kicker (143). He also set the Texas and Big 12 Conference record with 19 consecutive field goals made. Auburn also set a Texas record for a kicker with 21 points scored against Texas Tech.

Auburn joined the Longhorns as a redshirt freshman and currently holds the program record for total field goals made at 61. He is following in the footsteps of LA Charger and former Longhorn Cameron Dicker.

Bert Auburn and the Texas Longhorns will face the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl CFP quarterfinal on New Year’s Day from Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 12 p.m. CT.