Sawyer's passion for the Buckeyes is unmatched, and his 83-yard fumble return touchdown to beat Texas will live forever in Ohio State lore.

Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer ran a fumble back 83 yards for a touchdown to seal the Buckeyes' 28-14 win over Texas on Friday night in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Sawyer hit Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers before he could throw before scooping up the bouncing football and housing it for a game-defining play in a tightly contested Cotton Bowl.

He penned an emotional op-ed in The Players' Tribune, reflecting on his journey as a Buckeye and expressing his deep love for Buckeye Nation.

It's the longest scoop-and-score in the history of the College Football Playoff per ESPN's broadcast. REQUIRED READING: Cotton Bowl updates: Final score, highlights from Ohio State's CFP semifinal win vs Texas Watch: Jack Sawyer scores touchdown on stripped fumble To make Sawyer's moment even sweeter,

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

In the final minutes of Friday’s Cotton Bowl against Texas, Ohio State needed a big play from its defense. The Longhorns had 4th-and-Goal, trailing by a touchdown with 2:24 remaining, and Jack Sawyer rose to the occasion.

Jack Sawyer didn’t take it easy on his old roommate. With just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal in Arlington, Texas, the Ohio State

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

Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded Buckeyes for Ohio State’s win over Texas included Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Jordan Hancock, Quinshon Judkins and Cody Simon.

Ohio State defeated Texas football, 28-14, in the 2025 Cotton Bowl Classic. Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer scored the game-sealing touchdown on a strip-sack fumble recovery against Quinn Ewers in the fourth quarter.

Defensive end Jack Sawyer made the play of the year for the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday, forcing a Quinn Ewers fumble and taking it back 83 yards for the game-sealing touchdown.

The Buckeyes defense stopped Texas near the goal line with less than three minutes to go as Jack Sawyer’s fumble return with 2:13 remaining gave the Buckeyes a 28-14 win over the Longhorns in Friday night’s Cotton Bowl. Sawyer stripped Quinn Ewers on fourth down and recovered the ball himself before officially running it 83 yards for the score.