The Longhorns engineered their best drive of the game, only to see Ohio State erase all that work in one snap.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Ohio State Buckeyes hold a 14-7 lead on the Texas Longhorns at halftime of the Cotton Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal, after a raucous final minute of the half.
Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson took off on a 75-yard touchdown catch and run on a perfectly timed screen pass, following three lead blockers down the field for the score, as the Buckeyes re-took a lead they had surrendered just moments prior, taking that 14-7 advantage.
Texas saw their offense finally come to life in the closing minutes of the second quarter, as a seven-play, 59-yard drive ended in a Quinn Ewers to Jaydon Blue touchdown pass, to tie the game at 7-7 with 29 seconds left in the half. A clutch 4th & 1 conversion on an Arch Manning run to the right side helped keep the drive alive, a play after Quinn Ewers went galloping up the middle on a nine-yard run on 3rd & 10. Then Silas Bolden made a terrific play to keep his feet and spin through a would-be Buckeye tackler, and give Texas a first down in the red zone. Two plays later, Ewers hit Blue for the touchdown to tie the game.
The game’s lone first-quarter touchdown drive came on Ohio State’s first possession, and they looked very sharp on that first drive. The Buckeyes drove 64 yards in 10 plays, capped by a nine-yard Quinshon Judkins touchdown run, to give OSU a 7-0 lead.
From there, the Texas defense locked in and stymied the high-octane Ohio State offense, holding them to just 14 yards on 11 plays in the second quarter, including a pair of three-and-outs — right up until the Henderson lightning strike re-established a seven-point Buckeyes lead.
But the Longhorns’ offense was not able to move the ball hardly at all, prior to their lone touchdown drive. Texas opened the game with possession and drove into Ohio State territory. But a 4th down pass by Quinn Ewers fell incomplete as he looked for DeAndre Moore, and the Longhorns turned the ball over on downs. That seven-play, 39-yard possession was the Longhorns’ best until the touchdown drive. Texas punted on each of their next four possessions, including one possession that went for -11 yards. The final possession was fruitful though, and gave Texas some life heading to the second half.
Ohio State will have the ball to start the third quarter.