The Ohio State vs Texas Cotton Bowl Classic arrived with the feel of a national championship game played a week early. Two of college football's deepest and most talented rosters met on January 10, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a trip to the title game on the line — and the matchup delivered a tactical chess match layered with rich storylines. Ohio State won 28–14 to advance, but the night was defined less by the final margin than by how both teams attacked one another. Texas constructed a game plan specifically to neutralize Ohio State's star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith, while the Buckeyes countered with a deep supporting cast and a defense that produced one of the most memorable plays in program history. At the center of it all stood Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, facing the Ohio State program where his college career began.
How the Ohio State vs Texas Battle Unfolded
Ohio State opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when running back Quinshon Judkins punched in a 9-yard touchdown run. Texas answered late in the second quarter, as Ewers found Jaydon Blue for an 18-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7–7. The Buckeyes responded just 16 seconds later, with quarterback Will Howard hitting TreVeyon Henderson on a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown to take a 14–7 lead into the break.
Texas came out of halftime and evened the score again, with Blue hauling in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to make it 14–14 late in the third quarter. But Ohio State's offensive line and running game took control in the fourth quarter, setting up Judkins' 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Buckeyes a 21–14 advantage. Then came the decisive moment: with Texas threatening to tie the game deep in Ohio State territory, defensive end Jack Sawyer forced and recovered a fumble and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown with 2:13 remaining, sealing the 28–14 victory.
Howard was named the game's offensive Most Outstanding Player after completing 24 of 33 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown, while Sawyer took defensive honors for his game-sealing score. Ewers finished 23-of-39 for 283 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for Texas.
Timeline: How the Buckeyes and Longhorns Reached the Cotton Bowl
The semifinal was the culmination of two very different postseason journeys. Ohio State, seeded eighth, entered the playoff with a 10–2 regular-season record after losses to Oregon and rival Michigan. The Buckeyes rolled past Tennessee 42–17 in the first round, then stunned the top-seeded, previously unbeaten Oregon Ducks 41–21 in the Rose Bowl to reach the semifinal.
Texas, the fifth seed, went 11–1 in the regular season with its only loss to Georgia, then dropped a rematch to the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game. The Longhorns beat Clemson 38–24 in the first round and survived a double-overtime thriller against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, winning 39–31 to book their place opposite Ohio State. The meeting was just the fourth all-time between the programs, with Texas having won the most recent prior matchup, a 24–21 victory in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl.
Why Ohio State vs Texas Mattered: Storylines, Strategy, and Stakes
Beyond the box score, the matchup was rich with narratives. The most personal belonged to Ewers, the Texas native and former top-rated recruit who enrolled at Ohio State in 2021 before transferring home to Texas, where he became an All-SEC and All-Big 12 selection. Facing the program he left behind, Ewers threw for 283 yards and two scores, but the Buckeyes' pass rush kept him under pressure throughout the second half.
The tactical duel was equally compelling. Texas' defensive strategy centered on taking away Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State's sensational freshman receiver who had torched Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The Longhorns largely succeeded — Smith was held to a single catch for three yards. But the Buckeyes' depth proved decisive: Carnell Tate hauled in seven catches for 87 yards, Emeka Egbuka added five for 51, and Henderson's 75-yard score showed why Ohio State was so difficult to fully contain.
Sawyer's scoop-and-score was the emotional exclamation point for a program that had faced scrutiny all season. After the November loss to Michigan, head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes reinvented themselves in the playoff, leaning on a defense that held Texas' running game to 58 yards and a rushing attack that controlled time of possession (31:38 to 28:22). The victory validated Ohio State's resilience and set up a shot at redemption on the sport's biggest stage.
Where Things Stand: The Aftermath of the Cotton Bowl
Ohio State carried its momentum straight through to Atlanta, where it defeated Notre Dame 34–23 on January 20, 2025, to claim the College Football Playoff national championship — the program's ninth national title and second of the CFP era, and the first for Ryan Day as head coach. The Cotton Bowl now stands as the pivotal test the Buckeyes passed on their championship run.
For Texas, the semifinal loss ended a 13–3 season that marked the Longhorns' arrival as a perennial contender in the SEC. The game also served as a farewell of sorts for a veteran core: Ewers, Blue, and several other Longhorns soon moved on to the NFL or exhausted their eligibility, closing a chapter for head coach Steve Sarkisian's resurgent program.
What's Next for Ohio State and Texas
The two programs won't have to wait long to renew the rivalry on the field. At the time of the matchup, Ohio State and Texas were scheduled to play a home-and-home series in 2025 and 2026, setting the stage for a regular-season rematch with an entirely new set of faces on both sidelines. For Ohio State, the focus shifts to defending its national title and integrating a new wave of talent; for Texas, the task is sustaining the momentum that Sarkisian has built while ushering in a new era under center.
The Bottom Line: Key Takeaways from Ohio State vs Texas
- Ohio State beat Texas 28–14 in the CFP semifinal to advance to — and eventually win — the national championship.
- Jack Sawyer's 83-yard fumble return touchdown was the game's defining, championship-sealing moment.
- Texas successfully limited Jeremiah Smith to one catch for three yards, but Ohio State's depth at receiver and running back proved decisive.
- Quinn Ewers, facing his former program, threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns in his final college game.
- The win marked a redemption arc for Ryan Day, who captured his first national title weeks later.
