Texas football returns to the Cotton Bowl hosted by AT&T Stadium for the first time since 2003. With this visit, the stakes couldn’t be higher; the fifth-seeded Longhorns (13-2) will face No. 8 Ohio State (12-2) in a College Football Playoff semifinal, with the winner advancing to the Jan. 20 national championship against either Notre Dame.
The Longhorns have endured two harrowing CFP games so far, including a 38-24 win over a scrappy Clemson squad in the first round and a 39-31 overtime thriller over Arizona State in the quarterfinals.
In comparison, Ohio State has cruised to resounding wins over Tennessee 42-17 and Oregon 41-21. Those CFP results help explain why the Buckeyes are favored by 5½ points, which marks the first time that Texas enters a game as an underdog in 27 contests.
Notre Dame came back to beat Penn State on Thursday to claim onE spot in the title game.
We ask three key questions for Texas before the game against Ohio State. After the game, we will have some answers:
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Pregame question: The Longhorns’ offense had seemingly morphed into a run-first attack over the second half of the season, but it may have slipped back into an identity crisis after picking up just 53 total yards on 30 carries against Arizona State.
Will Texas resemble the squad that ran for 292 yards on 48 carries against Clemson, or will it look like the bunch that struggled against Arizona State and picked up 31 yards on 28 carries against Georgia in the SEC title game? Considering the fierceness of the Ohio State pass rush, Texas will need to run the ball to help keep the pressure off quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Postgame answer: Check here after the game for the answer.
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Pregame question: Howard spent four seasons at Kansas State before joining the Buckeyes, which means he’s gotten plenty of experience battling with Texas in the Big 12 Conference. He lost to Texas in all three of his starts at Kansas State, but his production in those games was mixed.
He turned it over twice in 2020 then failed to reach 100 yards passing in 2021. In 2023, he passed for 327 yards and four touchdowns in a 33-30 Texas win. This season while surrounded by better talent, Howard ranks fourth nationally with a completion percentage of 72.6, sits third in the nation with a QB rating of 175.8 and has career highs in passing yards (3,490) and touchdowns (32)
Postgame answer: Check here after the game for the answer.
Pregame question: If so, it would be one of the few times this season that Texas seized an edge on special teams.
Texas kicker Bert Auburn has converted just 64% of his field-goal attempts this season and missed two of his three attempts in the Peach Bowl against Arizona State. The return game jolted from a slumber with a punt return for a touchdown in the CFP quarterfinals. It’s been a roller-coaster ride with this unit all season.
Postgame answer: Check here after the game for the answer.
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