Ohio State senior defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) gestures to the crowd that the Buckeyes have one more game to go after the the College Football Playoff semifinal against Texas. The Buckeyes defeated the Longhorns 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
Buckeye captain Jack Sawyer and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers lived together as freshmen at Ohio State in 2021.
Four years later, the two met in the College Football Playoff semifinals, with one guaranteed defeat and the other promised a slot in the Jan.20 National Championship.
Trailing by a touchdown with 2:24 remaining, Texas was on the Ohio State 1-yard line, first and goal, moments away from tying the game.
A rush for no gain, a seven-yard loss and an incomplete pass set up fourth down.
Ewers dropped back to throw and rolled left, as Sawyer swiped around right tackle Cameron Williams.
Full steam ahead, Sawyer had a direct line at Ewers. Sawyer dove, arms extended, and jarred the football loose.
“I felt him, I started drifting away, thought I was going to be able to get the ball off before he got there,” Ewers said.
He pushed Ewers into the ground, and the football took one bounce off the turf at AT&T Stadium before falling right into Sawyer’s mitts.
He began running the other way.
Most of Ohio State’s sideline began jumping and waving white Gatorade towels. Head coach Ryan Day sprinted down the sideline toward the end zone marked “Texas” in burnt orange, well behind Sawyer.
“I hit about the 30, and I looked back, I’m like, ‘I hope I get some blockers,’” Sawyer said. “‘I’m running out of steam here.’ They were running with me side by side. That speaks volumes to who this team is, too. We always have each other’s back. It was a special moment.”
Next stop: the end zone.
It was a touchdown that meant more than six points. It summed a four-year, battle-tested career for Sawyer — a Columbus native, lifelong Buckeye fan, team captain and the first-ever recruit Day brought in when he was promoted to head coach in 2019.
“I love Columbus,” Sawyer said. “I love the state of Ohio. I love Ohio State football.”
The 83-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown punched Ohio State’s ticket to the National Championship in Atlanta and will go down as one of the best plays in Buckeye history.
“What happened on fourth down by [Sawyer] just symbolizes not only his career, but our team, in general, and who they are and the toughness,” Day said.
Sawyer’s teammates undoubtably agreed.
“He means everything [to this program],” Ohio State cornerback Jermaine Matthews said. “He’s Mr. Ohio in my eyes, just a whole Buckeye. He’s a real Buckeye.”
During the regular season, Sawyer notched 4.5 sacks. In just three playoff games, Sawyer matched that total.
“He’s been playing possessed the last month,” quarterback Will Howard said. “He’s a heck of a player. The only thing I wish I could change about it is I wish I could have more years with him.”
Sawyer is one of many seniors who elected to forgo the 2024 NFL Draft and return to Columbus in hopes of achieving three goals: beating Michigan, winning a Big Ten Championship and capturing a National Championship.
After a loss to Michigan Nov. 30, 2024, the Buckeyes were knocked out of the Big Ten title game, meaning only one goal remained attainable.
And that’s what Sawyer and the Buckeyes are focused on.
“We get 10 more days with each other, and that’s what means the most to me,” Sawyer said. “We’re going and competing for a national championship now, which is something I’ve always dreamed of bringing back to Columbus since I was a little kid, throwing the football in the backyard with my dad with an Ohio State jersey on.”
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