Texas was eliminated from the College Football Playoff against Ohio State in a Cotton Bowl Classic they were competitive in until the final two minutes. Quinn Ewers had the Longhorns in a position to tie the game on fourth and goal and under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Buckeyes DL Jack Sawyer strip-sacked his former roommate and took it back for a touchdown.
That play sealed the 28-14 loss for Texas. According to CBS Sports’ David Cobb, that fourth down play-calling could haunt the Longhorns for a long time.
“Considering how lethal Ohio State was offensively during the first two rounds, Texas deserves immense credit for limiting the Buckeyes to under 400 yards and just three offensive touchdowns. But Texas sputtered offensively throughout the first half and then squandered the momentum of its first touchdown by surrendering a 75-yard touchdown on a halfback dump-off. That crippling play, and an inability to execute near the goal line late in the fourth quarter will haunt the Longhorns. Texas also struggled to run the ball and didn’t get great play from its offensive line. Given how well the defense played, the offensive performance was disappointing,” Cobb wrote.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Flood and head coach Steve Sarkisian are the most likely to be haunted by the fourth-quarter failure. Ewers is off to the NFL after declaring for the draft on Friday, though, and Arch Manning isn’t responsible for that play in the slightest.
Flood may be hired for a head coaching job. He, unlike Pete Kwiatkowski, didn’t shut down the idea of leaving Austin.
If Flood is gone, there’s no reason why Texas should continue harping on a play that could’ve worked against most other defenses in Power 4 football.