Ohio State and Texas will meet on Friday night in the Cotton Bowl with a spot in the College Football Playoff Championship Game on the line.
Ohio State opened up 2025 with a dominant win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl, earning revenge for the 32-31 loss to the Ducks in Eugene back in October. By dispatching the top-ranked team in the country, the Buckeyes earned a spot in the CFP semifinals, where they will battle the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium.
The winner of Friday night’s game will advance to the title game next Monday, matching up with the winner of Thursday night’s Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State.
Sweet revenge
Much like the Tennessee game, Ohio State came out of the gates firing against Oregon. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and were up 34-0 before Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon offense were able to cross midfield. Ohio State was able to build such a big lead early on by scoring four touchdowns of at least 40 yards before halftime.
The win was the third of the season for the Buckeyes over a Top 5 team, and their fourth over a ranked team. Ohio State is now 6-10 all-time when taking on the number one ranked team in the country.
Ohio State’s history against Texas and in the Cotton Bowl
The Buckeyes and Longhorns will be meeting for the fourth time, with Texas winning two of the first three meetings between the prestigious programs. Back in 2005, Texas beat Ohio State 25-22 in Columbus, followed by the Buckeyes winning the return game in the home-and-home series 24-7 in Austin the following season. The third meeting came in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, resulting in a 24-21 win for the Longhorns.
This will be the first of two matchups in 2025 between the schools, as Texas will come to Columbus at the end of August in the season opener for both teams.
For the second straight season the Buckeyes will be playing in the Cotton Bowl. The situations are vastly different though, since prior to last year’s game Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal and star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. opted out of playing in the game to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 14-3 loss to Missouri was not only Ohio State’s first defeat in their third Cotton Bowl appearance, it was also their first loss in four games at AT&T Stadium. Previously the Buckeyes beat Oregon in the first College Football Playoff Championship Game, followed by victories over USC in the 2017 Cotton Bowl, and a 2018 regular season game against TCU at “Jerry World”.
The Buckeyes are in the College Football Playoff for the sixth time, posting a 5-4 record in the nine games they have played in the postseason event. Ohio State is the only team to make the CFP or play in a New Year’s Six bowl game in every season since the CFP and New Year’s Six replaced the BCS at the beginning of the 2014 season.
With 12 straight seasons of at least 11 wins, Ohio State holds the longest active streak in the country. Sitting behind the Buckeyes is Georgia, who have won at least 11 games in seven straight seasons.
Jeremiah Smith and the Ohio State offense put the country on notice
The star of the Rose Bowl was wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The sensational freshman was named Offensive MVP in the game after catching seven passes for 187 yards, finding the end zone twice. Both of Smith’s receiving touchdowns were over 40 yards. The 187 receiving yards by Smith broke Cris Carter’s school record for receiving yards in a game by a freshman.
Smith joined elite company by becoming the fifth player to record at least 175 receiving yards in a CFP game.
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Emeka Egbuka was also on the receiving end of a 40-yard touchdown pass in the first half, scoring from 42 yards out to extend Ohio State’s lead to 14-0 in the first quarter. The senior finished with five catches for 72 yards. Egbuka now is second in school history with 194 catches, passing David Boston. If Egbuka is able to haul in eight more passes before the end of the season, he will move past K.J. Hill for most in school history.
The 2,735 receiving yards Egbuka has amassed during his Buckeye career ranks fourth in school history, 58 yards from moving ahead of Gary Williams.
The best quarterback so far in the playoff has been Will Howard. The Kansas State transfer is averaging 315 yards per game passing and five passing touchdowns through the first two games. Howard now has 39 total touchdowns this season, with 32 scores coming through the air. The senior has plenty of experience playing the Longhorns from his time at Kansas State, throwing for 566 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions in three games against Texas. This season Howard has been incredibly efficient, only missing on 101 of his 369 pass attempts.
While the passing attack received most of the headlines in the win over Oregon, the ground game was effective against the Ducks, highlighted by TreVeyon Henderson’s 66-yard touchdown run late in the first half. Henderson finished with 94 yards rushing and two touchdowns, pushing Ohio State’s record to 14-1 when he rushes for at least two touchdowns in a game.
Henderson’s 3,670 career rushing yards puts him 99 away from passing Eddie George for fourth-most in school history. Quinshon Judkins added 85 yards rushing in the Rose Bowl victory.
Buckeye defense cooks the Ducks in Pasadena
After failing to record a sack in the first meeting with Oregon, the Ohio State defense put together their best performance of the season, recording eight sacks against the Ducks in the Rose Bowl. J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer continued to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks, each recording two sacks.
Tuimoloau now has a team-high 10 sacks and 17 tackles for loss this season, while Sawyer has eight sacks. Because of the yardage lost because of the sacks, the Ducks finished with -23 yards rushing. So far this season the defense has recorded 47 sacks, ranking third in the country, as well as tying for second with the 1998 and 2000 Ohio State teams for most sacks in a season.
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The other Buckeye with two sacks in the Rose Bowl was linebacker Cody Simon, the Defensive MVP in the game. Simon finished with 11 tackles, giving him 23 stops through Ohio State’s two CFP games. Simon enters the Cotton Bowl with 97 tackles on the season, 11.5 TFLs, and seven sacks. The tackle total from Simon is 12 more than that of fellow linebacker Sonny Styles.
The defensive line and linebackers of the Buckeyes are a major reason why Ohio State ranks First in the country in total defense, allowing just 244.6 yards per game, as well as fifth in the country defending the run, ranking fifth in the country with an average of 92.2 rush yards per game allowed.
Aside from all of the sacks in the game, Ohio State was able to hold the Oregon offense in check because they were able to break up nine passes in the game, matching their total from the victory over Tennessee in the first round. All-American safety Caleb Downs was credited with three pass breakups, doubling his season total. Lathan Ransom was Ohio State’s second-leading tackler in the game, finishing with seven tackles, as well as a sack. Between Downs and Ransom, the Buckeye safeties have combined to make 141 tackles so far this season.
With as much pressure as Dillon Gabriel was under throughout the game, Oregon wasn’t really able to complete anything of consequence through the air. The victory was redemption for cornerback Denzel Burke, who was targeted numerous times in the first game between the teams this season.
The pass defense of the Buckeyes is the best in the country, allowing just 152.4 yards per game. The Ducks did record the first passing touchdown against the Ohio State defense since the first meeting in October, but the Traeshon Holden touchdown reception came as time expired in the first half when Ohio State already had built a sizable lead.
Texas squeaks by in Peach Bowl, setting up return to the Cotton Bowl
Texas made the semifinals by beating Clemson 38-24 in the first round, followed by a thrilling 39-31 win in double overtime over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. The Longhorns jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the first half, and were up 24-8 with 10:17 left in the game before the Sun Devils mounted their comeback.
Texas would have won in regulation had it not been for kicker Bert Auburn missing two field goals late in the fourth quarter. After Matthew Golden’s 28-yard touchdown catch on fourth down in the first overtime, Gunnar Helm’s 25-yard touchdown catch on the first play of double overtime ended up being the game-winner.
With their win over Arizona State, Texas secured their first 13-win season since 2009. Head coach Steve Sarkisian is in his fourth season as head coach of the Longhorns, posting a 38-16 record since taking over in Austin. This marks the second straight season Texas has made the CFP. Last year the Longhorns won the Big 12 in their final season in the conference, finishing with a 12-2 record after losing 37-31 to Washington in the Sugar Bowl.
Texas will be making their 23rd appearance in the Cotton Bowl, which is the most of any program. Despite their storied history with the game, this will be the first time the Longhorns have played in the Cotton Bowl since 2003, when they beat LSU 35-20, pushing their record in the bowl to 11-10-1.
The win in the Peach Bowl was the first bowl win for Texas under Sarkisian. Before losing in last year’s Sugar Bowl, the Longhorns also lost to Washington to close out their 2022 season in the Alamo Bowl. Overall, Texas is 32-26-2 in the 62 bowl appearances they have made.
A former Buckeye leads the Longhorn offense
An interesting storyline in this game will be Quinn Ewers going up against Ohio State. After reclassifying in high school, Ewers came to Columbus in August 2021, but only saw two snaps after C.J. Stroud earned the starting quarterback job. Ewers transferred to Texas, where he originally verbally committed while in high school, following the 2021 season. The quarterback has thrown at least one touchdown in 26 straight games, which is tied with Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders for the longest active streak in the country.
Despite Ewers being one of the most hyped quarterback prospects coming out of high school, the last two years have seen Longhorn fans eager to see Arch Manning on the field. Manning started a few games this year while Ewers was injured. With Ewers now healthy, Sarkisian has used Manning in rushing packages at times recently.
Over the last three games Manning has appeared in he has seven carries. The redshirt freshman wasn’t used in the Peach Bowl. Four of the 13 touchdowns Manning has accounted for have come on the ground, with his last rushing touchdown coming in the 17-7 win over Texas A&M.
After rolling up 292 yards on the ground against Clemson, Texas had a hard time finding holes against Arizona State, only rushing for 53 yards against the Sun Devils. Quintrevion Wisner accounted for the majority of those yards, finishing with 45 yards on 18 carries. The running back position took a hit prior to the season when CJ Baxter suffered a torn ACL.
Wisner and Jaydon Blue have picked up the slack, combining to rush for 1,437 yards and nine touchdowns this season. The two have also been threats to catch the ball out of the backfield, as both have hauled in over 30 passes this season.
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Even though Texas doesn’t have a dominant receiver like a Jeremiah Smith, they have a number of players that can do damage in the passing game. Matthew Golden caught seven passes for 149 yards and a score against Arizona State. Golden leads Longhorn receivers with 738 yards and eight touchdowns this year. The 47 receptions by the junior wide receiver are two shy of tight end Gunnar Helm’s team-high 49 grabs.
Golden, Helm, Isaiah Bond, and DeAndre Moore Jr. all have at least 30 catches and five touchdowns this year, while Ryan Wingo and Silas Bolden each have caught over 20 passes so far this season.
What has helped Ewers and the running backs is familiarity on the offensive line. Along with having future first round pick Kelvin Banks Jr., who won the Outland and Lombardi Awards this year, Texas was one of three FBS teams to have the same five starters in all 12 regular season games. There have been two changes over the last three games. Banks missed the SEC Championship Game due to injury, while right tackle Cameron Williams didn’t play against Arizona State. Center Jake Majors has started a program record 56 games.
Texas two-step on defense
Much like Ohio State, Texas has one of the best defenses in the country. The Longhorns are third in the country in total defense, allowing just 277.7 yards per game, and the 14.5 points per game they are giving up is fourth in the FBS. Texas has forced at least one turnover in 23 straight games, which is the longest active streak in the country.
Recently defensive end Colin Simmons was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year, which a lot of Ohio State fans found laughable considering what Jeremiah Smith has done this season. The Buckeyes can’t overlook Simmons, who has nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss this season. Joining Simmons on the defensive line are Barryn Sorrell, Vernon Broughton, and Trey Moore, who all have at least three sacks this season. Defensive tackle Alfred Collins has made. a habit out of getting his arms in passing lanes, breaking up seven passes this season.
The leader of the Texas defense is undoubtedly Anthony Hill Jr. The linebacker leads the team with 90 tackles, 16 TFLs, and four forced fumbles. The 7.5 sacks Hill has this season ranks second on the team behind Simmons. Other linebackers who will see plenty of playing time on Friday night for the Longhorns are David Gbenda and Liona Lefau. Gbenda has 55 tackles this season, while Lefau has 46 stops.
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Colin Simmons wasn’t the only Texas defender to earn some hardware this season. Defensive back Jahdae Barron won the Jim Thorpe Award, which is awarded annually to the best defensive back in the country. Barron intercepted five passes and broke up nine passes this season. In the win over Arizona State, Barron led the Longhorns with 11 tackles.
Right behind Barron in the interception department is Andrew Mukuba. The Clemson transfer safety picked off a Sam Leavitt pass last week, which was his fourth interception on the season. Rounding out the secondary are cornerbacks Jaylon Guilbeau, Malik Muhammad, Jelani McDonald, and safety Michael Taaffee.
Prediction
No disrespect to Texas since they have put together a fine season, but Ohio State is on a different level right now. The Buckeyes just ran right through the top ranked team in the country, barely breaking a sweat in the 41-21 win over Oregon. When the defensive line of the Buckeyes is playing like they did last week, Ohio State is unbeatable.
Just look at the differences in their first meeting with the Ducks as opposed to the Rose Bowl. In the first meeting, the Buckeyes weren’t able to generate any pressure, which allowed Dillon Gabriel to pick apart the secondary. On Wednesday, Gabriel barely had any time to breathe in the pocket, resulting in Ohio State cruising to victory.
The Buckeyes are going to have their work cut out for them trying to get by Banks and the rest of the Texas offensive line to get to Ewers. If Ohio State is able to do so, the Longhorns are in big trouble since Ewers isn’t all that mobile. Even if Ewers can stay upright, pressure could force him into making some mistakes. While Ewers does throw some beautiful passes, at times his decision making is inconsistent, which could allow the Buckeyes to pick off a couple passes.
This game feels like it is Ohio State’s to lose. There has been a lot of criticism about the schedule of the Longhorns during the regular season. Texas lost both games they played against Georgia, and their most impressive win came over an overrated Texas A&M squad.
Despite Texas being able to beat Michigan while Ohio State couldn’t, the loss by the Buckeyes to the Wolverines has to be attributed to Michigan being inside head coach Ryan Day’s head, especially after seeing how Ohio State has responded in the two games since. Even last week’s victory over Arizona State was a play away from being a loss had the Sun Devils come up with a stop on fourth down in overtime.
If the Buckeyes are able to start off the game by putting points on the scoreboard early like they did against Tennessee and Oregon, Texas doesn’t have much of a chance. An issue for most of the season for Ohio State was slow starts to games, which resulted in some games being closer than they should have been.
When the Buckeyes put their opponents in a hole early and make them one dimensional, it plays right into the hands of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who will dial up the pressure. Ohio State evens up the series with Texas as they earn a spot in the College Football Playoff Championship Game next Monday.
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 37, Texas 21