Steve Sarkisian, players explain goal-line call that spoiled Texas' season and ended Quinn Ewers' career

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas was on the edge of the end zone with a chance to tie the game with only minutes remaining in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State. The Longhorns had the ball with first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. After a pass interference call on the Buckeyes, it was first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. 

At that point, almost nothing bad can happen. As a play caller, you have four plays to reach the end zone. As long as your calls go forward, you're unlikely to lose much ground. Even if you get stuffed, the opposing offense starts in the shadow of their own end zone. Ironically, Texas learned this the hard way in the Peach Bowl when Arizona State forced a safety after a red zone stop. 

For quarterback Quinn Ewers, it was set to be a validating moment. The Longhorns were major underdogs and Ewers made a handful of miraculous plays in the second half to swing the game, including a long pass to tight end Gunner Helm and magical toss to a running back while being tackled for a third-and-10 conversion. 

There's only two rules when facing a goal line stand: Don't give up ground, and don't turn the ball over. With their season on the line, in the 16th game of the season, in the final game for numerous mainstays of the program, Texas failed on both counts in a decision that iced a 28-14 loss against Ohio State. 

Texas ran a dive with their heavy set and running back Jerrick Gibson. It went nowhere. On second down, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian dialed up a bizarre, inexplicable, unacceptable call -- a toss sweep to running back Quintrevion Wisner to the short side of the field. Ohio State's uber talented secondary jumped all over it. Thanks to the play, 2nd-and-1 turned into 3rd-and-8. A likely tie game turned into a dire situation. 

"That's one of those plays, if you block it all right, you get into the end zone," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. "We didn't, and we lost quite a bit of yardage." 

Technically, Sarkisian is correct. If any play is executed perfectly and not defended, it will result in a touchdown. But in a game where Ohio State owned the perimeter, the idea of calmly locking down the Buckeyes' secondary is ambitious to say the least. 

We asked our college football analyst Blake Brockermeyer, who was a first-team All-American offensive lineman at Texas, to take a look at the All-22 and break down the play.

"All three WRs and the tight end were blocking play side. they all got beat quickly. (Left tackle) Kelvin Banks didn't get out on the safety -- or the safety got out quicker than Kelvin Banks did -- and then Texas was a man short, really. The only way they could have blocked that was have the center and left guard push front side and get to an extra guy, but I don't think there's any way left guard Hayden Conner could have slid all the way over to an extra man. They could do it against like New Mexico State or something, but not Ohio State. Essentially, they were a man short. Ohio State called the perfect blitz and it was not blocked very well at the point by the receivers or Banks, who is usually fantastic. The Buckeyes had the perfect call against it."

"They just outnumbered the play, [Caleb] Downs came through and made a play on Tre [Wisner] and when I was kicking out my guy, that made Tre kind of have to bounce it wider than the design of the play," Banks said.

There's plenty of other options to consider. There's a quarterback sneak from Ewers. There's the Arch Manning red zone package. The much speedier Jaydon Blue would have been a better choice on such a play. Instead, the call was to get Wisner outside against Ohio State and some of the best safeties in college football. 

"It was just a busted up play," Wisner said. "They executed at a high level and we weren't able to execute it." 

"I think a Philly Special or some sort of misdirection deal would have had Texas walking into the end zone, but Ohio State is so good straight-up," Brockermeyer said. 

Following the play, Texas still had two shots into the end zone to tie the game. Ewers missed Ryan Wingo on the first throw. On the second, Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer whipped right tackle Cam Williams, strip-sacked Ewers and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown. 

"I felt him and I started drifting away," Ewers said. "I thought I was going to be able to get the ball off before he got there." 

When offenses are forced to pass, it allows edge rushers to pin their ears back and eat. Against Ohio State, that's a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Texas struggled all season in the red area and after the game, Longhorns fans dug up old content about Sarkisian's one-year stint as OC of the Atlanta Falcons, who were also plagued by red zone issues. 

For how bad the toss call was by Sarkisian, the defensive play by Sawyer will go down in Ohio State history books. The play single-handedly clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship and vanquished Texas. It brought Sawyer to 4.5 sacks in the playoff alone and helped establish his case as a program legend. 

The Buckeyes are now set to play for their first national championship since 2020. Ohio State is searching for its first title since 2014. Texas fans will have to wait for at least another year. 

For Ewers, the moment was extra painful. He told ESPN before the game in a pre-recorded interview he expects to be finished playing college football after 2024. He started three years for Texas and the program is ready for the Arch Manning era to begin. Even though he has a year of eligibility remaining, Ewers is expected to depart for the NFL. 

There were moments of brilliance, like the second half scoring drive or pair of touchdowns to Blue. There were moments of frustration, like a whiffed downfield pass and stepping into pressure. And in the middle, there's the moments of Ewers failed by his running game and play-caller. 

If Ewers declares for the 2025 NFL Draft as expected, his final play in a Texas jersey will be an interception (during the ensuing drive, down two scores). His last image will be laying on the turf looking back as his former Ohio State roommate Sawyer rumbled for a touchdown, costing the Longhorns a shot at the national championship. 

The present has not always been kind to the No. 1 overall recruit that led absolutely led Texas back, to a 21-5 record in two seasons with a conference championship. History will look back much more fondly to the Ewers era at Texas. 

"Human nature in this day and age is to look at Twitter, look at Instagram, look at social media and articles written and fan boards and whatever else," Sarkisian said. "You can ride that emotional roller coaster of whatever you think public opinion could be, but this guy never did that. All he did was come to work every day." 

When the Longhorns take the field next season for the first time, it will be against these same Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. The quarterbacks will be different as the Arch Manning and Julian Sayin eras likely kick off. If Vegas lines are to be believed, the Longhorns will open against the reigning national champions. 

But in the shadow of the goal line, with the season on the line, Texas got too cute. And now, for the next 231 days, the Longhorns will have to sit back and wonder what could have been. 

"First and goal on the one we don't score, you, quite frankly, probably don't deserve to win that way," Sarkisian said.