Texas' Quinn Ewers begins and ends his career at Ohio State in CFP

ARLINGTON, Texas – Quinn Ewers dropped back to pass with his college career on the line.

When faced with a fourth-and-goal from the 8-yard line late in the fourth quarter, the Texas quarterback looked to tie the game at 21-21 by throwing for a must-win touchdown with 2:13 left had to have. But Jack Sawyer broke free at the edge and sacked the former Ohio State quarterback, returning the fumble for an 83-yard touchdown and sealing the game.

Required reading:It’s Ohio State vs. Notre Dame in the CFP Championship. Everything you need to know about the title game

For Ewers, Sawyer marked the beginning and end of his career.

Ewers, who told ESPN before the Cotton Bowl that he expects to enter the 2025 NFL Draft this offseason, was a roommate of Sawyer’s as a freshman at Ohio State. He probably never imagined that his college career would end with the 6-foot-5 defensive end ultimately ending his season should he decide to forgo his fifth year.

No. 8 Ohio State’s late defensive touchdown was the difference in its 28-14 victory over the No. 5 Longhorns on Friday night in the Cotton Bowl, punching its ticket to the national championship against Notre Dame in Atlanta.

The fumble was something of a turning point for Ewers, albeit in a negative way.

“As (Ewers) walked away, he said, ‘Screw it,’ and started laughing,” Sawyer told ESPN after the game. “That’s my boy, we were roommates when we were here.”

Of course, Ewers wasn’t nearly as excited about the game as Sawyer, although the two still hugged after the game.

“I felt it, I started to drift off,” Ewers said of the play. “I thought I could get the ball out before it got there. It’s not like I tried to give him the game. I saw Jack running down the sideline with the ball. It sucks, man. He’s a great player, a great person, a great human being.

“We were roommates when I was at Ohio State. So, it just sucks. It sucks. But Jack is a great player and he played a great game.”

Required reading:Why did Quinn Ewers transfer from Ohio State to Texas? Explanation of the train before the Cotton Bowl

Ewers finished the game completing 23 of 39 passes for 283 yards with two touchdowns and two turnovers – an interception to Caleb Downs with the play out of reach and the fumble.

The projected NFL draft pick has come a long way in his three seasons with the Longhorns, although it wasn’t enough to reach the national championship. As a redshirt freshman, he completed 58.1% of his passes and led Texas to two consecutive CFP semifinal appearances, both of which ended in narrow losses.

“It’s tough,” Ewers said. “Coach (Steve Sarkisian) did it. It’s the life of a competitor and it definitely sucks being on that side of things. Pretty much two years in a row, the game was decided in one game. And it’s hard. It is difficult.”

Earlier this week, Ewers reflected on his high-profile transfer from Ohio State, where he hadn’t tried to qualify as a soon-to-be high school graduate, being moved up a year to take advantage of the opportunities for name, image and Likeness to benefit No. 1 recruit of his cycle.

Ultimately, it was playing and winning games like the Cotton Bowl that brought him to Columbus in the first place.

“I don’t regret any decision I made,” Ewers said before the game. “The main reason I went (to Ohio State) was because I felt like I had a great relationship with the coaching staff, they were winning a lot of games and I wanted to be a part of something like that.”

“The reason I came back to Texas was one: to be closer to home and just closer to the resources that I have and the relationships that I’ve built over time just because I’m from Texas .”

While the former Buckeye came agonizingly close to bringing his in-state school back to the national championship, Ohio State fans clearly aren’t sad that their former backup quarterback fell short.

However, you may be able to relate to the Buckeyes’ journey in Ewers’ saga, which began and ended almost in a storybook way with Sawyer.

“I just said, ‘Great season,'” Sawyer told Ewers after the game. “He’s a good guy, he’s a great guy and he was my roommate here. He has had a lot of success and is a great person. I just told him, “Cheer up.” “You played a great game and you have a great future ahead of you.”

“Stay in touch soon.”

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