Quinshon Judkins ran for two touchdowns before Jack Sawyer forced a fumble from his former roommate and returned it 83 yards for a game-winning touchdown as Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night and took a shot at its sixth national title secured.

Led by Judkins and Sawyer, the Buckeyes (13-2) earned a semifinal victory in the same stadium where they were champions in the College Football Playoff’s four-team debut a decade ago. Now they have a chance to emerge victorious again in the debut of the expanded 12-team field.

Ohio State plays Orange Bowl champion Notre Dame on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

Sawyer beat Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on a four-and-goal from the 8, knocking the ball loose before picking it up and stumbling to the other end zone with 2:13 left. It was the longest fumble return in CFP history.

Ewers and Sawyer lived in Columbus for a semester before the quarterback transferred to Texas. Ewers helped lead the Longhorns (13-3) to consecutive CFP semifinals, but next season will be their 20th since they won their last national title in 2005 with Vince Young.

Texas had advanced to the 1, aided by two pass interference penalties in the end zone, before Quintrevion Wisner was stopped for a 7-yard loss.

Judkins had a 1-yard touchdown for a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left. That score came four plays after quarterback Will Howard converted a fourth-and-2 from the Texas 34 with a tumbling 18-yard run that nearly set up a score.

Howard was 24 of 33 passing for 289 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was playing his first game at AT&T Stadium since leading Kansas State to a win over undefeated TCU in the Big 12 championship two years ago. During his time at K-State, he was 0-3 as a starter against the Longhorns, including an overtime thriller in Austin last season.

Ewers finished 23 of 39 for 283 yards with two TD passes to Jaydon Blue and an interception after getting the ball back one final time. It may have been his last game for the Longhorns since entering the NFL draft.

The Buckeyes took the lead on their first drive of the game when Judkins scored on a 9-yard run. It looked like they might get off to a fast start again after jumping out to 21-0 and 34-0 leads in their first two playoff games.

But Ohio State then stumbled on four consecutive possessions before Texas made it 7-0 with 29 seconds left in the first half on Ewers’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Blue. Arch Manning, the backup and future starting quarterback, kept that drive going as he converted an 8-yarder on fourth-and-1 from midfield – his only play of the game.

Immediately after Texas’ first TD, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson turned a short pass into a 75-yard touchdown, followed a wall of blockers, darted through an open gap and sprinted into the end zone.

Blue had a tying 26-yard TD catch with 3:12 left in the third quarter. The drive featured a great play by Ewers, who was pulled down by Sawyer on third-and-10 when he managed to sneakily scoop the ball to Wisner for a 13-yard gain.