Notre Dame vs. Ohio State x-factor, and it’s not Will Howard or Jeremiah Smith
After defeating the Texas Longhorns 28–14 in the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State advanced to the national championship game. And defensive end Jack Sawyer is among the players they owe the most for it.
Sawyer might be the deciding factor for Ohio State, but everyone is aware of Buckeyes athletes like quarterback Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith. Even though Sawyer has mostly gone unnoticed, he effectively put a nail in the coffin of Texas’ hopes of winning the game.
That occurred when he caught the recovery from Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, his old roommate, and returned it for a touchdown that went 83 yards and set a new record, bringing the game’s final score to 28-14. After that, Ohio State would take care of business to send them to their final game of the season. In the post-game ESPN broadcast, Sawyer stated, “Quinn was my roommate when he was here.” Quinn and I have a close friendship, so I’m looking forward to playing against him. He is an excellent player who had a fantastic season and career at Texas.
In that same interview, he went on to tell ESPN reporter Holly Rowe that Ewers said, “Screw you.” “That’s my boy,” he said as he left the field.
Sawyer “became a legend” at that very moment, according to Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Sawyer is now a major part of the Buckeyes’ legacy, which is defined by moments like those. After the game, Day told Sawyer’s mother, Michelle Sawyer, that.
Now, as Ohio State gets ready to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the most renowned platform in college football, he will try to duplicate and improve upon that kind of performance.
Before the national championship game, here’s all you need to know about Sawyer.
with one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one pass deflected, and three total tackles, including one solo. The movie demonstrates his effectiveness in pivotal times, even though he did not end at the top of the stat sheet or even very near to it in this game.
Furthermore, it is evident from the statistics alone that he checked off some of the most significant boxes. Sawyer has nine sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one interception, six passes defended, and 56 total tackles (24 solo) going into the CFP national championship game. In the 31-7 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats in November, he recorded seven total tackles, including two solos, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery, which was statistically his finest game of the season.