With 3:54 left in the fourth quarter of the Orange Bowl, Texas was first-and-goal on Ohio State ‘s 1-yard line. On first down, the Longhorns handed the ball off to Jerrick Gibson up the middle for no gain. Instead of trying to punch it through Ohio State’s defensive front again, Texas switched up its strategy.
On second down, Texas ran a sweep for Quintrevion Wisner to the left for a loss of seven yards. On third down, Texas turned to its passing game, but failed to complete a pass Ryan Wingo . Finally, disaster struck on fourth down when Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer stripped quarterback Quinn Ewers and returned the fumble for a touchdown.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Rece Davis reflected on Texas’ questionable play calls in the pivotal red zone drive…