The Ohio State University's triumph over the Texas Longhorns was the most dramatic College Football Playoff win the Buckeyes had in a dominant run to their ninth national championship as a program.
It could've had more drama if Arch Manning was healthy the whole game. Alas, Quinn Ewers couldn't meet the moment, Jack Sawyer did, and OSU's defense caused the play of the game en route to a 28-14 victory.
Cleveland.com's Stefan Krajisnik recalled Sawyer's game-winning scoop-and-score after a strip-sack on his former teammate in Columbus, Ohio, during the 2025 Cotton Bowl -- and mentioned the mind wandering as it pertains to the hypothetical of an available Manning.
"Ohio State’s goal-line defense was powerful throughout the 2024 season, so saying, 'What if Texas had punched it in on its penultimate drive of the Cotton Bowl' would sell OSU short," Krajisnik wrote.
"There was no world in which that task was going to be easy against the Buckeyes.
"However, thinking about Manning’s impact had he been available does let the mind wander.
"Manning had four rushing touchdowns last season, and two were from inside the 1-yard line. Having him on the field instead of Ewers could have opened up coach Steve Sarkisian’s playbook a touch.
"Instead, Texas failed to score and defensive end Jack Sawyer delivered the signature moment of Ohio State’s title run."
We all know Steve Sarkisian would've gotten gun-shy, or really, stayed gun-shy and kept Manning on the bench in that moment if he had the chance to deploy him.
That Sawyer touchdown was written in the stars. Sarkisian was always going to be loyal to Ewers. Not to mention, irreparable damage would've been done to Ewers' psyche if he were pulled on a decisive play against his former school, even if the Longhorns had won.
It all worked out how it was supposed to. We'll see how it works out when Arch actually gets Sarkisian's unconditional vote of confidence and visits "The Shoe" on August 30.