ESPN analyst calls out Steve Sarkisian’s 'inexplicable' playcall in Texas’ Cotton Bowl Loss to Ohio State

The play that defined Friday night's Cotton Bowl volition undoubtedly spell down arsenic Jack Sawyer's game-changing 83-yard strip-sack fumble instrumentality touchdown. It not lone enactment Ohio State up 28-14 but besides sealed the Buckeyes' summons to the nationalist title game. Even ESPN expert Kirk Herbstreit, a erstwhile Ohio State alum, declared it 1 of the astir memorable plays successful Buckeye history.

However, it was the series starring up to that infinitesimal that genuinely shifted the game’s momentum.

Trailing 21-14 midway done the 4th quarter, Texas was mounting a promising thrust aft Ohio State had countered their third-quarter resurgence. The Longhorns precocious to the Buckeyes’ one-yard enactment and looked poised to necktie the game.

On archetypal down, a tally by Jerrick Gibson was stuffed astatine the line. Then, caput manager Steve Sarkisian made a astonishing determination connected 2nd down, calling for a flip to Quintrevion Wisner. The effect was disastrous—a seven-yard nonaccomplishment that killed the drive’s momentum.

The Longhorns couldn’t recover. Quinn Ewers’ third-down walk to Ryan Wingo fell incomplete, mounting up the fourth-down play that ended successful Sawyer’s unforgettable antiaircraft touchdown.

Sarkisian, often praised arsenic 1 of assemblage football’s champion play-callers, drew wide disapproval for his decision-making, including from ESPN’s Peter Burns.

“That 2nd down flip play mightiness person been 1 of the worst calls successful the past of modern assemblage football,” Burns posted connected X, alongside inactive shots of the play. The images showed Ewers pitching the shot from the nine-yard line, contempt it being second-and-1 astatine the one-yard line.

Burns softened his critique somewhat successful a follow-up post, acknowledging Sarkisian’s second-half adjustments.

“As inexplicable arsenic the flip play was from the 1-yard line…the world is that Texas wouldn’t person been backmost successful that crippled unless Sark cooked with the playcalling successful the 2nd half. The full acquisition of Texas’ play each successful 1 fractional of football," Burns said.

This marks the 2nd consecutive twelvemonth Texas has reached and mislaid successful the College Football Playoff semifinal. While the nonaccomplishment stings, it’s wide that the programme has travel a agelong mode nether Sarkisian’s leadership. Whether Texas is “back” remains a debated question, but the Longhorns are undeniably successful a amended spot than they were conscionable a fewer years ago.