Winners and Losers of CFB Playoff Semifinal Games

Brad Shepard@@Brad_ShepardFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 11, 2025Winners and Losers of CFB Playoff Semifinal Games0 of 7

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The College Football Playoff semifinals delivered in a big way.

Now we get to gear up for a showdown between blue-blood powerhouse programs Ohio State and Notre Dame after the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish outmuscled Texas and Penn State to earn a shot at a national title.

The semifinal slate started Thursday night with a brilliant Orange Bowl showdown between Penn State and Notre Dame that featured some bonkers runs and a terrific second half.

The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 10-point lead, and the Irish answered with 17 points of their own only to see PSU respond with 14 straight points to take a seven-point lead. Notre Dame reeled off the final 10, however, to win 27-24 on a 41-yard Mitch Jeter field goal with seven seconds on the clock.

James Franklin is still searching to get the big-game albatross off his back.

Then, in the Cotton Bowl Classic, a memorable 13-play Ohio State scoring drive and a Jack Sawyer scoop-and-score that should be the cover page in the history books gave the Buckeyes a closer-than-the-score-indicates 28-14 win over Texas on Friday night.

Let’s take a look at some winners and losers from a pair of classic battles.

Winner: Jack Sawyer Etching His Name in Buckeye Lore1 of 7

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If he wasn’t already, Jack Sawyer is now an Ohio State legend.

The senior defensive end basically grew up in the shadow of Ohio Stadium, 30 minutes away in Pickerington. When the 5-star edge came out of high school, there was no doubt where he was going to go to play his college ball.

In Friday night’s 28-14 win over the Longhorns, Sawyer etched his name into Ohio State lore, sacking his former Buckeyes roommate Quinn Ewers, forcing a fumble and scooping it up before rumbling 83 yards for the game-clinching touchdown just before the two-minute timeout.

It was arguably one of the top plays in the rich history of the program.

“To make a play like that in that moment, we talked about before the game, you want to leave a legacy behind and become a legend,” coach Ryan Day told ESPN. “He just became a legend at Ohio State.”

After Ohio State’s monumental, go-ahead touchdown drive with 7:02 left, Texas and Ewers marched right back, driving all the way to the 1-yard line where they had first-and-goal. But after stuffing the ‘Horns on first down and stringing out a Quintrevion Wisner run on second down for a 7-yard loss, Ewers had to pass.

Sawyer batted down Ewers’ third-down pass at the line of scrimmage, then he made the play of a lifetime on fourth down. Again, Ohio State turned away an opponent at the goal line after a season in which it led the nation in red-zone touchdown percentage.

For a Buckeyes defense that had controlled the early going only to watch Ewers pick them apart in the fourth quarter, it was a jolt. They had sacked Ewers three times in Texas’ first three drives, but not since then.

Sawyer had enough. The first commitment of the Ryan Day era became the catalyst that secured the Buckeyes’ spot in the national championship game.

Loser: Drew Allar and an Impotent Penn State Passing Game2 of 7

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Penn State redshirt sophomore Drew Allar has first-round talent and the skill set to be elite, but it hasn’t all consistently come together for him as a Nittany Lion yet.

On the season’s biggest stage and with his team needing him to perform at a high level, the signal-caller posted a forgettable showing. Allar made the gaffe of the game on a horrific decision that resulted in a last-minute interception to set up Notre Dame’s 27-24 win.

Truthfully, a controversial officiating call earlier in the fourth quarter bailed Allar out of another terrible throw, too.

Everybody will talk about Allar’s choice to throw late over the middle of the field under duress in the closing seconds, resulting in a Christian Gray interception, and rightfully so.

ESPN @espnNotre Dame picks off Drew Allar late in the fourth 😳 pic.twitter.com/F0SZvM5fFa

But with a little more than eight minutes to go in a tie game, Allar made another errant throw, floating a pass toward the end zone into quadruple coverage, and it was intercepted. However, an interference call on Adon Shuler, who barely touched the would-be receiver (but never turned his head), gave PSU a first down.

Nicholas Singleton scored couple plays later to give the Lions their final lead, and all was momentarily forgotten.

Allar never got going, though. He completed just 12-of-23 passes for a measly 135 yards and the interceptions, and he got the ball to his wide receivers zero times. All this contributes to the definition of terrible quarterback play. To his credit, he acknowledged his performance “wasn’t good enough.”

Winner: No Luck Needed for These Irish3 of 7

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Notre Dame looked left-for-dead at halftime of its semifinal game against Penn State.

Maybe you wrote them off. If so, it wasn’t the first time this year, was it? After all, the Fighting Irish’s early-September loss to Northern Illinois was one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history, and they were a national laughingstock.

Turns out, it was the only blemish on a team that made the semifinals, so being down at the break was far from the end for coach Marcus Freeman, who had a halftime speech for the ages lined up.

“He said, ‘History is written by conquerors, and we’re holding the pen,'” Quarterback Riley Leonard told ESPN after a resounding, 27-24 comeback win. “We decide how we want to write our history. I’m a firm believer whether you think you can or can’t do something, you’re right. We believed that we can do it, and we did it.”

If that’s not the perfect story of the Irish’s season, what is? After digging a 10-0 hole, a 17-point, Leonard-led surge stormed them back.

Penn State answered with a pair of touchdowns of its own, but Leonard hit Jaden Greathouse, who corkscrewed the Penn State defender with a beautiful route, causing him to fall and then raced 54 yards for the game-tying score.

Then, a Christian Gray interception and a huge first-down pass to Greathouse (107 receiving yards) set up Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard game-winner. Heroics abounded, and Leonard was at the center of the maelstrom, despite two interceptions.

“He’s a competitor, and competitors find a way to win,” Freeman told ESPN. “That’s what Riley does. That’s what this team does, it’s a bunch of competitors who find a way.”

Loser: Texas’ Juggernaut Defense in the ‘Short Game’4 of 7

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The Texas defense is elite, and the Longhorns did just about everything possible to earn a chance for a national title.

But with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns’ vaunted, dominant unit simply couldn’t stop a good, old-fashioned Big Ten drive by the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It was a shocking sting to stomach the way they’d handled business until that point to give Texas a chance to come back and win.

They’d shut down Ohio State star freshman Jeremiah Smith (one catch, three yards) by disguising coverages, double-teaming and bracketing by a brilliant safety tandem. After Emeka Egbuka had three catches on the opening touchdown drive, he had just one the rest of the game.

But with those two superstars neutralized, the supporting cast for the Buckeyes took over, marching 88 yards on 13 plays and chewing up 7 minutes, 45 seconds to take the lead at 21-14 with 7:02 left.

Jack Sawyer’s tack-on scoop-and-score sealed the win, but don’t forget about the drive that put the Buckeyes ahead. The biggest play of which was a quarterback power run by Will Howard on 4th-and-2 from the 34-yard line, where he rumbled 18 yards and would have scored had he not tripped.

Quinshon Judkins ultimately scored, and while Smith and Egbuka remained frustrated, their talented teammates took over. Tight end Gee Scott Jr. caught three passes on the drive, Judkins had a pair of catches, and Carnell Tate continued his step-up game with an 18-yard grab.

Texas focused on a couple of towering trees in Ohio State’s offense, but the Buckeyes had a forest of other talented players who picked up the slack.

Winner: Big-Play Gray and Notre Dame’s Clutch Kicker5 of 7

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When they absolutely had to have key plays, Notre Dame got massive moments from a pair of clutch players who’ve “been there, done that” before.

First, cornerback Christian Gray’s diving interception of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with 33 seconds remaining breathed life into the Irish’s opportunity to win in regulation.

In a tied game, Penn State chose to be aggressive on its own side of the field after a first-down run by Nicholas Singleton, and as Allar dropped back, he was pressured by Irish linebacker Jaylen Sneed, causing him to throw late over the middle. Gray was the beneficiary of Allar’s horrific decision.

It wasn’t the first key fourth-quarter pick Gray’s had this year. His pick-six on a would-be game-tying drive by USC late this season ended upset chances and catapulted Notre Dame into the Playoff.

Gray’s pick set up Mitch Jeter’s big kick. The transfer from South Carolina drilled a 41-yarder with seven seconds left to give the Irish the win. After battling injuries all year and struggling by making just half of his 12 field goal attempts, Jeter has been postseason money.

He’s now made 7-of-8 field goals in the Playoff, and he is now 5-of-6 in his career on go-ahead field goals in the fourth quarter. His only miss was a 62-yarder that was blocked by Northern Illinois in the early-season upset.

“He’s been clutch all year,” coach Marcus Freeman said. “Man, that dude, he’s special.

Loser: Little Game James6 of 7

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Don’t feel sorry for Penn State coach James Franklin.

When you talk with as much confidence and say as many brash things as he does, you’ve got to be able to back it up. He made headlines again this week when he called out College Football Playoff opponent Notre Dame for not playing in a conference. It made for a saucy pregame narrative.

Well, how’s this for a postseason storyline? Franklin still struggles to win the big game. You think that’s a tired one, huh? Well, the numbers speak for themselves. After losing 27-24 to the Irish on Thursday night, Franklin is now 4-20 against top-10 opponents as PSU’s coach. He’s 1-15 against top-five teams, including 13 consecutive losses.

When the Lions are also in the top 10, he’s 3-11.

If you’re a Penn State fan, you’re sick of hearing it. But it’s warranted, and nobody is whispering it, anymore.

“And, for James Franklin, desperate search of a big win,” ESPN play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough said after Mitch Jeter’s game-winning kick. “It’s unlikely it’s going to come tonight.”

It didn’t. Fans and national media alike took to social media to question why Franklin would be so aggressive on his own side of the field and 40 seconds to go in a tie game. Of course, you know the old adage about hindsight having perfect vision, but that’s the thing with a choke-worthy record in big games like Franklin’s.

Kayce Smith @KayceSmithTurns out, James Franklin still can’t win a big game.

Jake “JBOY” Crain @JakeCrain_Have to feel for James Franklin and PSU fans man.

Good coach and person but still can’t come through in the clutchest moments.

Everything is under a magnifying glass in the biggest moments, and for whatever reason, Franklin turns into A-Rod in the World Series when the brightest lights are shining.

Winner: TreVeyon Henderson’s Momentum Magnet7 of 7

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TreVeyon Henderson is a human Pop Rock in a Coke bottle, ready for somebody to unscrew the cap so he can explode.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly popped the top at the end of the first half, and the Buckeyes’ veteran running back’s gargantuan play seized back the momentum and set the tone for the rest of the College Football Playoff semifinal win over Texas.

After the Longhorns scored to tie the game at 7-all with just 29 seconds remaining in the first half, you’d think the Buckeyes would just be content running a time or two and taking it to the break since they received the second-half kick.

Instead, Kelly put the ball in the hands of a delivery man.

The ‘Horns rushed four at Ohio State quarterback Will Howard on first down, dropping everybody else back. The veteran signal-caller floated a screen pass over the oncoming defenders to Henderson, who had sprinting offensive linemen in front of him.

The speedster waited on the blocks, sprinted through a seam and raced 75 yards for a go-ahead touchdown to stun the house and put the Buckeyes right back on top.

Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShowTREVEYON HENDERSON 💨💨

SHOT AHT OF A CANNON

TOUCHDAHN OHIO STATE#PMSCFPESPN2 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/OVivxe6Cmb

It was also vindication for an earlier personal foul penalty where Henderson hit a Texas lineman in the face, drawing a flag and stunting a drive. “He’s been around for a long time, so we trust him,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day told ESPN at the half.

In a largely burnt-orange AT&T Stadium, it was like all the energy got sucked out.