After narrowly escaping Arizona State within the Faculty Soccer Playoff quarterfinals,\u00a0Texas football<\/a>\u00a0continues its march towards this system\u2019s first championship recreation since 2010 in a semifinal against Ohio State<\/a> Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Seeded fifth, the\u00a0Longhorns<\/a>\u00a0are underdogs against the No. 8 Buckeyes<\/a>, which marks the primary time since a September 2023 journey to Alabama that the Longhorns<\/a> aren\u2019t the favourite. Texas boasts a veteran squad competing in its second consecutive CFP that\u2019s led by a three-year beginning quarterback in Quinn Ewers<\/a>. However a well-rounded Ohio State squad anchored by the nation\u2019s No. 1 protection has picked up steam within the postseason\u00a0whereas walloping Tennessee and top-seede Oregon.
The winner of this recreation will advance to the CFP ultimate at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Jan. 20 towards both Notre Dame or Penn State.
Comply with alongside right here for updates:
This part will probably be up to date when the sport begins<\/em>
Extra:<\/strong>Texas football vs Ohio State: UT defense facing another mobile quarterback in Will Howard<\/a>
In a sit-down interview between Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers<\/a> and ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Ewers mentioned that he doesn’t anticipate to play faculty soccer subsequent season. Ewers, a three-year starter for the Longhorns, does have a yr of collegiate eligibility left however has indicated since final spring that the 2024 marketing campaign would possible be his ultimate collegiate season.
Till the published of the interview with Thamel Saturday, Ewers had not made any particular assertion on his future. Sophomore Arch Manning, a backup the previous two seasons, is predicted to imagine the beginning function subsequent season for Texas.
May Texas use Will Stone at kicker<\/a> instead of Bert Auburn? It is positively a risk primarily based on Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s feedback earlier within the week in addition to some media experiences stating Stone will get the beginning.
“We’ll monitor that factor via pregame and decide and go,” Sarkisian informed reporters throughout media availability Thursday.
Texas kicker Bert Auburn is the college’s all-time chief in made discipline targets and he has been answerable for a team-high 112 factors this season. Auburn, although, is simply 16-for-25 on his discipline targets this season, and that 64% success price ranks one hundred and fifth nationally. Auburn has missed 4 discipline targets in his final three video games, and two of these misses occurred within the ultimate two minutes of the\u00a0Peach Bowl’s fourth quarter on Jan. 1 while Texas was attempting to break<\/a>.
If Texas does bench Auburn, Stone could be his logical substitute. An Austin native and a Texas junior, Stone has by no means tried a discipline purpose on the collegiate stage. However Stone has dealt with kickoff duties for Texas for the previous three seasons and is on scholarship. Stone made a 54-yard discipline purpose\u00a0during his senior season at Regents High in 2021<\/a>.
Texas’ recreation vs. Ohio State in a CFP semifinal will probably be broadcast on ESPN. Streaming choices for the sport embody\u00a0ESPN+ and\u00a0Fubo, which is offering a free trial<\/a>\u00a0for its streaming service.
Extra:<\/strong>Texas vs Ohio State: Longtime Longhorn QB Quinn Ewers reflects on his time as a Buckeye<\/a>
Thomas Jones, Texas beat author<\/strong>
Ohio State 27, Texas 25<\/strong>
TEXAS GETS THE BOOT<\/strong>
The Longhorns could have home-field benefit, however the shaky particular groups will show the distinction in a recreation that options as many as two dozen gamers that would go within the 2025 NFL draft. Don\u2019t be shocked if some fourth-down calls by Sarkisian in crucial moments of the sport mirror his concern within the kicking recreation.
Cedric Golden, Columnist<\/strong>
Texas 34, Ohio State 30<\/strong>\u00a0
QUINN MIGHTY AGAIN FOR TEXAS<\/strong>
Quinn Ewers saved the season<\/a>\u00a0towards Arizona State and if Texas can get a semblance of a run recreation going towards the No. 5 dashing protection within the nation, it can open up this offense for Ewers to make the play-action recreation click on. It\u2019s a fourth-quarter recreation and the Horns will pull it off<\/a>.
Danny Davis, Texas beat author<\/strong>
Texas<\/strong>
SPECIAL WIN FOR TEXAS<\/strong>
Each Texas and Ohio State have nice defenses and offensive standouts, so this can be a coin flip for me. The Longhorns will shock the world and Vegas oddsmakers. Not by profitable (a No. 5 seed beating a No. 8 seed shouldn’t be an upset), however by making a play on particular groups to safe a visit to the nationwide championship recreation.
David Eckert, Texas insider<\/strong>
Ohio State 31, Texas 24<\/strong>\u00a0
BALANCING ACT ENOUGH FOR OHIO STATE<\/strong>
Ohio State is the extra balanced group on this matchup, and that\u2019ll be the explanation the Buckeyes<\/a> depart Arlington with a victory. Texas has leaned on its dominant protection to compensate for an underperforming and mistake-prone offense and misfiring particular groups unit, however that hasn\u2019t been sufficient in the one two video games the Longhorns have performed towards a group with comparable athleticism and dimension.\u00a0
Sport traces and odds from\u00a0BetMGM<\/a>\u00a0as of Friday:
Texas: RB CJ Baxter (out), RB Christian Clark (out), RB Velton Gardner (out), DB Derek Williams Jr. (out), QB Trey Owens (out), OL Cam Williams (questionable), WR Isaiah Bond (possible).
Ohio State: OL Zen Michalski (out), WR Reis Stocksdale (out), RB Rashid SeSay (out), OL Seth McLaughlin, OL Josh Simmons (out), TE Jace Middleton (questionable), WR Nolan Baudo (questionable).
This recreation will probably be performed indoors, although North Texas is anticipating near-freezing temperatures.<\/p>\n