Cotton Bowl: Seen And Heard On The Field, Under The Stadium

Ohio State’s semifinal performance and big plays were on display for all to see Friday night. But the reactions and things said by the head coach and the night’s brightest stars – after most fans turned off the TV and turned in – revealed some of the stories behind the success.

Arlington, TX – Ryan Day jumped into big Jack Sawyer’s arms, tens of thousands celebrated the Buckeyes, and a dense shower of confetti covered the turf of AT&T Stadium.

The spoils of winning a big game.

Eventually the party moved inside where more embraces and smiles ensued. But not just because the Buckeyes won a big game. Those actions come from love. If you’ve played on or coached a close team, you get that.

The Buckeyes get it, and after they defeated Texas 28-14 in a College Football Playoff semifinal Friday night in the Cotton Bowl, the emotion gushed like a dormant geyser suddenly unleashed.

The Buckeyes’ ultimate goal remains – a hoped-for victory over Notre Dame in next Monday’s national championship game in Atlanta – but this win, and the way Sawyer made it happen with a strip sack and 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown, was cause for a merrier celebration than after playoff wins over Tennessee and Oregon.

The Buckeyes paused the exuberance to sing “Carmen Ohio” with their band and loyal fans. They walked into the tunnel to more cheers. They celebrated loudly in their locker room. Ryan Day — in case you haven’t seen the video — shouted “Goin’ to the Natty!” and the players roared approval.

Then the head coach and the stars of the game sped away on a golf cart down the highway that encircles the vast underbelly of Jerry’s World.

They were dropped off at the interview room with the efficiency of an Uber ride. Once inside, quarterback Will Howard sat next to Day and enthusiastically answered questions about Ohio State’s victory.

Howard talked about how much he loves everyone and everything about The Ohio State University. His reasons for wishing he had more time to be a Buckeye are many. But a primary reason he left Kansas State — a place he loved — for his final year of eligibility was to learn from Day how to be a better quarterback and increase his appeal to NFL teams.

“I wish I had more time with Coach Day,” Howard said. “I’ve gotten so much better because of him and because of Coach [Chip] Kelly and because of [tight ends coach Keenan] Bailey and just being here.”

Howard knows he’s appreciated within the program and that his leadership is respected because of the relationships he’s built.

“I’ve gotten to be so close with guys like Jack [Sawyer] and guys like Emeka [Egbuka] and guys like Seth [McLaughlin] and all these guys that I only have one year with,” he said, leaning forward into the mic. “But the job’s not finished, and we’ve got to go out there and finish this thing.”

When Day began to talk about him, Howard leaned back in his chair. But he couldn’t hide from the spotlight that shines on his position as quarterback on a team that will play for a national championship. Howard’s humility was evident in his body language as Day praised him. But no matter how much Howard shifted uncomfortably in his chair and looked straight ahead, Day kept going.

“When I see him get around our team, when I saw him on stage tonight, when I saw him embracing everybody in the locker room, this guy loves his teammates,” Day said. “He’s only been here a year, but in such a short period of time, he’s made such an amazing impact on our team.”

There’s more.

“He’s made an impact on me,” Day continued. “There are times where I’m coming to work and, who knows, maybe I’m down, maybe I’m stressed, maybe I’m whatever, and this guy, he picks me up. He has an amazing approach on life, and I told his parents that. They’ve done a great job with him. But he’s also done it himself, the positive mindset that he has.”

Howard’s leadership struck Day as extraordinary the day All-American center Seth McLaughlin was injured in practice and lost for the season.

“It was a really tough loss for us,” Day said. “Seth was doing a great job, and Will and Seth had a great relationship. In that practice, Will showed me some of the best leadership I’ve ever seen.”

Within the story of the 2024-25 Buckeyes are many individual stories like Howard’s. For Sawyer, the man of the hour and into Ohio State football infinity for his defensive play of the century, the story is much different.

Sawyer, from nearby Pickerington North High School, never wanted to play for any team other than Ohio State. After a visit, his dad urged patience and told his son they would take other visits. But a few hours later Sawyer called Ohio State and committed. He was the first player to commit to Day after he became head coach.

“And the guy over there,” Day said as he look past Howard to Sawyer, “I don’t know if there’s anyone – sure, we can argue about it – who loves being a Buckeye more. This is somebody who grew up in Columbus, who has always wanted to be a Buckeye, who has always wanted for a moment like this. So to see him get the moment that he had today …”

In the middle of the on-field, post-game chaos, ESPN’s Holly Rowe was interviewing Sawyer when Caleb Downs ran up to Sawyer. Downs, uninhibited by the TV camera, put a chain around Sawyer’s neck with a big “Top 10” hanging from it, signifying Sawyer had made a Sportscenter Top 10 play.

“Top 10, man,” Downs shouted, “Top 10, man. Top 10 man.”

Sawyer finally paused from the interview, slapped hands and hugged Downs. Then he saw Nina Day and R.J. Day and hugged them before turning his attention back to the interview.

“He’s become like family to me,” Day said. “He has to me and my wife and my kids.”

Sawyer’s career as a three-year starter has been up and down. When the Buckeyes’ pass rush is lacking, he’s one of the guys who gets blamed. When the Buckeyes lost at Oregon, Sawyer and his defensive mates took the blame and turned their season around to become the best defense in the country.

“I just love stories of guys who go through difficult times, stay loyal, defend the people they love the most, and then come out the back end,” Day said of Sawyer. “This guy was never stronger than when we needed him the most during difficult times.”

Woody Hayes – the standard bearer of what it means to be the Ohio State football coach – wrote a book titled “You Win With People.”

On Friday night after the Buckeyes had vanquished another foe in their championship path, Coach Day looked to his left, embraced the stories of two football players he loves, wished he had time to talk about others, and witnessed exactly what Woody meant.

He saw the kind of people it takes to win.