Deep in the heart of Texas, the Buckeyes had to fight, scratch and claw through enemy territory on their way to the national title game.

Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer ran a fumble back 83 yards for a touchdown to seal the Buckeyes' 28-14 win over Texas on Friday night in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Sawyer hit Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers before he could throw before scooping up the bouncing football and housing it for a game-defining play in a tightly contested Cotton Bowl.

It couldn't have been scripted more poetically or heartbreakingly, but the way Ohio State secured its College Football Playoff semifinal win over Texas on Friday felt cinematic. Trailing by a touchdown with a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter of