Texas Called Possibly the Worst Sequence of Plays Ever From the 1-Yard Line and Completely Blew a Golden Chance at a National Championship

After a game that was tight the entire way, this was the play that sent Ohio State to the College Football Playoff National Championship and Texas packing in the semi-finals for a second straight year. And if you didn't know how the Longhorns ended up with 4th and goal at the 8-yard line, you might be able to chalk this up to just being unlucky and Jack Sawyer making an incredible play.

But what Texas did to create that situation belongs in the Fuck-Up Hall of Fame.

Ohio State committed pass interference penalties on consecutive plays in the end zone, giving the Horns first and goal from the 1-yard line. It would take a miracle for even OSU's outstanding defense to stop them four times in a row. Or, Steve Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood could call a pitch five yards behind the line of scrimmage against the most athletic defense in the country. It got blown up by Caleb Downs, the Buckeyes forced an incompletion on third down and then Sawyer made the play of the game to end it.

I'm sure there are some that rival it, but given the stakes and the simplicity of what Texas needed to do, I can't think of a worse call in many years than Texas dialing up the toss sweep from the 1-yard line. Sarkisian brought in Arch Manning to run the ball on a crucial fourth down earlier in the game, but for some reason the Longhorns tried to outthink the room with the game on the line. If you get stuffed four times running right up the middle, at least you made the other team nut up and beat you.

Just stunningly bad coaching. Ryan Day was going to have a career reckoning if his team lost this game, but that seems like a play now that there may not be a way back from for Sarkisian. People are going to be talking about that one in Austin for a long time.

I hope the Manning family is on the phone with Sark tomorrow morning and lets him have it.