ESPN commentators Kirk Herbstreit and Bill LeMonnier teamed up to correctly deduce that Quinn Ewers got an acrobatic pass off in the Cotton Bowl.

On Friday night, Texas was battling Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. After Will Howard led the Buckeyes on a 10-play, 64-yard opening drive downfield that culminated in Quinshon Judkins’ 9-yard touchdown run, Ewers tied the game with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jaydon Blue.

Ohio State reclaimed the lead when TreVeyon Henderson took a screen pass for a 75-yard touchdown into halftime, but Ewers would again tie the game with a touchdown to Blue for the second time in the game. However, there was some controversy over whether the drive should have reached the point.

Facing third-and-10 on the Texas 33-yard line, Ewers faced pressure from the Ohio State rush. As Jack Sawyer brought the quarterback down to the turf, he flipped the ball to Quintrevion Wisner for a 14-yard gain and keep Longhorns hopes to tie the game alive.

The play was immediately reviewed by officials and it wasn’t clear if Ewers had got the ball out before he was down by contact. ESPN commentators Herbstreit and LeMonnier decided to work together to come to a conclusion while the officials were deliberating.

“I’ve got him releasing the ball prior to the knee touching. So I have it as a pass,” DeMonnier confirmed. However, Hersbtreit suggested the pair compartmentalize tasks, saying: “Bill you watch the ball, I’ll watch the knee – you tell me when that ball is out.”

Fractions of a second after LeMonnier said the ball was out, Herbstreit said the knee was down. Herbstreit declared: “I mean, that’s how close we’re talking!”

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Jack Sawyer got his revenge on Quinn Ewers later, sacking him and returning the forced fumble 83 yards for the game-sealing touchdown

Jack Sawyer got his revenge on Quinn Ewers later, sacking him and returning the forced fumble 83 yards for the game-sealing touchdown ( 

Image:

AP)

“I like this teamwork. That was good,” chimed Chris Fowler. “I think the video supports it.”

The referee then confirmed the on-field decision, declaring Ewers had indeed released the ball to Wisner before he was sacked by Sawyer. The quarterback finished the drive by connecting with Blue once again, this time with a 26-yard touchdown strike.

However, Ohio State ultimately hit back and landed the killer blow. Judkins finished off a meticulous 13-play, 88-yard drive downfield with a 1-yard touchdown run before the game was sealed by Sawyer.

Ewers drove the ball to the Buckeyes’ 1-yard line, only for Wisner to get stuffed for a loss of seven. Ewers’ third-down pass fell incomplete and, on fourth-and-goal, Sawyer sacked the quarterback and scooped the ball for an epic game-sealing 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

The next drive ended with another turnover, as a desperate Ewers was intercepted by Caleb Downs to seal the 28-14 win. Ohio State will face Notre Dame, who defeated Penn State on Thursday, in the National Championship on Monday, Jan. 20.