What to know about Ohio State's playoff semifinal against Texas in the Cotton Bowl

ARLINGTON, Texas (WCMH) -- The Buckeyes are just 60 minutes away from returning to college football's biggest stage.

Sixth-seeded Ohio State and No. 3 Texas will meet in the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. Friday for a spot in the national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta. The winner of Thursday's Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame awaits the winner.

"In the playoffs, things can come down to one play, and obviously, we want to leave no doubt
and make sure that it's not like that," quarterback Will Howard said. "But we know that we're playing a really good team in Texas. We've just got to keep playing free, playing with an edge, and doing what we've been doing."

Here are four things to know ahead of Friday's semifinal:

It's personal for Will Howard

The Buckeyes have no shortage of motivation going into their second-consecutive Cotton Bowl. Members of last year's team look for redemption after falling flat against Missouri in last year's edition. The players also look to deliver for coach Ryan Day, who took the brunt of the fallout from the loss to Michigan.

But for Howard, he seeks an elusive win against the team that haunted his career at Kansas State. During his time with the Wildcats, Howard faced the Longhorns three times. In 2020, Texas handily outmatched K-State 69-31. The following year, the Wildcats played a closer affair, falling 22-17. And last season, Howard and Kansas State lost in a 33-30 overtime thriller.

"That was the only team I didn't beat when I was in the Big 12," Howard said. " So, yeah, there's definitely, personally for me, a little extra motivation there, because I never got the chance to beat these guys. Played them four years. I mean, they're always a good team, but I don't think -- none of those games were unwinnable. So definitely excited to get another chance at these guys."

Against Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Howard threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, improving his season averages in passing efficiency (175.82) and completion percentage (72.6) to one of the best in the country. Howard attributes much of his success at Ohio State to his relationship with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

"I think something profound that Coach [Chip] Kelly told me pretty early on in my career here was don't make things happen, just let it happen. Just let the game come to you. Be a game manager, take care of the football, make good decisions, and keep us on track," Howard said.

Former Buckeye looks to deliver for Longhorns

Four years ago, Texas native Quinn Ewers skipped his senior season of high school to enroll at Ohio State, which was the start of a long and winding road as a college quarterback, who signed a scholarship offer when he was in eighth grade.

"Well, he was one of the first eighth graders that I ever offered. He was in our camp
here in the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center]," Day said. "And I saw a young -- he was a boy at the time, really, who just had a tremendous release."

But after spending one season as the backup behind CJ Stroud, Ewers decided to join the Longhorns under coach Steve Sarkisian. As a three-year starter, Ewers has led Texas to 27 wins in 35 starts and is the only quarterback to lead his team to back-to-back playoff semifinals. He's riding a 26-game streak with at least one passing touchdown, dating to the 2022 season.

"From afar, I've watched him, and he's got a lot of talent. He's a really good player. He comes from a great family and he's had a great career at Texas," Day said. "And a lot of people here still have good relationships with him and think the world of him."

Ewers said he learned a lot in his short time as a Buckeye and looked back fondly on being roommates with Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer.

"I felt like I belonged there. It's going to be fun to get to see those guys," Ewers said. "The reason that I came back to Texas was, one, to be closer to where I'm from and just closer to the resources that I have and the relationships that I've built over time just being from Texas."

Healthy defense seeks repeat performance

The Ohio State defense kept Oregon out of the endzone during much of the first half while the Buckeyes sprinted out to a 34-0 lead. This season, the unit has allowed only 18 touchdowns, the fewest in the nation.

OSU's rushing defense ranks in the top five in the country, allowing an average of 92.2 yards a game. In the Rose Bowl, the Ducks had negative 23 yards on the ground.

That's bad news for a Texas offense that has struggled to run in recent games. Against Arizona State at the Peach Bowl, the Longhorns only put up 53 rushing yards. In the SEC championship against Georgia, Texas ran the ball for 31 yards.

But Day knows that the Longhorns can find other ways to score.

"I look at their offensive line, the coaches, their running backs, and I know that they're very, very talented. They're very good. So we're going to have to be at our best, I know that," Day said. "We know when we get to this point in the playoffs, we're going to be playing against great players and great scheme. And we know that this offense has a chance to be very, very explosive."

The OSU defense sacked Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel eight times, effectively shutting down the Ducks offense. And the Buckeyes feed off of what their own offense does in games.

"When you see the offense going out there, putting up points, succeeding at the level they're doing, it really motivates us to go do the same thing, keep getting them the ball back," defensive tackle Tyleik Williams said. "When they build a lead like they've done these last two games, it makes it easier on us as a defense, because it makes the offense we're going against one-dimensional."

Ready for the moment

Two wins away from crossing off their ultimate objective, the Buckeyes take the field at AT&T Stadium on a mission.

"We don't need any extra motivation to win this game, but one thing that does motivate our team is an opportunity for the team to play for another week together," Day said. "And this is a great group of guys that cares a lot about each other, have fun with each other. They love competing with each other."

Friday marks Ohio State's sixth appearance in a playoff semifinal and a victory would put the Buckeyes back in the title game for the first time since 2020. For tight end Gee Scott, making it this far is a testament to how the team has grown seek the beginning of the season.

"You've got to upgrade. That's the big motto that we have on this team, that you have to upgrade week by week. That the team that you were last week or the team that you were in Week 5 just isn't good enough to compete in the College Football Playoffs," Scott said. "So the goal is to continue to upgrade every single week, and then you'll look back and see how far along you've come."