Steve Sarkisian wins award for worst playcall of all time in CFP

The Texas Longhorns had four chances from the goal line to tie the CFP semifinal. Instead of bullzone into the endzone, they kept backing up, then had to throw on 4th and goal — where Ohio State's Jack Sawyer made a strip sack, scoop-and-score to seal the game for the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

Everybody will talk about that play that ultimately ended Texas’ shot at a national championship. But what we can’t forget is two plays prior, when Steve Sarkisian called a sweep play from the one-yard line and lost seven yards. 

The play made absolutely no sense. Not with the weapons this team has. Sarkisian had utilized misdirection and screen plays all season. In the most important four plays of the year, why drift off plan?

There are so many things the Longhorns could have done on that final drive, but running a sweep against Ohio State’s defense was the worst decision of all. 

Steve Sarkisian refused to use secret weapon late

The most mind-boggling part of the botched play call for a toss play on the one-yard line is they had way more options in that moment to outsmart Ohio State. They could have brought in Arch Manning. 

It seemed like the most obvious selection of plays to go to. Yes, Quinn Ewers was the starting quarterback. But with the game on the line, creativity is paramount. And Sark had already used Manning earlier in the game to convert a fourth and short. 

They could have used Manning as a decoy, they could have ran a naked boot opposite of the originally designed pitch play. They could have ran a jump pass play. Anything to throw Ohio State off their scent. 

But a pitch play from the one yard line was simply irresponsible. Because instead of having one yard to go, the Longhorns had eight after backing themselves up. 

“That's one of those plays if you block it all right, you get in the end zone,” Sarkisian said, according to a USA Today story after the game. “We didn't.”

You could say that about any play. But what he left out was that Ohio State was prepared for the play. Later in the USA Today story, Caleb Downs said the Buckeyes were ready for it. Sarkisian tried to outsmart the Buckeyes. They ended up outsmarting him. 

And it cost the Longhorns their biggest win of the season. It added to the narrative that SEC schools are delusional when it comes to getting into the College Football Playoff. 

Sarkisian had a chance to make Manning a Longhorns legend and potentially put them in the national title game. But he thought too hard about what to do in the most important moment of the game. 

Instead, Sawyer stole the moment. And he stole the last chance the Longhorns had at getting to the national championship game for the first time since 2005.