'Screw you': Jack Sawyer reveals message from Quinn Ewers after touchdown, what it meant

Ohio State star edge rusher Jack Sawyer made the play of a lifetime on Friday night in the CFP Semifinal between the Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns. Late in the fourth quarter, he drilled Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, where the ball came free, the ball bounced directly into Sawyer’s arms, and he was off to the races. Sawyer returned it 83-yards for scoop and score, and it was the game-sealing play, lifting the Buckeyes to the 2025 National Championship Game against Notre Dame.

Ohio State prevailed 28-14 in the end, and following the thrilling victory, Sawyer spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe about a play that will forever cement him in Buckeye lore. What did the scoop and score mean to him?

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“This means everything to me. God’s blessed this team with so much talent. I kind of blacked out when I ran over. And I picked it up. Coach put us in a great position. Yeah, I mean, I was just put in a good position by the coaches and I saw the ball pop right to me after I tackled him. I was just thinking I gotta keep staying on my feet because like I said I almost blacked out when I saw nothing but green grass ahead of me,” Sawyer said on the field of AT&T Stadium.

Quinn Ewers and Jack Sawyer were actually roommates together at Ohio State. What did the Texas quarterback have to say to Sawyer as he was walking off the field? “He said, ‘Screw you’ and started laughing. You know, that’s my boy. Obviously, we were roommates when he was here. Got a lot of respect for him and the rest of the Texas team. That’s a great team. They took it four quarters. And you know, they had a great season, so I’m happy for them, too,” Sawyer explained.

How was the team able to regroup after the Michigan loss and play for the 2025 National Championship? “You know, we just stayed collectively together. Through the hard times. You know, we leaned all in on our faith in each other. And the coaches. We knew we had to fix some things and we did just that after the game in November. And you see the results right now. Getting back to work, cutting out all the negative stuff, and just going full speed ahead of what’s in front of us,” Sawyer explained.

He’ll be a Buckeye legend for life. How does that sound? “I just want to win a national championship,” Sawyer finished. He was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Cotton Bowl.