Hot 11: Post Cotton Bowl (Texas)

It was another exciting postseason win for the Buckeyes against Texas and it is not going to be much of a stretch who the No. 1 player in the latest edition of the Hot 11 is.

We try not to let one game change the face of the entire rankings, but remember, you are the ones who vote on these, not the staff.

Jack Sawyer has been more than just a one-game flash for the Buckeyes this postseason however, he has to be playing his best ball right now and the Buckeyes have just one final game as this current edition of the team, a game with Notre Dame for all of the trophies, all of the accolades and all of the love of the College Football world.

Before we get 100-percent into previewing the upcoming game however, let’s look back at the Cotton Bowl against Texas and update our running list of the Hot 11, the top 11 players on the team for the Buckeyes, voted on by you.

Rank	Player	The Details	Last
1.	Jack Sawyer	The play that cemented the win for the Buckeyes, the strip sack and fumble recovery against Quinn Ewers, going 83 yards down the field to punctuate the Ohio State goal line stand and give the Buckeyes breathing room in the final moments of the game. This is what legends are made of, no doubt.	4th
2.	Caleb Downs	Downs had a profound impact on that final drive as well, taking a direct path at Ewers to force him further outside and into the waiting grasp of Lathan Ransom. Downs also sealed the game for good with his interception, which allowed Ohio State to run out the clock.	5th
3.	Will Howard	It wasn’t a perfect game for WIll Howard but he did more than enough to set the Buckeyes up with 289 passing yards and a touchdown. He also almost broke free for a rushing touchdown, if not for the turf monster getting him. Texas did a lot to take away the pass from Ohio State and Howard was still a 72.7-percent passer.	T2nd
4.	TreVeyon Henderson	Henderson started off with a rough moment and a drive-killing penalty, but then made up for it with a simple screen pass that he took to the house for 75 yards at the end of the first half, just after the Horns had to fight to tie the game. Henderson would end the game with 117 yards of total offense and was a key contributor to the offensive efforts.	6th
5.	Donovan Jackson	It is nice being able to talk about the OL and at some points I like talking about one player and other points I would rather talk about the entire unit. Texas brought a lot of pressure in the game and Howard was sacked twice, but make no mistake, Jackson played well in his role, as did the line for large stretches. It was a group effort, we are just giving the notice to Jackson as to the vote breaking that way.	9th
6.	Jeremiah Smith	Texas was not going to let Smith win the game for the Buckeyes and according to the stats, he didn’t with just one catch for three yards. He had another one taken away with a flag and just really was blanketed by two or three guys along the way. The focus on him allowed Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate a chance to be more impactful than ever.	1st
7.	JT Tuimoloau	You can’t have Sawyer on a list without Tuimoloau and vice versa. Another big stat line for JT with 2.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks and seven tackles. A couple of scary moments when JT was on the ground in pain but you knew he wasn’t going to stay out of the game and played through it all.	10th
8.	Cody Simon	Simon had seven tackles of his own and was out there thumping against a Texas team that tried to establish the run. The Horns only were able to rush for 58 yards, 2.0 YPC and Simon played a key role in that along with fellow linebacker Sonny Styles who led the team in tackles.	T2nd
9.	Lathan Ransom	Ransom was able to grab hold of Ewers and hold on as Davison Igbinosun cleaned up the tackle of the Texas QB to turn a goal line drive into a red zone drive and force Texas to abandon the run. Ransom absolutely is not talked about enough for his role with this defense.	8th
10.	Emeka Egbuka	Egbuka saw about the same amount of targets that he would normally get, even if the Buckeyes had fewer offensive plays in this one than in the first two rounds of the playoffs. His five grabs for 51 yards were key as Ohio State kept the clock moving and while the Buckeyes only had three offensive scoring drives, Egbuka was pivotal on two of them (with the Henderson drive only being just the one play).	NR
11.	Tyleik Williams	Williams is seeing more time and making teams pay. He had a PBU, a QB hurry and four tackles as he plugged up the middle for the Buckeyes. With so much focus going on the edge rushers, don’t forget the big guys need love too.	7th