The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is set after the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes (13-2) defeated the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns (13-3) and the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-1) beat the No. 6 seed Penn State Nittany Lions (13-3) in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Both games were decided in the final moments. Notre Dame edged out Penn State with a last-second field goal, winning 27-24. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns after a crucial goal line stand, which led to a fumble return for a touchdown, securing a 28-14 victory.
However, the goal line stand has sparked some debate. Texas found itself with a first-and-goal situation at the one-yard line. Running back Jerrick Gibson attempted a run up the middle but gained no yards on first down. On second down, running back Quintrevion Wisner received a pitch but lost seven yards. On third down, quarterback Quinn Ewers threw an incomplete pass. Finally, Ewers was strip-sacked on fourth down, resulting in a touchdown.
The controversy has arisen from calling a pitch play on second down and the personnel choices at times. On his YouTube channel, “David Pollack College Football,” David Pollack expressed that Texas missed a prime opportunity to field Arch Manning in that scenario. “Maybe put in Arch in that situation,” Pollack said.
“That would have made a lot of sense. You put in Arch earlier in the game in a fourth-and-one situation; why not bring him in the football game right there down near the goal line? Manning, the top player in the 2023 class, is the grandson of legendary college quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of NFL icons Peyton and Eli Manning. He poses a running threat for Texas at quarterback and has even been utilized in short-yardage situations this season, including earlier in the game.
Earlier in the game, Manning successfully gained eight yards on fourth-and-one to secure the first down. This drive culminated in Texas’ first score, tying the game at seven with just 29 seconds left in the first half. However, he didn’t get the ball in this situation, and head coach Steve Sarkisian might look back on that sequence as a missed opportunity.
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