COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — After the 41-21 win over Oregon, the celebrations from the Rose Bowl faded quickly as the Buckeyes turned their attention to their next opponent: Texas.
As the Buckeyes prepare for their second straight Cotton Bowl appearance, the Longhorns stand in the way of OSU making its first College Football Playoff national championship in four years.
“It’s an SEC team, so it’s the SEC in the way, and they’ve got a lot of great players up front and they’re kind of banking on you guys losing your one-on-ones and stuff like that,” sophomore offensive lineman Luke Montgomery said. “So I think it’s an amazing opportunity to go and show how confident we are and go out and play our ball.”
AT&T Stadium is a familiar venue for the Buckeyes. It’s where the program captured its last national championship when Ohio State defeated the Ducks in 2015. The home of the Dallas Cowboys is also where the 2023 campaign ended when OSU fell to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
Montgomery, who has seen increased reps on the offensive line in recent games, says this team is different than the one that took the field against the Tigers.
“I would say this one is definitely the closest as a team,” Montgomery said. “We’ve all been around each other. I think just the ups and downs this year, it’s been a whirlwind, like I said. We just continue to get closer and closer through every game. Obviously, we don’t want it to end, so we have an opportunity and a chance for one more game to play, and we’re going to go out and give it our all, and hopefully that’s enough to get us to the next one.”
While quarterback Will Howard didn’t join the Buckeyes until this past offseason, he has his own history with AT&T Stadium and the Longhorns. Texas remains a team that Howard has yet to beat, going 0-4 during his time at Kansas State.
“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. Last year we lost in overtime,” Howard said. “So definitely excited to get another chance at these guys.”
If there’s one person every Buckeye is playing for, it’s head coach Ryan Day, who a month ago was facing the fallout from losing to Michigan in the regular season finale.
“Coach Day is the best coach in the nation. We come in here and we see the work that he puts in. He’s here all day every day,” sophomore receiver Brandon Inniss said. “And to have a guy like that, you want to play for him. And coach Day is like no other coach I’ve ever had in my life.”
The Buckeyes will practice again in Columbus on Monday before departing on Wednesday for Dallas. Kickoff for the Cotton Bowl is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
