For sure. One or two plays, the game would have been vastly different. Also, and not sure how you felt about it, it looked like OSU just sorta either ran out of gas in the 4th quarter, or Texas found an extra gear or something. But indeed, Texas had to play perfect, and OSU only had to be average, and miss a FG to lose.
I think Texas' whole attitude and confidence switched on that 4th and 9 (I think it was 9). It was a seriously gutsy call by Sark. I looked it up, it was 4th and 9 with 2:21 to go in the THIRD quarter.
Texas' two prior 2nd half drives went:
- 4 plays, 17 yards, 1:55
- 3 plays, 1 yard, 1:17
Meanwhile Ohio State had a decent drive (6 plays, 36 yards, punt) and a scoring drive (7 plays, 43 yards, FG) to extend the lead to 20 at 23-3.
It feels desperate to go for it on 4th and 9 in your own territory in the third quarter. Truth be told, it WAS desperate. Most teams don't go for it there but most teams don't rally from down by 20. If Texas punts there they just don't have enough time to win without some miracles so I think Sark decided to go for what was realistically a make-or-break moment. If Texas had failed to convert that, they'd have been cooked.
Here is the bigger point, I think: The Broadcast showed Manning's face after the incompletion on 3rd and 9. He was dejected. Of course he was. I think they were out of confidence and just listless. Sark's decision there changed all of that. Manning hit the TE for 9 to get the 1st down in Ohio State territory then hit him again for 22 on the next play to get into scoring position. Texas went on to score and it was 23-10. They never looked back.
On the Ohio State side that play had the opposite effect. After the 3rd and 9 incompletion they were celebrating not only the successful 3rd down stop but basically celebrating the win because they were assuming that Texas would punt and at that point Texas would have been down 20 without the ball going into the 4th quarter. It would have been basically over.
I think Ohio State's defense DID run out of gas but I chalk that up to the ToP issue. Early in the second half Ohio State was winning (ToP and everything else):
- tOSU: Punt: 6 plays, 36 yards, 3:05
- TX: Punt: 4 plays, 17 yards, 1:55
- tOSU: FG: 7 plays, 43 yards, 1:51
- TX: Punt: 3 plays, 1 yard, 1:17
In those first four possessions of the second half Ohio State outscored Texas 3-0, outgained them 79-18, and won ToP 4:56 to 3:12. From there:
- tOSU: Punt: 3 plays, 1 yard, 1:05
- TX: TD: 15 plays, 91 yards, 6:28
- tOSU: Punt: 3 plays, 6 yards, 1:33
- TX: TD: 13 plays, 72 yards, 5:32
- tOSU: Missed FG: 7 plays, 48 yards, 2:28
In those five possessions Texas outscored Ohio State 14-0, outgained them 163-55, and won ToP 12:00 to 5:06 despite only having two possessions to Ohio State's three in that stretch. When Ohio State's defense went back on the field again to try to defend a now one-score lead they were absolutely gassed.
