Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day gave an emotional statement on Buckeye star defensive end Jack Sawyer. The Scarlet and Gray posted a dramatic 28-14 win over No. 3 Texas in the Cotton Bowl to advance to the National Championship Game. A heartbreaking loss to Michigan a month and a half ago has lit a fire under this program, leading to three impressive victories in a row. The Buckeyes have run the gauntlet and now will face No. 5 Notre Dame for all the marbles.

This program has rallied around Day, who had people calling for his firing heading into the College Football Playoff. Showcasing this grit was Jack Sawyer, who made the play of the game Friday night. The senior had an 83-yard scoop-and-score on a fourth and goal for the Longhorns to put the Buckeyes up 28-14 with close to two minutes left in the game. Day reflected in the postgame interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe what this game-sealing play meant to Sawyer's legacy in Columbus.

“To make a play like that in that moment … You wanna leave a legacy behind? You become a legend. He just became a legend at Ohio State.”

Jack Sawyer and Ryan Day are reshaping their legacies at Ohio State

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Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) hugs head coach Ryan Day during the game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

On November 30, Jack Sawyer went viral for all the wrong reasons. The senior was filmed giving an angry NSFW message as Michigan planted a flag on Ohio State's logo. Sawyer has never beaten his school's biggest rival throughout his accomplished career, and it is understandable why he reacted that way, considering the emotion surrounding “The Game.”

Sawyer, however, has responded in the best possible way to this adversity in the postseason. The two-time All-Big Ten selection has recorded four and a half sacks in the Buckeyes' three CFP victories. Overall, Ohio State's defense has been a menace during this stretch. This unit held Texas and Oregon to their lowest-scoring totals of the season, and Tennessee didn't do much better. The defense, particularly Sawyer, will be as crucial as ever against a Notre Dame team that looks to impose its physical will on opponents.

Overall, for a program that has been criticized for its inability to grind out results, Ohio State football showed that quality tonight. Fans might be shocked by Jack Sawyer's game-sealing play, but this team is not. The Buckeyes are playing both disciplined and angry. Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas have already suffered the consequences of running into this buzzsaw. If there's any doubt that Jack Sawyer isn't a Buckeye legend now, the Columbus, Ohio native can leave no doubt on January 20 against Notre Dame.