The play—which sealed the 28–14 win for Ohio State and Sawyer said led Ewers to tell him "Screw you!" as the quarterback walked off the field—capped an unbelievable three-game run for Sawyer, and all but sent the Buckeyes to the national championship against Notre Dame on Jan. 20.

Sawyer forced a fumble, recovered it and ran it back for the touchdown in the final moments of the national championship game. It was one of the defining moments of the season.

It felt like forever. The run felt like forever. The jaunt. The trot. Call it what you want. A rumble. It looked like forever, too. All 260 pounds of Jack Sawyer racing — is that the right word? — down the sideline.