Texas had 50 seconds left to claim the second and final spot in the national championship.
No. 2 Washington had a six point lead over No. 3 Texas going into the final drive of the 2024 Allstate Sugar Bowl. Texas, which trailed by at most 13 points in the fourth quarter, almost pulled off a miracle in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
The Texas defense stopped the powerful Washington offense one final time, giving the offense one last chance to score.
Washington’s punter Jack McAllister punted the ball away to an awaiting Jordan Whittington with 50 seconds left. The senior wide receiver called for the fair catch on Texas’ own 16-yard line, but as he caught the ball, Washington defender Keith Reynolds failed to move out of his way and clipped his side.
The 15-yard penalty for fair catch interference moved Texas’ starting field position up to the 31 yard line. With 45 seconds left, sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers returned to the field to attempt to bring Texas back to the national championship for the first time in 14 years.
“There’s a belief in our style and what we do and I think it showed this season,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “There were a lot of games that came down to the wire for us this year and we found a way to win and we put ourselves in position again tonight to have the chance to win the game. It just didn’t happen. That just speaks to the mental toughness that these guys have, the resiliency and also the connection that they have for one another.”
On first and second down, Ewers tried to connect with junior tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders. Both times the ball sailed right past an onlooking Sanders. On third-and-10 with 28 seconds left, Whittington made what could’ve been the biggest catch of his career.
Whittington caught the ball for a 41 yard gain and brought Texas into Washington’s territory. The catch kept Texas’ national championship hopes alive. In his final game as a Texas Longhorn, Whittington and his team fell just short.
“I try to stay positive but I’m honestly just heartbroken,” Whittington said. “It physically hurt in my chest after we lost. We felt magical the whole time, we felt like it was already written. No matter what happened, I didn’t know that it was going to come down to the last 10 seconds from six yards away but we didn’t waver one time. That’s why I love this university and I love this team.”
Whittington returned to play his final season after almost quitting football due to injury. His effort gave Texas a chance, but the Longhorns ultimately ran out of time.
After Whittington’s catch, Ewers connected with sophomore running back Jaydon Blue for a 16 yard gain to move Texas up to the 12 yard line with 15 seconds left.
Washington called its final timeout, giving Texas time to prepare to find the end zone.
After a loss of one yard and two incompletions, Ewers turned to junior wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. With one second left, Ewers threw the ball to the back right corner of the end zone. Mitchell and his defender rose up for the ball, but it was batted away before Mitchell could catch it. Time expired along with Texas’ national championship hopes.
“It was tough, especially losing a close game like this,” Ewers said. “I’m proud of the way that we attacked each week and for us to have the opportunity, the whole team is beyond grateful for this opportunity that we had today. I think we all played our hearts out. I don’t question anybody’s effort in that locker room at all, but I couldn’t be more proud of the way that we attacked this year.”
Sarkisian had similar praise for his team and wants his players to be set up for success, not just in football, but in life after the sport is over. With the loss, Texas finished the season with a 12–2 record, its best since 2009.
In 2021, Texas finished 5–7. Now, preparing to join the SEC, the Longhorns have shaped up to prove they can compete with the best of the best.
“All you can do is put forth maximum effort in your preparation,” Sarkisian said. “Get yourself in the right frame of mind and then play as hard as you can and in the end somebody’s gonna win and somebody’s gonna lose. Either way, that should build character and that shows that you help these guys in whatever they end up going to do in life, how to go about your business on a daily basis and put yourself in a position to be successful.”
