Dallas, TX. - When Texas head coach Nash Savage was caught on a hot mic earlier in the week brushing off Penn State—“Ball State dropped 63 on ’em, we got this”—some wondered if the Nittany Lions would turn that into bulletin board fuel. Backed by their backup quarterback, Rico Rizzo, and a chip on their shoulder, Penn State entered the Cotton Bowl hoping to shock the college football world.
They didn’t.
Texas opened the game with a commanding 13-play touchdown drive, highlighted by a gutsy 4th-and-4 conversion from their own 34-yard line. That early aggression set the tone for a game that was never in doubt. The Longhorns scored on four of their first five possessions, while Penn State’s offense sputtered behind Rizzo, who despite a decent stat line couldn’t find rhythm or consistent protection.
A promising second drive for Penn State was derailed when Rizzo took one of six sacks on the afternoon, pushing them out of field goal range. The Lions still attempted a 58-yarder—but CB George Rubio came flying around the edge and took the kick off the ribs to block it.
“We appreciate him sacrificing his body, but I’d prefer he times the jump better,” Savage quipped afterward.
The Longhorns immediately capitalized on the short field, as Maurice Uwazurike tossed a 1-yard screen pass to Lee Vela for a walk-in touchdown behind a wall of blockers. Uwazurike would later score on a 1-yard keeper and deliver a perfect 40-yard go route to Miguel Jerman to put Texas up 28–0.
Penn State finally broke through with a textbook two-minute drill drive—Rizzo went 7-for-7 for 75 yards—but sacks by CB Juan Ventura and DE James Mosely forced the Lions to settle for a 34-yard field goal just before halftime.
It was 28–3. And if the Nittany Lions hoped to mount a comeback, the opening drive of the second half had to be perfect.
It wasn’t.
Instead, WR Santiago DeCastro lit up returner De’Angelo Braverman with a jarring hit, forcing a fumble. Three plays later, DeCastro was hauling in a 3-yard touchdown pass on the other end.
“Anyone that’s been around our special teams knows the drill,” said Savage. “You get me the rock, I’ll make sure you get it.”
Now trailing 35–3, Penn State finally found life. Rizzo led back-to-back touchdown drives to pull the Lions closer—but Texas countered with a steady scoring march of their own, capped by Lee Vela’s second rushing touchdown of the day.
Still, Penn State had one last gasp. A 64-yard bomb from Rizzo to WR Kelvin Barry had them threatening again, but a 10-yard sack from Thorpe Award winner SS Jayden Singleton stole the air from the drive. Two straight incompletions followed, and the Lions’ final threat was extinguished.
Texas needed just eight plays on the following drive before Uwazurike uncorked his fourth touchdown of the day—a 40-yard strike to WR Prince Oluokon to officially put the game away.
Rizzo would suffer back-to-back sacks on Penn State’s final possession, the final exclamation mark on a suffocating Longhorn defensive effort.
Asked postgame if he owed Penn State head coach Mike Norvell an apology for the hot mic soundbite, Savage just chuckled: “It’s not like I went on national TV and called them ‘clapped cheeks.’ We’re all grown men here.”
When pressed about whether the postgame handshake felt “chilly,” Savage responded with a deadpan stare reminiscent of Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, then simply turned to the next question.
The Longhorns now return to AT&T Stadium in two weeks for the National Championship—on home soil—and they know their opponent. While many expected a long-awaited clash between Savage and former protégé Kadin Semonza, it was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who emerged from the Orange Bowl with a 59–52 win over Ball State.
The Cardinals’ quest for an unprecedented four-peat fell just short. Trailing 45–17 at halftime after five brutal first-half turnovers—including four picks and a strip sack—Ball State mounted a furious rally, outscoring the Irish 35–14 in the second half. They clawed within 52–45, but two more interceptions early in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach, despite a final score with 59 seconds remaining.
For the first time since LSU’s 2028 title win over Notre Dame, neither Syracuse nor Ball State will appear in the National Championship Game.
For Savage, it’s a long-awaited return to the stage many assumed he’d dominate for years. After winning five titles in six years (Ball State in 2027, then four straight with Syracuse from 2028–2031), the winningest coach since 2025 hadn’t returned to the big game since.
His closest attempt had been a semifinal loss to Florida during his first season at Georgia.
“Sometimes you take it for granted,” Savage reflected. “Especially once we got back there so quickly at Syracuse. This time? I’m taking it all in.”
Texas will now seek its first national title since Vince Young’s iconic performance in 2005. They’ve come close twice—falling short in 2010 and 2031—but this time, the path runs through their own backyard.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, will try to capture its second title of the CFP era. The Irish previously won in 2024 but lost title games in both 2026 and 2028.
One game left. One last shot at glory.
"Our time to shine." stated Maurice Uwazurike after his 1 yard touchdown run gave Texas an early 21-0 lead.
Prince Oluokon rising up for the final touchdown of the day for either squad, a 40 yard bomb the DB didn't even bother to contest.
Jayden Singleton egging on the mostly home crowd after one of the Longhorns six sacks. 
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