Quinn Ewers' time at Texas might be over, but there's no denying his impact

ARLINGTON, Texas – Surrounded by cameras and reporters, and escorted by a police officer, Quinn Ewers walked across the field toward the tunnel that would lead to the Texas locker room. He took in the surrounding scene: The screens at AT&T Stadium were lit up in scarlet red with the words "OHIO STATE WINS!" and "CHAMPIONS" in all caps. He acknowledged some Longhorn fans who waited for him to pass by, showing their support for the Texas quarterback with their horns up, while trying to ignore the fact that a trophy presentation was about to take place, and not for his team.

When he reached the end of the turf to make his way into the bowels of the stadium, Ewers turned around, looked back at the field, and kissed the towel around his neck twice. He had done so much on this field – played for a high school state championship, won a Big 12 title, and it might have just been where he played his final college football game.

Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl on Friday night to advance to the CFP National Championship game vs. Notre Dame. This was the second straight year the Longhorns' season ended at this juncture. Last time, they were one play away from beating Washington. This time, they came close to stopping the Buckeyes, but again, could not finish. 

Entering the CFP clash with Ohio State, Texas players spoke of last year's loss to the Huskies and how it set the culture in place for this season. Ewers said he would do "anything it took to get us right back here," and they wanted to take it one step further. 

They nearly did.

Trailing 21-14 with just under seven minutes remaining in the game, Ewers, as calm and steady as he always is, led the Texas offense from its own