Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) scores a touchdown on a 75-yard touchdown catch and run against Texas Longhorns in the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January, 10, 2025. Credit: Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
By Sam Neumann on

Chris Fowler was ready.

The Texas Longhorns? Not so much.

Just before halftime in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, ESPN’s lead college football play-by-play voice saw a play unfold before it happened. He didn’t make as much of a prediction as Tim Tebow did on the ESPN2 broadcast with Pat McAfee; rather, he called it as he saw it.

“Henderson can make a house call from anywhere.”

TreVeyon Henderson had a convoy of blockers in front of him, but surely Texas wouldn’t allow a touchdown with under 30 seconds to play before halftime. Not on a screen pass. Not with Ohio State seemingly willing to go into the break at seven apiece.

But Fowler called it.

The senior running back, who hails from Hopewell, Virginia, is known as a home run hitter for a reason. And in continuing to use the baseball analogies, Texas’ defense (and his offensive line) placed the ball on a tee, and he swung for the fences.

He didn’t stop running until he reached Austin.

“[Will] Howard, how aggressive will they be in the final seconds? Henderson can make a house call from anywhere,” said Fowler. “And look out! He might just do it! TreVeyon Henderson gets momentum back for Ohio State! 75 yards! Wow!”

Wow is right.

Not just because Henderson turned the game on its head in the middle eight but because Fowler saw it unfolding in real-time. Did he know Ohio State was going to score a touchdown? Obviously not. But he had a funny feeling Henderson could break one at any time.

And he did just that.

Fowler’s seen a thing or two in ESPN’s college football broadcast booth. It helps that he’s alongside Kirk Herbstreit in the booth, but he’s no slouch himself. Awful Announcing’s readers ranked Fowler and Herbstreit as the No. 1 announcing crew in college football. And it’s not because they just call the big games; it’s because they know how to capture them, too.

Fowler’s instincts as a broadcaster were right there on full display. There’s a reason he’s the soundtrack to some of the game’s most memorable plays, and it’s not just because his network owns the rights. This is a network in ESPN that has Dave Pasch, Sean McDonough and Joe Tessitore ā€” some really, really good announcers.

But Fowler is a class of his own, as he captured the essence of a moment that defined Friday night’s game.

Itā€™s one thing to narrate whatā€™s happening on the field; itā€™s another to anticipate it, frame it and make the audience feel like theyā€™re witnessing history before itā€™s fully written.

A “hell of a call” by Fowler, indeed.

Henderson might have delivered the highlight, but Fowler owned that moment.

And Fowler’s call? As sharp and explosive as Hendersonā€™s run itself.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann