While he was a quarterback at Florida, Tim Tebow was one of the greatest players in college football history. While his athleticism was one reason, Tebow, like other greats, had a knack for knowing what would work in big spots.
During Friday’s College Football semifinal between the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes, Tebow showed that off.
With the game tied at 14 in the fourth quarter and Ohio State facing a fourth-and-two, Tebow, who was on the call with Pat McAfee’s Altcast of the Cotton Bowl, suggested that it might be a good time for Buckeyes’ quarterback Will Howard to show off his legs.
“You know one other thing that we haven’t seen today? We haven’t seen a keep by Will Howard,” Tebow said. “On a zone read, when they think it’s going to TreVeyon [Henderson] or Quinshon [Judkins], that could be a really perfect time to pull that out. Because he’s a capable runner. Just as the Big XII what he did to ’em.”
As it turned out, Tebow’s prediction was very prescient. Howard took the snap out of the shotgun and began to run. The quarterback sprinted through a hole in the line of scrimmage and easily picked up the first down. In fact, it looked as though Howard might score on the play — but he lost his balance and fell.
Tim Tebow — on the Pat McAfee broadcast — was all over the Will Howard keeper run on 4th-and-2 for Ohio State. 🏈🎙️🎯#CFP pic.twitter.com/SBITryFwkJ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 11, 2025
“Perfect time for it,” Tebow said.
“Great call by you,” McAfee replied.
While Howard didn’t score on the play, his play set up what would be the winning score. Four plays later, Quinshon Judkins put Ohio State back on top with a one-yard touchdown run. The Buckeyes sealed the game on the next possession when linebacker Jack Sawyer stripped Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers of the ball, recovered the fumble and sprinted down the sideline for a game-clinching touchdown.
