From The Shadows | The Rise Of Nash Savage (CFB25)

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In Closest Heisman Finish Ever, Mosely Edges Ovlovsky For College Football's Most Prestigious Award

New York, NY. - As the 2037 season wore on, it felt inevitable that the Heisman Trophy would return to Austin. Barry Orlovsky’s relentless march through the record books — breaking Ricky Williams’ Texas marks, toppling Derrick Henry’s SEC standards, and creeping closer to Darryl Pope’s NCAA rushing milestones — seemed destined to end under the lights in New York City.

But in one of the most dramatic finishes in Heisman history, it was another Longhorn who heard his name called.

Sophomore defensive end James Mosely, riding a ferocious late-season surge, captured the 2037 Heisman Trophy after one of the closest votes the award has ever seen. Mosely edged out teammate Orlovsky by just 22 points, earning 466 first-place votes to Orlovsky’s 462. Ball State wideout Karlos Farris — the early-season frontrunner before cooling down in November — finished a distant third.

Mosely, who racked up 16 sacks over Texas’ final four games (including 4.5 in the SEC Championship win over Georgia), became only the second defensive end ever to claim college football’s most prestigious award. The first? Jason Veasy, the former Syracuse legend and two-time Heisman winner whose name Mosely has been chasing in the record books all season.

“I didn’t have a speech ready… so bear with me,” Mosely laughed nervously as he took the podium at Jazz at Lincoln Center. “Truthfully, I thought this was Barry’s night. He’s been our heartbeat all year.”

In the audience, Orlovsky stood and applauded his teammate throughout, flashing a wide grin that betrayed no disappointment in falling just short.

“I’m just happy one of us brought it home,” Orlovsky said afterward. “We came into this year with one goal: winning a national title. Heisman or not, that’s still the focus. I want to hold that trophy in Glendale.”

Mosely’s monster season — 55 total tackles, 43 tackles for loss, and 27 sacks — made him only the second player in history (after Veasy in 2030 & 2031) to sweep the Heisman, Walter Camp, Maxwell, Lombardi, Bednarik, and Nagurski awards in a single season.

Orlovsky didn’t leave New York empty-handed. The senior running back added the Doak Walker Award to his trophy case, cementing his place among the greatest rushers in Longhorns history. With 2,277 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns entering the College Football Playoff, Orlovsky is still within striking distance of Pope’s 2032 NCAA records (2,937 yards, 40 touchdowns).

For Texas, the night became a celebration of dominance. Mosely and Orlovsky’s 1-2 finish marked the first time since Veasy and wide receiver Dalton Wear went back-to-back for Syracuse in 2031 that teammates occupied the top two spots in Heisman voting.

As the Longhorns now prepare for a CFP quarterfinal showdown, their twin stars remain locked in on finishing the job.

“Barry’s been unstoppable. James has been unblockable,” head coach Nash Savage said in a statement. “Now we’ve got three more games to make sure this season ends the way it’s supposed to — with both of them holding the big trophy.”


2037_Yearly_Awards

Award	Name	Team
Heisman	DE James Mosely	Texas
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year	Keenan Bushman	UTSA
Davey O'Brien	QB Richard Gore	Tulane
Chuck Bednarik	DE James Mosely	Texas
Bronco Nagurski	DE James Mosely	Texas
Jim Thrope	FS Bryce Fiedorowicz	Texas
Doak Walker	HB Barry Orlovsky	Texas
Fred Biletnikoff	WR Karlos Farris	Ball State
Lombardi	DE James Mosely	Texas
Johnny Unitas	QB Richard Gore	Tulane
Outland	C Mohammed Keke	SMU
John Mackey	TE Heath Dalton	Texas
Broyels	DC Mark Walker	UTSA
Butkus	LB Esteban Castillo	Texas
Rimington	C Mohammed Keke	SMU
Lou Groza	K Malik Sisk	Bowling Green
Ray Guy	P Chester McMahan	James Madison
Returner of the Year	WR Oscar Perez	Wyoming

[Soapy]

robbed by his own teammate

[Agent]

[redsox907]

robbed by his own teammate

I hadn't even checked the Heisman rankings lately, I assumed it was going to Orlovsky

To be fair, 16 sacks in four games is Heisman worthy

[redsox907]

The Road To Glendale

In a stunning twist to close out Selection Sunday, the undefeated Texas Longhorns — riding a 29-game winning streak and fresh off a second straight SEC crown — were not awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the 2037 College Football Playoff. Instead, that honor went to the Ball State Cardinals, sparking immediate debate across the college football landscape.

“I don’t understand what the committee is looking at here,” an incredulous Pat McAfee exclaimed on ESPN’s CFP Selection Show. “Texas ran through the best of the SEC. They handled Ohio State. They’ve won 29 straight. Ball State? They lost to Michigan two weeks ago! You’re telling me that doesn’t matter?!”

Despite the controversy, the Longhorns may have landed in the more favorable half of the bracket as the No. 2 seed. Texas will play in the Sugar Bowl against the winner of the first-round clash between No. 7 Syracuse (9-3) and No. 10 Old Dominion (12-1).

Meanwhile, top-seeded Ball State will head to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl semifinal, awaiting the survivor of No. 9 Clemson (9-4) and No. 8 Iowa State (9-3).

Rounding out the CFP bracket:

No. 3 West Virginia (12-1), the ACC champion, will take on the winner of No. 6 UTSA (13-0) and No. 11 San Jose State (10-2) in the Orange Bowl.

No. 4 Arkansas (11-2), the Big 12 champion, will face the winner of No. 5 Michigan (10-3) and No. 12 BYU (12-2) in the Cotton Bowl.

It’s a stacked field featuring three undefeated teams — Texas, UTSA, and Old Dominion — and a handful of perennial powers chasing history.

But for the Longhorn faithful, the slight from the committee may light an even bigger fire under Nash Savage’s squad as they look to defend their national title and extend their historic win streak.

[The JZA]

Barry didn't get Heisman???

[Agent]

Ball State bout to beat you in the championship

[redsox907]

Barry didn't get Heisman???

I was quiet shocked at first too. But 16 sacks in 4 games and 27 total was certainly Heisman worthy

Ball State bout to beat you in the championship

Not if I sabotage them first

But seriously, they did beat the Longhorns two years ago in the Quarterfinals, so it is possible

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Longhorns Storm Back From 28-7 Deficit, Advance To Semifinals

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BOXSCORE

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Syracuse	14	21	0	0	35
Texas	0	28	14	16	58

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ScoringSummary

Q	Team	Time	Play	Syracuse	Texas
1st	Syracuse	5:09	Larry McGovern, 7 Yd Run	7	0
1st	Syracuse	2:44	Connor Millard, 49 Yd Pass From Cris Ebron	14	0
2nd	Texas	9:47	Trevor Olson, 2 Yd Run	14	7
2nd	Syracuse	7:47	Garrett Moeller, 57 Yd Pass From Cris Ebron	21	7
2nd	Syracuse	5:11	Garrett Moeller, 16 Yd Pass From Cris Ebron	28	7
2nd	Texas	4:47	Rico Mama, 56 Yd Pass From Emilio Delgado	28	14
2nd	Texas	4:03	Jarrad Frank, Returned Interception 26 Yds	28	21
2nd	Syracuse	0:08	Garrett Moeller, 4 Yd Pass From Cris Ebron	35	21
2nd	Texas	0:00	Rico Mama, 75 Yd Pass From Emilio Delgado	35	28
3rd	Texas	10:51	Prince Oluokon, 75 Yd Pass From Emilio Delgado	35	35
3rd	Texas	4:01	Barry Orlovsky, 9 Yd Run	35	42
4th	Texas	9:50	Barry Orlovsky, 11 Yd Run	35	49
4th	Texas	4:55	Safety	35	51
4th	Texas	3:23	Earl Petty, 7 Yd Run	35	58

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Texas Longhorns
Passing_Stats

Emilio Delgado	21/31, 495 Yds, 3 TD

Rushing_Stats

Barry Orlovsky	15 Att, 104 Yds, 2 TD
Earl Petty	6 Att, 32 Yds, TD
Trevor Olson	5 Att, 30 Yds, TD
Emilio Delgado	1 Att, 7 Yds

Receiving_Stats

Rico Mama	9 Rec, 205 Yds, 2 TD
Earl Petty	4 Rec, 33 Yds
Arie Battles	3 Rec, 38 Yds
Heath Dalton	2 Rec, 66 Yds
Prince Oluokon	2 Rec, 134 Yds, TD
John Silverman	1 Rec, 19 Yds

Defensive_Stats

MLB Timmy Cantwell	12 Tkl, 4 TFL
LB Esteban Castillo	8 Tkl, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks
DE James Mosely	8 Tkl, 5 TFL, 3.5 Sacks
FS Bryce Fiedoworicz	6 Tkl, 2 TFL, INT
CB Jarrad Frank	6 Tkl, TFL, INT
LB Jimmy Vellano	5 Tkl, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks
DT Jon Cummings	2 Tkl, 2 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
MLB Raekwon Robbins	2 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack

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Syracuse Orange
Passing_Stats

Cris Ebron (87)}	30/37, 466 Yds, 4 TD, 2 INT

Rushing_Stats

Cris Ebron (87)	13 Att, -86 Yds
Larry McGovern (88)	11 Att, 46 Yds, TD
Caleb Kriewaldt (83)	6 Att, 33 Yds

Receiving_Stats

Garrett Moeller (89)	8 Rec, 132 Yds, 3 TD
Rudy Grubbs (84)	8 Rec, 123 Yds
Connor Millard (91)	6 Rec, 103 Yds, TD
Larry McGovern (88)	3 Rec, 32 Yds
Ian Ghee (87)	2 Rec, 24 Yds
Teddy Hasselbeck (84)	1 Rec, 15 Yds
Ernie Coker (91)	1 Rec, 1 Yd
Caleb Kriewaldt (83)	1 Rec, 36 Yds

Defensive_Stats

FS Denzel Streeter (82)	9 Tkl
SS Josh Fowler (83)	9 Tkl
CB Jordan Angel (90)	8 Tkl
LB Connor Robinson (85)	5 Tkl, TFL
DE John Ogbu (90)	3 Tkl, TFL

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New Orleans, LA. - For 30 minutes, it looked like Nash Savage’s dream of back-to-back national titles was about to be shattered by his former team. But as the clock hit zero in the 4th quarter, it was the Texas Longhorns celebrating a 58-35 win over Syracuse in the Sugar Bowl — capping one of the most jaw-dropping comebacks in College Football Playoff history.

The Orange came out swinging, silencing a pro-Texas crowd at the Superdome with a blistering 28-7 lead. Quarterback Cris Ebron was flawless in the first half, dissecting Texas’ man coverage en route to four touchdown passes and nearly 400 yards. To make matters worse for the Longhorns, Heisman runner-up Barry Orlovsky exited the game in the first quarter after aggravating a lingering hip injury.

“Down 28-7, Barry in the locker room — nobody blinked,” Savage said postgame. “These guys don’t quit. They never have, and I don’t think they ever will.”

Enter Emilio Delgado. The redshirt freshman, forced to carry the Longhorns’ season on his shoulders, responded with a 56-yard strike to Rico Mama and then watched his defense come alive as Jarrad Frank returned an interception for a touchdown. Suddenly, Syracuse’s 21-point lead was down to 7.

A fumble by tight end Heath Dalton as he prepared to cross the goal line seemed to stall Texas’ momentum, and Ebron made them pay with his third TD pass to Garrett Moeller. But with eight seconds left in the half, Delgado answered once again finding Rico Mama on a post route - splitting the safeties and dashing into the endzone for the 75 yard 1st half ending score. Suddenly, it was 35-28 Syracuse, but the Longhorns had all the momentum. And Delgado was just warming up.

“We just told Emilio, ‘Don’t try to win the game all at once. Play your game.’” Savage said of the halftime conversation with his young quarterback.

And Delgado delivered. On the first play of the second half, he read Syracuse’s press coverage and fired a 75-yard missile to Prince Oluokon, tying the game at 35.

From there, the Texas defense took over. Defensive coordinator Quincey Lincoln scrapped his man coverage plan and switched to a zone-heavy scheme, and the results were devastating for Syracuse. The Longhorns piled up seven second-half sacks and held Ebron and the Orange scoreless the rest of the way.

Among those sacks was history: defensive end James Mosely recorded three in a row on Syracuse’s opening possession of the second half, surpassing Jason Veasy’s NCAA single-season sack record of 29.

“I said before the season he had Veasy-level potential,” Savage smirked postgame. “Now he’s got the record to prove it.”

Orlovsky returned in the second half to finish with 13 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns, helping to ice the game. But it was Delgado who earned hero status, finishing 21-of-31 for 495 yards and three touchdowns in the defining performance of his young career.

“Emilio grew up tonight,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said. “That’s the moment Texas fans will remember when they talk about the Delgado era.”

Ebron’s valiant effort ended with 466 yards and four touchdowns on 30-of-37 passing, but a costly second-half interception and relentless pressure kept him from adding to the Orange’s total.

Texas (14-0) now advances to the Peach Bowl, where they’ll meet No. 3 West Virginia, a 36-26 winner over UTSA. Meanwhile, Ball State — fresh off a dominant 38-10 win over Clemson in the Rose Bowl — will face BYU in the Fiesta Bowl for the other national title berth.

For Texas, the quest for a 30th straight win and a second straight national championship is alive and well — though Savage and his staff will monitor Orlovsky’s status closely heading into Atlanta.
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Mosely making history with his 3rd straight sack - giving him 30 1/2 sacks and the new NCAA single season record.


Cool as a cucumber, Delgado finding Rico Mama to steal the Orange's momentum before the break.


Cris Ebron's 4th touchdown of the 1st half as he surgically dissected the Longhorns defense.


Oluokon racing across the goal line just seconds into the 2nd half as the Longhorns steamrolled Syracuse 30-0 over the final two frames.

[Agent]

Holy hell what a win