Texas' Jahdae Barron is trying to enjoy the moments with the Longhorns while he can

IRVING, Texas (KXAN) — Before the Longhorns' overtime win over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 10, Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron took a moment to appreciate his football family.

Texas is in its 16th game of the season Friday at the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and while Barron hopes they'll get to 17, he said he had to stop and soak in the time leading up to a thrilling 39-31 win over the Sun Devils. He said the team's connection is what he'll remember the most, regardless if they make it to the national championship game.

"I would think last week, just in the hospitality room where everybody was playing games. You could see the whole team in there, everybody was connected. That was a really good vibe," he said. "These last two weeks, just being -- you know, going home for a little vacation and coming back. But really just being with the guys. Like, this is my family."

His time in burnt orange is coming to a close with a professional football career on the horizon. The Jim Thorpe Award winner bet on himself to return for a fifth year, making National Football League teams wait on his superior pass defense and open-field tackling ability. Barron was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, the defensive MVP of the Peach Bowl and a first-team all-Southeastern Conference performer, and while he hopes the honors won't stop just yet, he's living in the present. When asked if he typically reflected on the past knowing the end of his career was coming, he said he tried that and it didn't go well.

"I did that last year, and it messed me up. It messed me up just mentally, things like that," he said. "I'm just going about it, it's just business. We're not promised the next second, so I'm just enjoying every single moment that I have. I'm not looking back. I'm not looking past. I'm just enjoying every single moment, every single second."

Like Texas men's basketball coach Rodney Terry always says, Barron's living where his feet are.

Barron is going to be a key piece in stopping Ohio State's high-flying offense with superstar receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. It's certainly Texas' biggest challenge of the season trying to contain the dynamic pass-catchers, but defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski sees them as just another opponent and the approach to guarding them is the same as guarding anyone else they've played.

"It's no different, it's just that you've got faster, quicker guys," he said. "They're going to catch the ball. They do a good job keeping the ball in front of us, get them on the ground, create some turnovers, get some stops. Anything they do get, we've got to make them earn it."

The Buckeyes also have a pair of elite running backs in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Both could eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier Friday, and Kwiatkowski knows that if quarterback Will Howard and the receivers can't get it going quickly, there are always two monsters to hand the ball off to.

"They've got good backs. The style of offense. The schemes that Coach [Chip] Kelly uses are challenging because they've got so many different ways to run the ball," he said. "I think it's a really balanced offense. So, we've got our hands full."

Winter weather headed for Dallas area could affect game time

For now, the game will kick off at its regularly scheduled time of 6:30 p.m. CT Friday. AT&T Stadium in Arlington is a dome, however, ice and snow are expected for most of Thursday and could cause travel delays and concerns. The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with a forecast of up to three inches of snow possible.

Cotton Bowl officials released a statement Tuesday addressing the potentially hazardous conditions.

We continue to monitor weather reports, and over the last 24 hours, the forecast for later this week has improved according to the National Weather Service. We have been meeting routinely with city officials, the Director of Transportation for North Texas and the College Football Playoff. Should the forecast shift, we are prepared for all contingencies. North Texas highways are already being brined and plans are in place to assure a safe environment for everyone in and around AT&T Stadium on game day. The teams arrive tomorrow, as planned, and the 2025 CFP Semifinal at the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will kick off on Friday evening as scheduled.

AT&T Stadium and Cotton Bowl Classic organizers

The good news is the bad weather should be done late Thursday night with temperatures rising above freezing during the day Friday, helping melt ice and snow and giving crews a better shot at cleaning up roadways for travel.