By Sam Khan Jr., Grace Raynor and Doug Haller
AUSTIN, Texas — Fifth-seeded Texas held on Saturday afternoon to top 12-seed Clemson 38-24 in a first-round College Football Playoff game at Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium.
It was the first meeting between the national championship programs, which pitched the first game of the first round that was competitive well into the second half, with Clemson closing the gap to seven points early in the fourth quarter. But Texas (12-2) always had a response. The Longhorns finished with 292 yards rushing on a sunny, 60-degree day in Austin.
Texas advances to face No. 4 seed Arizona State on Jan. 1 in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Clemson (10-4), which won the ACC title game to make the Playoff, was making its seventh CFP appearance under Dabo Swinney, but is first in four years.
The Athletic’s analysis:
Texas’ run game makes the difference
The formula for slowing down Texas’ offense has been cut-and-dried: Stop the run, and you can keep the Longhorns from lighting up the scoreboard. If Texas gets in a groove, good luck.
The Longhorns set the tone early, utilizing both Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue to dice up the Clemson defense. Texas had 121 first-half rushing yards, but the Tigers showed signs of being able to contain the run in the third quarter, holding Texas to just 3.1 yards per rush.
But after the Tigers narrowed Texas’ lead to just a touchdown, the Longhorns imposed their will, trusting their offensive line and letting Blue do the rest. His 77-yard touchdown run with 10:48 to play gave Texas the breathing room it needed to stave off the Tigers’ rally.
The Longhorns’ ground performance is all the more impressive when accounting for the injuries they suffered up front. Right tackle Cam Williams and center Jake Majors both left the game in the second quarter with injuries. The Longhorns had to shuffle their offensive line, moving left guard Hayden Conner to center, subbing in Trevor Goosby at right tackle and Cole Hutson at left guard. That the group finished the way they did in spite of the shifting personnel is encouraging for Texas as it looks ahead to the quarterfinal. — Khan
Clemson’s defense can’t hold up against the run
The Tigers entered Saturday with a questionable-at-best run defense that ranked No. 74 nationally and gave up an average of 150.5 yards per game on the ground.
It only got worse for Clemson on Saturday against a bigger, stronger Texas team that had no problem picking up chunk plays — including the 77-yard run in the fourth quarter from Blue that sealed the Tigers’ fate.
The Longhorns rushed for 148 yards in the first half alone, averaging 6.7 yards per rush on 22 carries. The one-two punch of Wisner and Blue was too much for a Clemson defense that has struggled to set the edges all season and couldn’t find a way to stop Texas downhill.
That opened the passing game up for Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, who had a 43-yard pass to Matthew Golden on the Longhorns’ third drive that set Texas up for an eventual 16-yard touchdown run. Texas finished the first half with 289 yards of total offense, averaging 8.03 yards per play.
To Clemson’s credit, the Tigers appeared to make adjustments at halftime and held Texas to 3.1 yards per carry in the third quarter. Texas also went 2-of-5 on third down in the third.
But after the Tigers offense made it a one-score game thanks to a gritty drive behind quarterback Cade Klubnik, playing in his hometown, Blue took off for the 77-yard touchdown run.
On a night when Clemson knew the Longhorns defense was going to be the best it had seen all year, Swinney and defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin were always going to need their own defense to counter Ewers and the Texas offense. It couldn’t hold up. — Raynor
Texas defense does its part
Klubnik certainly had his moments, particularly in the second half, hitting big plays. But Texas’ defense did enough early on to disrupt the Tigers, allowing the Longhorns to build a lead.
Texas’ defensive front did a good job of keeping Clemson’s running game in check, with a 41-yard run by Clemson receiver Adam Randall serving as the only big run play the Longhorns’ yielded. Klubnik, who is typically reliable as a run threat, was also largely kept quiet in that facet.
And in crunch time, when the Longhorns needed a stop on fourth-and-goal to prevent the Tigers from narrowing the gap to one score again, they got it. Defensive tackle Bill Norton used all 335 of his pounds to move Clemson right guard Walker Parks, plug up the middle and tackle running back Keith Adams Jr. short of the goal line.
Klubnik’s ability to hit big plays in the passing game in the second half is certainly something Texas will look to clean up, but for the most part, the Longhorns did what they needed to defensively. — Khan
Missed opportunities for Tigers
For as much as Texas seemed to control this game, the Tigers weren’t without their opportunities. And when Swinney looks back at this tape, there are several series he’ll wish his team had back.
It started in the first half. After the Tigers put together an impressive, methodical opening drive that ended with a touchdown, Randall ripped off a 41-yard run on the third drive of the game. Randall, a receiver, helped out at running back on Saturday due to injuries at the position that decimated Clemson’s depth. And when he took off downfield, it felt like the Tigers were in position to tie the score at 14. But Clemson punted that series, unable to sustain the drive.
Also in the first half, safety RJ Mickens had what would’ve been a pick six, but it was called back for an illegal blindside block on defensive tackle Tre Williams. The offense had to settle for a field goal on the ensuing drive. Sophomore cornerback Aveion Terrell dropped a would-be interception just before the half and moments before Texas scored another touchdown.
And when the Clemson defense finally caught a break in the first half and stopped Texas for a turnover on downs, the Tigers offense couldn’t cash in on the next drive and punted instead.
Klubnik put together a gritty drive early in the fourth quarter that culminated with him hitting freshman receiver T.J. Moore over the middle for a touchdown on fourth-and-sixth that made it a one-score game. But then the defense broke again on the Blue run. — Raynor
Texas gets hot Big 12 champ and star RB Skattebo next in Atlanta
Since losing Oct. 19 at Cincinnati — a game played without injured quarterback Sam Leavitt — Arizona State has been on a roll. The Sun Devils won six in a row to win the Big 12 championship and capture the CFP’s fourth seed. They’ve gotten better every week.
But Texas will be their biggest test. Entering Saturday, the Longhorns boasted the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense (giving up 12.5 points per game) and its No. 13 rushing defense (106.4 yards). The Sun Devils will counter with Cam Skattebo, a first-team All-American who finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting. Skattebo thought he deserved better — he says he’s the best running back in the country — and will try to prove as much on the biggest stage of his life.
Arizona State has personnel issues. The Sun Devils won’t have receiver Jordyn Tyson, a third-team All-American who suffered a season-ending collarbone injury Nov. 30 against rival Arizona. In addition, safety Shamari Simmons is expected to miss the first half because of a targeting penalty that happened in the fourth quarter of the Big 12 championship game.
Turnovers will be key. Texas is among the best at forcing them, as only Notre Dame and James Madison forced more entering the playoff. But Arizona State excelled with ball security, committing only eight turnovers, fewer than every team but Vanderbilt.
Texas has an edge in big-game experience. The Longhorns made last season’s CFP, while the Sun Devils, picked to finish last in this season’s Big 12, are living a fairytale. Coincidentally, the last time Arizona State surprised in such a way unfolded in 2007. The Sun Devils won eight in a row to open the season, reaching No. 6 in the national polls. At 10-2, they met Texas in the Holiday Bowl. The Longhorns won in a rout, 52-34. — Haller
(Photo of Texas running back Jaydon Blue and Clemson defender Wade Woodaz: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
