ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 01: The Texas Longhorns’ Arch Manning #16 and Cole Lourd #19 celebrate their victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils 39-31 in the second overtime of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on January 1, 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
When Andrew Mukuba’s interception finally ended a Peach Bowl quarterfinal classic on Wednesday, ATLANTA-Texas avoided the first major upset of the College Football Playoff, defeating Cam Skattebo and Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime and relying on a fourth-and-long touchdown pass to keep the game going.
With a 3-yard touchdown run to begin overtime against No. 4 Texas (13-2), Skattebo gave the Sun Devils their first lead of the day after leading them back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
When Texas faced fourth-and-13 on its first overtime drive, No. 10 Arizona State, a two-touchdown underdog, was about to win, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. However, Matthew Golden broke loose behind two defenders to bring in a 28-yard score after Quinn Ewers spotted him.
On the very next play, Ewers moved to the other end of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and delivered a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helms. He then converted a 2-point throw to Golden.
When Mukuba intercepted Sam Leavitt’s pass at the three-point line to conclude the game, the Longhorns finally put Arizona State (11-3) away.
“We know how to fight,” Jahdae Barron, a defensive back for Texas, stated.
Texas will return home for a Cotton Bowl semifinal matchup against either No. 1 Oregon or No. 6 Ohio State, who were playing in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, following a series of blowout outcomes in the first five games of the expanded 12-team playoff.
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The Longhorns held a fairly comfortable 24-8 lead after scoring two early touchdowns and obtaining a 5-yard score run by Ewers with little over 10 minutes left, despite being dominated on the stat sheet for the majority of the game.
Skattebo and the Sun Devils, meanwhile, were only warming up.
Skattebo, the running back who prides himself on being the best in the country, demonstrated every aspect of his all-around game in a performance that will go down in history.
The Sun Devils had a chance when they converted a 2-point field goal after he first took a pitch on fourth-and-2 and threw a 42-yard touchdown ball to Malik McClain.
The only way to bring him down seemed to be to have his helmet torn off at the end of the play, but Skattebo got away down the sideline and hauled in a 62-yard throw from Leavitt.
It was only fitting that Skattebo also hammered in the 2-point conversion that knotted the game at 24 with five minutes left after that set up a back’s 2-yard touchdown run with the bowling ball.
Texas had two opportunities to win in regulation, but as time ran out, Bert Auburn missed a 48-yard from goal to the right then clanked one off the left upright from 38 yards out.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian remarked, “With all the swings all over the place, it felt like I was watching March Madness.”
Texas only needed two plays to take the lead after Arizona State drove for a field goal on the first drive.
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Ewers went to DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 23-yard scoring pass after connecting with Golden on a 54-yard play.
Both times, Montana Warren was targeted by the Longhorns, who started him in place of Shamari Simmons after the Sun Devils star was disqualified for targeting during the first half of the Big 12 championship game.
Silas Bolden returned the punt 75 yards for another Texas touchdown after Arizona State went three and out. The Longhorns were up 14-3 after only two snaps.
However, as Texas struggled to defeat the Sun Devils, one of the most unexpected teams in the country after being 3-9 the previous season and going mostly undetected until late in the season, any hopes of another CFP thumping were dashed.
Even though Arizona State had a dominant 303-128 lead in total yards and had controlled the ball for almost three times as long as the Longhorns, 32:49 to 11:30, Texas still led 17-8 in the last minute of the third quarter.
In the end, Arizona State outscored the Longhorns by 510 yards to 375.
Skattebo carried for 143 yards, had eight catches for an additional 99 yards, and, of course, had that one big completion even though he puked on the sidelines prior to the start of the fourth quarter.
It was insufficient.
Golden caught seven passes for 149 yards, while Ewers passed for 322 yards.
According to Sarkisian, “I never questioned our resiliency,” “We never back down from a challenge. And tonight, it happened a couple of times.
Texas: Sarkisian was right to commend the Longhorns for their resilience, even though it wasn’t particularly attractive. Since it’s difficult to imagine Texas winning two more games and a national championship without making major progress, this also gives the coaching staff a ton of teaching resources.
Arizona State: Before the fourth quarter, the Sun Devils will look back on all the opportunities they wasted. They were stopped on fourth down in Texas territory three times. Before the first half ended, the Longhorns also stopped a 36-yard field goal attempt. However, this achievement will undoubtedly raise ASU’s profile across the country and give coach Kenny Dillingham’s team a sense of acceptance among the best in the country.
Texas: On January 10, the Longhorns will have the opportunity to play a Cotton Bowl semifinal in Arlington, Texas, which will serve as a de facto home game.
Arizona State will start the 2025 season by hosting Northern Arizona on August 30 in an attempt to build on its incredible comeback.
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