Austin, TX
Texas vs Arizona State: Longhorns survive Peach Bowl thriller to reach CFP semifinals
Alfred Collins on Texas beating Arizona State in CFP Peach Bowl
Texas football defeated Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, 39-31, in overtime.
ATLANTA — After opening the new year in Atlanta, the Texas football team is moving onto Arlington.
Texas survived a fourth-quarter meltdown and Andrew Mukuba’s game-ending interception sealed a double-overtime win Wednesday over Arizona State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That effort in a 39-31 victory made Texas a winner in its first-ever appearance in the Peach Bowl, which was serving this season as a quarterfinal game in the College Football Playoff.
Next up for Texas (13-2) is the Cotton Bowl and the CFP semifinals. The fifth-seeded Longhorns will face either No. 1 Oregon or No. 8 Ohio State at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 10.
BUY TICKETS TO SEE TEXAS PLAY IN COTTON BOWL
After the Sun Devils rallied from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force a 24-24 tie with 5:00 left, Texas kicker Bert Auburn missed two field goals in the final two minutes. After a 38-yard attempt by the fourth-year kicker hit the left upright as time expried, the game was sent into overtime.
In the first overtime session, Arizona State and Texas traded a Cam Skattebo touchdown run for Matthew Golden’s 28-yard score on a fourth-and-13 play. Texas then opened the second overtime session with Quinn Ewers’ 25-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm and Golden’s two-point conversion.
On Arizona State’s ensuing possession, Mukuba intercepted a Sam Leavitt pass to end the game.
Over the first 15 minutes of the Peach Bowl, Arizona State ran 26 plays and held onto the football for 12 minutes and 55 seconds. The Texas offense was on the field for five plays and a total of 125 seconds.
But by the time that the first quarter ended, Texas had been out-gained by just four yards and held a 14-3 lead. The Longhorns had Matthew Golden haul in a 54-yard pass on their first offensive play, and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers followed up that completion with a 23-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. Texas then expanded its lead to 11 points on a 75-yard punt return by Silas Bolden with 7:08 left in the quarter.
In the second quarter, Arizona State (11-3) fell further behind as Texas edge rusher Ethan Burke blocked a 36-yard field goal and the Sun Devils were twice stopped on fourth-down attempts inside of Texas territory. Arizona State opened the second quarter with a fourth-and-2 at the Texas 25, but Cam Skattebo was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Sam Leavitt was later sacked by Trey Moore on a fourth-down try inside of the UT 35.
The stops of Skattebo and Leavitt were specifically notable. In the lead-up to Wednesday, Skattebo had expressed his belief that the Texas defense could not stop him. Leavitt, meanwhile, insisted that he would prove in the Peach Bowl that he was a better quarterback than Ewers.
Leading 17-3 at halftime, Texas stuffed Skattebo again on a fourth-and goal attempt at the 2-yard line in the third quarter. Arizona State managed to turn that fourth-down failure into points as the Texas offense was immediately dropped for a safety, and the Sun Devils then kicked a 36-yard field goal on their ensuing possession.
Texas took a 17-8 lead into the final frame and added to that advantage on Ewers’ 5-yard touchdown run. But Arizona State was not done, and the Sun Devils scored two touchdowns and two two-point conversions within a 91-second span to tie the game with 5:00 remaining.
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Anadolu staff
18 May 2026•Update: 18 May 2026
Two suspects were taken into custody and police continued searching for a third suspect on Sunday following a series of shootings in Austin, Texas that injured four people, authorities said.
Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said the suspects were linked to at least 10 attacks carried out between Saturday and Sunday, adding that one victim sustained serious injuries while three others suffered minor wounds.
Police said the shootings appeared to be random and that no clear motive had been identified. Most incidents occurred in South Austin, including at least two shootings targeting fire stations.
“At this time, the investigation is ongoing, and APD (Austin Police Department) asks that our community remain vigilant,” the department said in a press release.
Authorities lifted a shelter-in-place order that had been issued for parts of South Austin, while a separate order remained in effect Sunday in the nearby Manor area as officers searched for the remaining suspect.
The Austin Fire Department said two of its stations were struck by gunfire in separate incidents late Saturday and Sunday morning, though no firefighters were injured and only minor damage was reported.
Officials urged residents to remain vigilant and asked anyone with information to contact police or Crime Stoppers, a community-based, non-profit program that allows citizens to submit anonymous tips about criminal activity and unsolved cases.
AUSTIN, TX — One person is dead after a vehicle hit a semi-truck and rolled over on US 183 in Northwest Austin early Sunday morning, police said.
Officers responded to the 11200 block of northbound Research Boulevard, near Balcones Woods Drive, at 2:24 a.m.
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The Austin Police Department initially said that one person was taken to the hospital, but later confirmed the person had been pronounced deceased.
The driver of the semi-truck remained at the scene.
All northbound lanes of US 183 near Breaker Lane are shut down. Drivers are advised to expect delays and plan alternate routes.
The Texas Longhorns have continued to take care of business as they attempt to defend their national championship, beginning the NCAA Tournament in commanding fashion.
The Longhorns hit the field for the first game of the Austin Regional on Friday and rolled, taking down Wagner 9-1. And now Texas is into the regional final after a decisive victory on Saturday afternoon.
With a ticket on the line to the regional final the Longhorns would face off against the No. 8-seeded Wisconsin Badgers. And the Longhorns would make quick work of the matchup winning with another run rule game taking down the Badgers 9-0 in six innings.
Texas Gets Off to Quick Start and Doesn’t Look Back
While the Longhorns got through their first game on Friday it was without a bit of struggle having a slow start to begin the ballgame. However, Texas would not have any time struggling to settle into the game against Wisconsin dominating from the first inning.
Texas would get out to an early lead from the jump scoring in the first inning and would not slow down for the rest of the afternoon. The Longhorns would start the game with a three run first inning with junior Viviana Martinez batting in her third run of the Austin Regional.
Getting her bat hot again would be senior Reese Atwood who broke out of a slump of being without a home run for the last seven games. Atwood would break out of the cold streak with a two run blast giving Texas a 3-0 lead they would not look back from.
“It felt good to finally have one leave the yard,” Atwood said. “My confidence comes from my preparation, not my performance or my batting average, so just having confidence that I’m working as hard as I can.”
The Longhorns would score runs in the first three innings of the ballgame putting the contest out of reach before it really had a chance to start. Texas would lead 7-0 from the third inning and would threaten the run rule for the rest of the game.
And the run rule would come into effect in the sixth inning courtesy of a two run home run from junior Kayden Henry. The junior would homer to left field as she ended the game 3-4 from the plate and four RBI.
Just like the Longhorns dominated from inside the batters box they did the same from the circle. Getting her first action of the Austin Regional junior Teagan Kavan would toss five shutout innings allowing just a single hit and struck out eight batters.
The Longhorns now are a game away from hosting a Super Regional on their home field at Red and Charline McCombs Field. While the opponent for Texas in the regional final is still to be determined the game will be on Sunday May 17 at 12:00 p.m. CT.
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