Texas vs Arizona State: Longhorns survive Peach Bowl thriller to reach CFP semifinals

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.

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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.

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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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