Texas vs Clemson: Longhorns hold off visiting Tigers in College Football Playoff opener

Posted by Admin December 22, 2024 Football

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(This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.)

For Texas football, winning a national championship is now a four-step process.

Step one? Complete.

Led by running backs Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue, Texas rushed to a 38-24 win over Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday. The 14-point victory at Royal-Memorial Stadium advances Texas (12-2) into a quarterfinal matchup with Arizona State that will take place on Jan. 1 at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium.

The fifth seed in the CFP bracket, Texas fell into a 7-0 hole on Saturday after No. 12 Clemson (10-4) opened the game with a 12-play drive and a 22-yard touchdown pass by Austin native Cade Klubnik. But by halftime, the scoreboard featured Texas holding a 28-10 lead.

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Texas responded to Klubnik’s touchdown toss with three straight scoring drives. Each of those possessions was punctuated by a touchdown run. Quintrevion Wisner scored on 3- and 16-yard rushes, and Jaydon Blue sprinted 38 yards into the end zone on another snap.

Quinn Ewers threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm in the second quarter’s waning seconds, but the Longhorns‘ 18-point halftime advantage was built on a 22-carry, 148-yard rushing attack. That performance came two weeks after Texas rushed 28 times for 31 yards during a loss to Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

After Texas extended its lead to 21 points in the second half, the Tigers rallied behind Klubnik and pulled within 31-24 with 11:43 left. The Longhorns then used a 77-yard touchdown run by Blue to slow down the Tigers before Texas defensive linemen Bill Norton and Barryn Sorrell stuffed a fourth-and-goal attempt at the UT 1 on the subsequent possession.

With a rushing attack that ranked 64th nationally with its average of 164.4 yards per game, Texas ran 48 times for a season-high 292 yards and four scores on Saturday. Blue and Wisner respectively rushed for 146 and 110 yards and became the first Texas duo to rush for 100 yards in the same game since Bijan Robinson and Jonathon Brooks did so in 2022.

Klubnik threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns in his homecoming, but the Westlake High product was unable to get Clemson into the end zone after the Tigers earned a first down at the Texas 5 on a key fourth-quarter drive.

Next up for Texas is its first-ever appearance in the Peach Bowl. Awaiting the Longhorns will be Arizona State, which won the Big 12 championship that Texas secured last year before bolting for the SEC. Texas and Arizona State (11-2) have only played once before, and the Longhorns recorded a 52-34 victory in the 2007 Holiday Bowl.

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