This is the Texas Longhorns’ first year in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and they have lived up to expectations. Although they did not win the conference championship, the Longhorns still have a chance at the national championship. With a record of 12-2, they finished as the No. 3 team in the country and earned the 5th seed in the inaugural 12-team college playoffs. On December 21, they advanced to the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs by running through the 12th-seeded Clemson Tigers 38-24 in the first round.
I chose the phrase “running through the Clemson Tigers” for a good reason—it perfectly captures the way the Longhorns earned their victory at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. As a team, the Longhorns thundered down the field with an impressive total of 292 rushing yards, with two of their running backs breaking the century mark. Jaydon Blue rushed for 146 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown run. His teammate, Quintrevion Wisner, rushed for 110 yards, with all coming in the first half. Both players scored two rushing touchdowns each.
Following the game, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian highlighted his team’s effective running game.
“I always put up what it takes to win each game,” Sarkisian said. “I cover it from a special team standpoint, an offensive standpoint, a defensive standpoint, and then a team standpoint. One of the first bullet points I put up in this room was ‘run to win’ — that we needed to run the football to win this game. We’re going to need to run the football to advance in these playoffs, and that’s what playoff football is about.”
Clemson scored first. Cade Klubnik, an Austin native, led the Tigers to a touchdown on their opening drive. The Tigers marched down the field with precision on a commanding 12-play drive that covered 77 yards. The excitement peaked when Klubnik found Antonio Williams in the end zone, connecting for a thrilling 22-yard touchdown pass
After Clemson scored, Texas responded with 21 unanswered points. They began with a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers started the game strong, completing his first five passes for 48 yards. The drive was capped off by running back Wisner, who scored on a three-yard touchdown run. Ewers finished the game with 202 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Texas’ defense stepped up and swiftly forced Clemson into a three-and-out, setting the stage for a fierce offensive response. Just moments later, the Longhorns struck gold as Blue burst through the line and raced 38 yards for a stunning rushing touchdown, marking their second score of the game. The momentum continued to build as Texas’s defense made quick work of Clemson again, sending them packing in just four plays. This set the scene for Wisner, who showcased his skill with a powerful 16-yard dash into the end zone for his second touchdown of the half.
After Texas stormed out of the gate, dominating with touchdowns on their first three drives, Clemson finally found their rhythm. They managed to claw back into the game with a 32-yard field goal, narrowing the gap to 21-10. But Texas wasn’t about to let their momentum slip away. In a dazzling display of precision, Ewers linked up with Gunnar Helm for a 19-yard touchdown pass, widening the lead to a commanding 28-10 as the teams headed into halftime.
The Longhorns came out in the second half, orchestrating an impressive 14-play, 71-yard scoring drive that resulted in Bert Auburn’s successful 22-yard field goal. But Clemson swiftly responded with a lightning-fast four-play march, covering 55 yards, capped off by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Klubnik to Jarvis Green to make the score 31-17.
After Clemson’s defense stepped up and forced Texas to punt, the Tigers struck back with an impressive 10-play, 64-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown. Klubnik found T.J. Moore for a seven-yard pass, bringing the score to a thrilling 24-31 and keeping the hopes alive for Clemson. But Texas wasn’t about to sit back and relax. Quickly responding, Ewers connected with Matthew Golden for a short 6-yard completion, and then it was all Blue. With electrifying speed, he sprinted 77 yards down the field, sealing the game with a final score of 38-24.
Clemson’s coach, Dabo Swinney, believed his team had opportunities to win the game and praised his quarterback’s performance.
“We put ourselves in a position to win,” Swinney said. “That young man (Klubnik) has grown into an amazing leader. You’re never out of a game with him.”
Klubnik finished passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback to pass for more than 300 yards against Texas’ defense this season. Despite his impressive statistical output, he expressed disappointment in not securing a victory in his hometown.
“I’m hurting a lot,” Klubnik said. “It was fun to come home, but it was not a vacation. It was time to come win a football game, and we didn’t do that.”
Following the game, Blue highlighted that the team’s strategy was running the ball. This shift in focus came in response to their previous performance, where the Longhorns managed only 31 rushing yards on 28 carries in a loss to Georgia during the SEC championship game.
“Coming into this week, we made an emphasis that we were going to have to run the ball in order to win this game,” Blue said. “The O-line and us in that backfield took a lot of pride on working on it so we would be able to run the ball effectively.”
Texas, the 5th seed, secured a victory that advanced them into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. They will face off against 4th-seeded Arizona State at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on January 1.
“You can’t win four until you win the first one,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We were able to do that, so now we’ve got to win three more. You can’t win three more if you don’t win the next one, so we’ll handle it accordingly with some time for the players over Christmas break, and game-plan with the coaches and make sure that we’re ready to go come Jan. 1.”