Punishing rushing attack leads Texas to berth in Peach Bowl with 38-24 win over Clemson

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said all week that the Longhorns are at their best when they establish the run early on.

It's like he knows what he's talking about.

The fifth-seeded Longhorns rumbled for 292 yards with four touchdowns to defeat Clemson 38-24 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. With the victory, Texas advances to take one fourth-seeded Arizona State in the Peach Bowl for the CFP quarterfinals at noon CT on New Year's Day in Atlanta.

Jaydon Blue ripped off two huge touchdown runs to lead Texas with 146 yards on 14 carries. Blue sped 77 yards to pay dirt with 10:48 left, providing an answer to a Clemson touchdown on the previous drive. He also had a 38-yard scoring run to give the Longhorns a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.

Sarkisian said both touchdown runs came after quarterback Quinn Ewers called audibles into the run plays.

"We needed to run the football to win this game and advance in these playoffs," Sarkisian said. "From the opening meeting getting ready to the intent of which we practiced, I thought we did a great job. There's a lot that goes into the run game, and it takes all 11 guys."

Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 110 yards on 15 carries with a pair of scores, both in the first half. Texas averaged 6.1 yards per carry to Clemson's 3.2, outrushing the Tigers 292-76.

The Texas defense came through late in a game once again with a goal-line stand, keeping the Tigers out of the end zone with two stops at the 1-yard line. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik tried to score on a keeper around the right end but was stuffed on third down, and then Keith Adams Jr. was stacked up at the line of scrimmage on fourth down to give the back to Texas with 7:24 left.

"We got stops when we had to have them, and that's the sign of a great defense," Sarkisian said. "I don't know if this was our best game defensively, but when we needed those big plays, we got them."

The Longhorns had three sacks and seven tackles for loss. Ethan Burke, Barryn Sorrell and Bill Norton notched a sack and Anthony Hill Jr. led the team with nine tackles. Texas broke up eight passes with Jim Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron tallying two. Norton also forced a fumble and Colin Simmons had an interception after Sorrell deflected a pass in the first half.

Ewers finished 17 of 24 passing for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He hit tight end Gunnar Helm for an 18-yard touchdown with 0:28 left in the first half. Helm had six catches for 77 yards to lead Texas receivers.

Klubnik, a state champion quarterback for the Westlake Chaparrals in 2020 and 2021, had a terrific night. He completed 26 of 43 passes for 336 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. TJ Moore had nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.

"Credit to Cade, that kid had a nice ballgame for them," Sarkisian said. "He's a tough guy because there's timing throws and off-schedule plays that he makes."

Texas offensive linemen Cam Williams and Jake Majors suffered injuries during the game and did not return after them. Williams had his leg rolled on by a defender while trying to block and Majors was hit with an illegal blindside block on a Clemson interception return. Sarkisian said Majors could have returned but the coaching staff decided to keep him out the remainder of the game. Williams will get an MRI on his knee to assess his injury.

The Longhorns had two penalties for 10 yards, drastically cutting down their miscues from the Southeastern Conference championship game Dec. 8 against Georgia. Texas gained 494 yards of total offense and 6-for-12 on third down.