5 thoughts from Texas-Clemson: Longhorns resurrect run game in win over Tigers

AUSTIN — In these days of drones, Amazon and DoorDash, there are still times when good old- fashioned ground delivery gets the job done just fine.

Texas may take a plane to Atlanta for the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in two weeks, but it will get there because of the ground game in a 38-24 win over Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. A crowd of 101,150 showed up and even got a rousing round of “Texas … Fight” from Matthew McConaughey.

Facing a team that ranked 73rd in the FBS — and last among CFP participants — in run defense, the Longhorns simply exploited their biggest advantage in rolling up a season-high 292 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Here are five thoughts from what, given the team’ uniforms, simply could have been dubbed the Orange Bowl:

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Texas will face Arizona State and Cam Skattebo in Atlanta on New Year’s Day at the Longhorns’ new home away from home. It will be the Longhorns’ second game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since Dec. 2. The Atlanta Falcons will have only played there once. And Texas would love to make a third trip there for the national championship game Jan. 20. Just so long as it’s not Georgia this time.

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Get ready to hear a lot about Skattebo, though the running back’s performance against Iowa State at AT&T Stadium in the Big 12 Championship should have said enough. Then again, only 55,889 showed up at Jerry World, so maybe he’s still something of a local secret. Anyway, the bullish Skattebo has 1,568 yards on ground, including 494 in his last three games. He’s rushed for eight touchdowns in that stretch.

Not so bad themselves

Maybe nobody, least of all Steve Sarkisian, should sell the Longhorns’ running game short. Other than the two Georgia losses, Texas has been able to run at will. The Longhorns have rushed for at least 200 yards three times in the last four games and four times in the last six.

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Quintrevion Wisner did the hard work and Jaydon Blue broke off a couple of big runs to put Clemson away. Both backs finished with more than 100 yards: 110 for Wisner, who sat out the final three minutes of the second quarter and most of the fourth with a knee injury, and 146 for Blue. It was the first time Texas had a pair of 100-yard backs in the same game since Bijan Robinson and Jonathon Brooks did it against Kansas in 2022.

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Coach Steve Sarkisian said Wisner could have returned, but the Longhorns made the decision to go with Blue late.

Blue broke off touchdown runs of 38 and 77 yards, the last coming three plays after Clemson had cut the lead from 28-10 at halftime to a one-possession game.

After Clemson drove 75 yards on the opening kickoff, the Longhorns answered with their own 75-yard drive with Wisner scoring from 3 yards out. On its next possession, Texas rolled off a five-play, 65-yard drive all on the ground, capped by Blue’s 38-yard touchdown run. Texas scored rushing touchdowns on three consecutive drives. Wisner scored the third from 16 yards out.

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Why they can’t have nice things

Say this for Texas: Anything it does, it does big. That applies to implosions, too. On successive plays with just over three minutes remaining, Texas lost three players and the football.

It began with Quinn Ewers faking a handoff, taking two steps, spinning around and throwing back across the field. It was awkward choreography to start, but that was the best part of the play. Quintrevion Wisner caught the ball, for a loss and was wrapped up by a Clemson defender. Right tackle Cameron Williams got caught up in the whirlwind and when he and Wisner went down, neither got back up initially. Both had to be helped off the field.

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On the next play, a Ewers pass went through the hands of DeAndre Moore and into the arms of Clemson’s R.J. Mickens for an interception. On the play, Texas center Jake Majors took a blindside hit from Clemson’s Tré Williams and lay on the field motionless for a moment.

While Wisner returned for the start of the second half, both linemen remained on the sidelines for the remainder of the game with what Sarkisian called knee injuries. He said both could have returned but Texas opted against it. The Longhorns did a good job of shuffling linemen and did eventually free up Blue on the 77-yard run, but Texas also bogged down at the Clemson 2 on its first drive of the second half.

Reunion time

On state championship weekend, it’s always good for old teammates to get together and reminisce. Well, at least some got together. The first half alone featured an Austin Westlake kid (Texas’ Ethan Burke) sacking a former Westlake teammate (Clemson’s Cade Klubnik). On the other end, a Southlake Carroll kid (Clemson’s R.J. Mickens) intercepted a former Southlake kid (Quinn Ewers), which was about the only time Clemson stopped the Longhorns in the first half. Of course, Westlake and Carroll, with Klubnik and Ewers directing their respective teams, staged a memorable Class 6A championship game. Klubnik walked away a 52-34 winner in that one.

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Stuffed Tigers

It was not Texas’ best defensive game of the season, but the Longhorns did get a huge goal-line stand in the fourth quarter when Clemson once again threatened to make it a one-score game.

With Clemson at third-and-1 from the Texas 1, David Gbenda and Michael Taaffe, another Westlake product, kept Klubnik from getting to the edge. Then on fourth down, nose tackle Bill Norton overpowered Clemson center Ryan Linthicum to stuff Keith Adams cold. Texas took over at its 1.

So far, so good: See photos from Texas' first-round College Football Playoff win over Clemson in Austin 42 images View Gallery

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