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3 takeaways from a Texas trouncing in the first round of the College Football Playoff
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Texas handled Clemson at home on Saturday evening to advance to the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, where it will face Arizona State, the champions of the Big 12.
Jaydon Blue ran for 146 yards and 2 scores, Quintrevion Wisner ran for 110 and 2 scores, and Texas beat Clemson 38-24. The Longhorns scored 28 first-half points, the most Clemson had allowed in the first half all year. It led 31-10 midway through the third quarter. And it answered immediately in the fourth quarter after Clemson crept its way back into the game.
The result gave Texas its 12th win on the year, marking consecutive seasons with 12 wins for the first time since 2008-09.
Here are 3 takeaways from the game.
Texas controls the line of scrimmage
The Longhorns put themselves in a position to win thanks to their efforts on the offensive line. They ended the game with their defensive line.
No play was bigger than a fourth-and-goal stop from the 1. Clemson was pushing to make it a 1-score game. Quarterback Cade Klubnik was stuffed on a third-and-goal try from the 1 and it set up a do-or-die play with 7:24 to go.
Bill Norton blew the play up in the middle and Barryn Sorrell swallowed Clemson tailback Keith Adams Jr. in the backfield for a loss. Texas held and handed the ball back to the offense to run out the clock.
Texas lost center Jake Majors and right tackle Cam Williams to injuries in the first half. Still, the offensive line feasted on Clemson all throughout the game. Texas ran for 292 yards and 4 scores on 48 carries. Remove sacks, and Texas averaged 6.7 yards per carry against the Clemson defense.
It was a masterclass in protection. Blue and Wisner ran well, but the game ball goes to the offensive line.
Gunnar Helm finally gets loose
In the SEC title game defeat to Georgia, the standout Texas tight end was held to 1 catch for 11 yards. He had huge games earlier in the year — 98 yards against Michigan, 91 against Oklahoma — but hadn’t cleared 60 yards in a game since Oct. 19.
Helm was a clear focal point in the Texas gameplan on Saturday. He caught both of his targets in the first quarter, caught a 19-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and brought in 3 more receptions in the third quarter.
Helm finished with 6 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown to lead all Texas pass-catchers.
Texas makes the biggest statement of the opening round
We still have a game between Ohio State and Tennessee. Maybe one of those schools looks like a world-beater. Maybe that changes the calculus. But as things stand right now, through 3 first-round Playoff games, Texas has looked like the biggest threat to the top seeds in the entire field.
If Texas is going to run the ball like that, Texas can win the entire thing. If the Texas offensive line plays like that, Texas can win a national championship. Quarterback Quinn Ewers (17-for-24, 202 yards, 1 score, 1 pick) managed the game well but didn’t have to do much. With this Texas defense and that Texas ground game, Ewers can pilot the Longhorns to a national title.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
