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Steve Sarkisian reacts to Texas punching CFP win over Clemson
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Steve Sarkisian had his Texas program in a great spot over Clemson coming out of halftime. In the first round of the College Football Playoff, the Longhorns held a 28-10 lead at the break and pushed it all the way to 31-10 midway through the 3rd quarter.
Then, things got interesting with the Tigers closing the gap before Jaydon Blue raced 77 yards to break things back open. After Blue’s touchdown, Texas would use a goal line stand to effectively put things away in the 38-24 win.
Immediately after the game, Sarkisian was asked about the contributions of Michael Taaffe, and he said the defensive back was crucial on the final series of the game. A near pick by Taaffee and PBU on the final 4th-down play from Dabo Swinney’s squad put it to bed for good.
“He made 2 good plays in a row right there. Almost got the interception and then that play right there on the crossing route,” said Sarkisian about Taaffe. “They made it hard on us. Cade (Klubnik) had a heck of a game. Heck of a goal line stand right there earlier in the 4th quarter and then making that stop on 4th down.”
Offensively, it was a ground attack by Texas that particularly carried the day for the Longhorns. Blue led the way with 146 rushing yards as the team racked up nearly 300 yards on the ground with 4 touchdowns and over 6 yards per carry.
“We committed to it, that’s probably halfway my fault before this, but we committed to it,” said Sarkisian. “We blocked things really well, the runners trusted it, and we were hitting it.”
Even with the ground attack, Texas will need star QB Quinn Ewers to make plays to win a national title. Even with an interception, Sarkisian felt it was a “beautifully” managed game by Ewers against the Tigers.
“He made a lot of plays for us when they were on time, but he made a couple of plays off schedule which was critical for us as well. I thought he managed the game beautifully, that bad luck again on the interception unfortunately,” described Sarkisian.
Now, Texas will move to face Arizona State, the winners of the Big 12 this season. Even with a first-round bye, the Sun Devils opened as an underdog in the Peach Bowl matchup set for New Year’s Day.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
