Grading the Longhorns in their 39-31 Peach Bowl Victory

Texas entered the Peach Bowl as a near two touchdown favorite over Arizona State. It was thought by many, including myself, that the Longhorns would overwhelm the Big 12 champs. That happened early, as Texas scored 14 unanswered points after an opening field goal by the Sun Devils. Kenny Dillingham showed why his team belonged in the playoff by the fight showed in erasing a 16-point deficit in the final 10 minutes of the 4th quarter. The Longhorns were able to secure the win but there is a lot to take away from the game. Let’s get to the grades for the Longhorns in their Round Two College Football Playoff victory.

Offense: B-

Steve Sarkisian’s offense ultimately won the game for the Longhorns but it was far from pretty. Texas rushed for just 53 yards on 30 attempts. This was a game in which the massive Texas offensive line was supposed to impose their will on a smaller defensive line. That did not happen and it made life difficult on the Texas offense as a whole as the game went on.

Quinn Ewers and the passing attack had their ups-and-downs throughout the game. In the first drive, Ewers completed his first two passes for 23 yards and a 54-yard touchdown. After that things were sluggish in the passing attack until late in the 4th quarter. Despite the struggles, Ewers showed up when it mattered, setting up two Bert Auburn field goal attempts late in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, Auburn missed both. Ewers left his best for last when he was facing a 4th & 13 in OT, down seven points, with the season on the line. He saw the blitz pre-snapped and audibled the play to a max protection post route that Matthew Golden hauled in for a touchdown. That play saved the Texas season.

Defense: B+

The Texas defense has been elite for most of the year. They have showed some flaws since the start of the College Football Playoff and are facing better quarterbacks. Arizona State had a great running back in Cam Skattebo and the Longhorns held him in check the first half. The second half was a different story, as Skattebo put the Sun Devils on his back and nearly won the game for them on his own.

The most telling stat from this game beyond Skattebo’s success was Arizona State’s nearly 38 minutes of possession. That caused the Texas defense to be on the field for an enormous amount of time. As the second half continued, Pete Kwiatkowski’s guys were gassed. The defense ended up making the game winning play in double overtime on Andrew Mukuba’s interception, but it wasn’t a pretty showing altogether. 31 pressures for the Texas defense was a season high but only coming away with three sacks is disappointing with that many opportunities.

Special Teams: D+

The only thing keeping the Longhorns’ special teams from a grade of F is Silas Bolden’s 75-yard punt return for a touchdown. Texas finally had a chance to block a punt and somehow Morice Blackwell missed the ball leading to a running into the kicker penalty. That led directly to three points for Arizona State on their first drive of the game. This was a game in which it was thought Texas would have the advantage in special teams, as Arizona State had a below average kicker and an average punter at best.

The Horns also had yet another fake punt converted on them. It is unacceptable at this point that they aren not ready for a fake punt after Georgia converted one against them. Moving forward there is no reason teams should not fake a punt against Texas until they prove they can stop it.

Speaking of unacceptable, Bert Auburn continuing to miss kicks is hindering the success of this team. One could argue Texas won the game three times against Arizona State. With under two minutes left in the 4th quarter Auburn missed a 48-yard attempt. Then, after the defense picked Auburn up and the offense drove down the field, he missed a 38-yard field goal as time expired. That is a chip shot and Auburn should could have cost his team the game once again, similar to what happened in the SEC Championship Game. I do not see how Steve Sarkisian can feel remotely confident in Auburn’s ability moving forward. Kickoff specialist Will Stone hasn’t attempted any field goals in his career but he may need an opportunity. Texas cannot go into games without any hope of kicking a field goal, which can be the difference between winning or losing a national championship.