Peach Bowl Preview: No. 5 Texas vs No. 4 Arizona State

Texas was able to outduel Clemson in Austin during the first round of the College Football Playoff (CFP). Now the Longhorns head back to Atlanta to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils who won the Big 12 Conference this year. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a familiar place for Steve Sarkisian’s team this year, having already played there in the SEC Championship game against Georgia. Texas hopes to play there three times when it is all said and done, as the national championship game takes place there on January 20th.

The Longhorns are competing to return to the CFP Semifinals for the second straight year, while the Sun Devils are looking to be a college football cinderella story. Several factors will go a long way in determining which team wins the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and advances to AT&T Stadium.

Containing Cam Skattebo is Key

Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo is arguably the best running back in the country not named Ashton Jeanty. He is the engine that makes the Sun Devils go, without question. Skattebo has ran for nearly 1,600 yards while also having over 500 yards receiving. He won the Big 12 Championship against Iowa State nearly by himself. Skattebo had 170 yards on the ground with two touchdowns to go along with 38 yards receiving and one touchdown.

Kenny Dillingham lost his leading wide receiver Jordyn Tyson for the season in the Sun Devils’ regular season finale versus Arizona. Beyond Tyson and Skattebo, receiver Xavier Guillory is their leads Arizona State on the year with just 19 catches for 320 yards. The offense ran through Skattebo all year but the loss of Tyson made the offense lean on Skattebo even more. Texas has been good at stopping the run the last two years, but this will be a challenge. Slowing Skattebo down will go a long way towards a Longhorn victory, but if he runs wild the Longhorns will have a fight on their hands.

Can Texas Have a Balanced Offense Again

Against Clemson, Texas finally was able to get back to having a balanced offense and playing complimentary football. Throughout the year it seemed either the passing attack or the run game struggled in games. It was rare where both the run and pass game were producing. Texas ran for nearly 300 yards and passed for over 200 yards against the Tigers which is a level of balance that will work even if the numbers are reversed. A balanced Longhorn offense makes them much more difficult to stop and opens up so much for Sarkisian’s offense.

Arizona State by the numbers has a better defense than many may think. They give up just over 21 points per game and 333 yards of offense per game, both of which rank top 30 in the country. The flaw behind those numbers is that they played just five bowl eligible teams this year. The Texas offensive line will be the biggest test for the Arizona State to-date. Kyle Flood’s unit will be the most talented and biggest the Sun Devils have played all year. Right tackle Cam Williams is banged up and missed the second half against Clemson. Without Williams, who is a likely first round pick in April’s draft, the Texas offensive line did not miss a beat. Arizona State’s defensive front will need to have their best game of the year if they intend to upset the Longhorns who are double-digit favorites.

No. 5 Texas and No. 4 Arizona State will kickoff at noon on New Year’s Day with the game being televised on ESPN.