Texas vs. Arizona State final score: Andrew Mukuba secures game-winning INT in second OT for 39-31 victory

The pass to Helm and a two-point conversion put the Horns in the driver’s seat with the Tigers transfer sealing it.

ATLANTA — After notching the program’s first College Football Playoff win against the Clemson Tigers 11 days ago, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns are in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl against the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils with the winner advancing to the semifinals in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.

Favored by 13.5 points, the Horns are heavy favorites for a reason — they have significant advantages in size, athleticism, length, and depth over a Sun Devils program that head coach Kenny Dillingham is still building in his second season. The improvement in the second season from Arizona State has been remarkable going from 3-9 and picked last in the Big 12 preseason poll to Big 12 champions at 11-2.

The Sun Devils do protect the ball well offensively, particularly redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, and running back Cam Skatteboo is one of the nation’s best at his position. But Arizona State lacks explosiveness in the passing game and won’t threaten Texas vertically.

So the potential equalizing factor is mistakes by the Longhorns — especially turnovers and penalties. The running game was also inconsistent during a midseason malaise before rebounding late in the regular season. Since the narrow win over Vanderbilt, the only poor rushing performance came in the SEC Championship game against Georgia. Arizona State has as solid run defense that ranks No. 26 nationally in yards allowed per game, but allowed over five yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns in its loss to Cincinnati and 4.8 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns in a narrow win over UCF.

If the Longhorns can take care of the football on Wednesday and run it well, the Sun Devils will be in real trouble.

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Injury updates

Since the Clemson game, the injury to watch for Texas has been junior right tackle Cam Williams, who sprained his knee in the win over the Tigers. Given the mobility issues of Williams during open portions of practice on Friday and Monday, it was not surprise when ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Williams is “unlikely” to play in the Peach Bowl.

Williams came out for warmups dressed, but redshirt freshman Trevor Goosby was taking the first-team reps as the offensive line went through its pregame preparations.

Texas junior wide receiver Isaiah Bond has been dealing with the effects of an ankle injury originally sustained against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. After re-aggravating the injury in the SEC Championship game, Bond sat out against Clemson but looked explosive again in practice on Friday and in pregame warmups on Wednesday.

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First quarter

After winning the toss, Texas deferred to the second half with Arizona State starting on their own 25-yard line following a fair catch on the kickoff. Star Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo was able to break the contain of Texas senior cornerback Jahdae Barron on the first play from scrimmage for a 10-yard gain. The Longhorns defense appeared to get off the field after stopping screen plays by the Sun Devils on second and third down, but senior linebacker Morice Blackwell was called for running into the kicker on an attempted punt block, allowing Arizona State to maintain possession.

With a grinding, ball-control approach, the Sun Devils were able to pick up another first down on a short gain by Skattebo. Trying to take a shot downfield, Leavitt scrambled and was tackled by Texas sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who was flagged for a personal foul for pulling Leavitt down by his facemask.

The Longhorns were finally able to get off the field by stopping a designed quarterback run by Leavitt on third down, forcing a 40-yard field goal that gave the Sun Devils a 3-0 lead.

The opening offensive drive for Texas went alarmingly poorly from the Arizona State defense from head coach Kenny Dillingham’s perspective — the Horns got 54 yards from junior wide receiver Matthew Golden when redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers pulled a run-pass option and hit Golden on a glance route, a base play in head coach Steve Sarkisian’s offense. Then Texas scored a 24-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. on a fake screen, another base play.

Without any major Texas mistakes, Arizona State couldn’t get anything going on its second offensive drive, all passing plays. On the second punt attempt by the Sun Devils, Longhorns senior wide receiver Silas Bolden found a seam up the middle behind a big block and ran past the the slow protectors Arizona State uses on that unit for a 75-yard touchdown return.

After Texas redshirt freshman cornerback Warren Roberson was flagged for his fifth special teams penalty of the year when Arizona State went three and out for a second consecutive possession to negate a 12-yard return, the Horns gave up what Sarkisian calls a “nonsense sack” created by the Sun Devils bringing an unblocked defender off the edge on a run-pass option that Ewers pulled before immediately getting taken to the ground by his former teammate Prince Dorbah. A short gain by sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner set up third and long following the first timeout of the half by Arizona State. Ewers took a shot downfield to freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo, but the ball was placed over the wrong shoulder and Wingo couldn’t adjust to force a punt.

Arizona State opened the subsequent drive with a third-down conversion to move the chains once and then again as Leavitt scrambled to create a completion on a play-action shot play and move into Texas territory. Skattebo finally found some running room again off tackle for seven yards, but Leavitt couldn’t connect with his tight end on second down, setting up 3rd and 3 with Skattebo narrowly securing the yard to gain.

The first quarter ended with the Horns securing a stop on a 3rd and 4 when Texas sophomore cornerback Manny Muhammad nearly jumped a screen and had to settle for a tackle for a two-yard gain, forcing Dillingham to make a decision about whether to go for it or not to open the second quarter.

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Second quarter

Dillingham opted to run it up the middle with Skattebo, who was stopped short by the stout Texas run defense, an unsurprising outcome even after Skattebo’s big season.

So the Horns took over on downs with Bolden taking a jet sweep for five yards on 3rd and 1. Taking a shot play on second down, Golden drew a pass-interference penalty running a post route. For the first time in weeks, a misdirection throwback screen actually worked for Texas with Wisner finding space down the sideline behind a host of blockers for a 24-yard gain to the edge of the red zone, moving into it on a short run, but a defensive run stop for one yard by Wisner on second down set up 3rd and 7, an incompletion intended for Texas senior tight end Gunnar Helm on a jump ball. Senior kicker Bert Auburn came on for the 37-yard attempt, but an offside penalty gave Sarkisian a chance to go for it with Ewers connecting with Golden to pick up the first down.

Back to Wisner, Arizona State was able to shut down another outside zone run, inflicting a tackle for loss. Running inside, Wisner picked up five important yards with the Horns needing four yards to score on 3rd and goal following a timeout by Sarkisian, his first of the half.

Ewers tried to hit Golden again with a back-shoulder throw, but the timing and accuracy were both off, forcing Auburn back onto the field for a shorter field goal, hitting from 22 yards for a 17-3 lead.

Arizona State got little out of a jet sweep and a run by Skattebo on the first two plays of its drive, setting up 3rd and 7. Leavitt was able to scramble for a big throw downfield for 23 yards to former Texas wide receiver Troy Omeire. Skattebo picked up nine yards on the next play and moved the chains with a run up the middle. Arizona State’s big tight end dropped a pass on first down and Leavitt had to throw the ball away on second down scrambling under heavy pressure. Texas freshman edge Collin Simmons came free on 3rd and 10, hitting Leavitt and forcing an incompletion in traffic. The Sun Devils offense stayed on the field, but Leavitt had to leave the pocket quickly and was taken down by Longhorns junior edge Trey Moore for the first Texas sack of the game.

The Texas offense couldn’t take advantage, though, as Arizona State put the Horns off schedule again by stopping the run and Ewers airmailed a throw that missed an open Moore when he didn’t deliver it on time and in rhythm, leading to a third-down scramble that resulted in freshman punter Michael Kern booting a 57-yard punt into the end zone.

Getting desperate to help a frustrated Skattebo, the Sun Devils tried a shovel pass that lost two yards. On second down, Leavitt had to settle for a check down to Skattebo, who couldn’t break the initial tackle. Facing 3rd and 9, Leavitt threw incomplete as his pocket presence started to break down, but Arizona State ran a successful fake punt for 32 yards heading into the two-minute timeout.

A swing pass to Skattebo picked up seven yards, but the second down run by the Arizona State back was stopped for a one-yard gain. Leavitt picked up the first down on a quarterback sneak and Leavitt picked up another first down with a completion to the right sideline for 11 yards, but got sacked on a drop back on the next play.

In bend-but-don’t-break-fashion, the Texas defense eventually got a stop with junior Jack end Ethan Burke blocking the 36-yard field-goal attempt to send the Horns into halftime with the 17-3 lead intact.

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Third down

A first-down blitz paid off for Arizona State with a sack of Ewers for an eight-yard loss to start the second half, putting Texas behind the chains. Wisner was able to pick up six yards on second down, the longest running play of the game for the Longhorns. Under quick pressure, Ewers was forced out of the pocket on third down and took a sack while junior left tackle Kelvin Banks went down on the field, apparently tweaking the ankle he injured against Texas A&M.

After a mediocre punt by Kern, Arizona State picked up a first down on a throw to Omeire backed up by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Leavitt was able to come that lost yardage back and more on a zone read keeper, picking up 28 yards. On a second-down play, Skattebo picked up 10 yards on a swing pass before Leavitt threw the ball away under pressure from Hill while leaving the pocket, but Skattebo found a seam up the middle for 14 yards, a play that left Texas redshirt junior safety Michael Taaffe down on the field.

With the Sun Devils down to the 6-yard line, the Longhorns defense needed another stand to keep it from becoming a one-score game. A run by Skattebo on first down went for no gain before Leavitt found some tough yardage up the middle, setting up 3rd and goal from the 2-yard line after the first timeout of the half called by Arizona State.

Arizona State tried a read option play stopped by Texas senior defensive tackle Alfred Collins and senior linebacker David Gbenda, forcing another fourth-down attempt by the Sun Devils. Trying to run at the Longhorns went equally as poorly as it has in most such situations this season, resulting in a turnover on downs when Skattebo was hit in the backfield and needed a huge effort just to get back near the line of scrimmage.

Trying to secure some staff off the goal line, Texas handed the ball off to Wisner, who was immediately hit and fumbled the ball right to Ewers, who took the safety.

After the kickoff by the Horns, Skattebo picked up eight yards on consecutive carries, then the first down on his third straight effort. Skattebo was finally able to pull off a signature run, bouncing off of several tackles on a 33-yard run as the Texas defense showed some signs of tiring after spending most of the game on the field.

With Skattebo out, Kyson Brown picked up six yards before a more minimal gain that sent him back to the bench with the starter having caught his wind. On 3rd and 3, Skattebo picked up three yards, then went to the sideline again after he was tackled in the backfield for a yard loss. A screen pass by the Sun Devils resulted in another tackle for loss, forcing Arizona State into 3rd and 13 with Simmons bringing down Leavitt in the backfield to end the drive with a 36-yard field goal to make it 17-8.

Sarkisian tried a gap scheme after a second straight sky kick by Arizona State, but the Sun Devils were able to stretch it out and tackle Wisner for a two-yard gain. Texas was able to pick up its only first down of the third quarter on its final play, an 11-yard gain on a check down to junior running back Jaydon Blue.

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Fourth quarter

Runs of six yards and seven yards by Wisner picked up the second rushing first down for Texas in the ball game. Wisner picked up another on third down after a first-down completion to senior tight end Juan Davis for eight yards. When the Horns went away from the run, Ewers tried to hit Bond on a deep throw that misfired and was nearly intercepted and had to throw away a screen pass that was defended well, setting up 3rd and 10. Texas picked up a huge conversion when Ewers found Golden on a fade route down the sideline for 29 yards into the red zone with 1st and goal from the 9-yard line.

In 21 personnel, Blue caught a lateral and picked up three yards on a misdirection play, then Golden drew a pass-interference penalty in the end zone on a preferred out-breaking route for Sarkisian and his sure-handed wide receiver, but Texas junior guard DJ Campbell was called for a facemask penalty that offset the fouls and replayed 2nd and goal from the 6-yard line.

After former Texas defensive linemen Zac Swanson blew up the second-down run by Blue, Ewers made one of the biggest plays of the game, scrambling for a five-yard touchdown to end a 13-play, 76-yard drive that took 5:23 off the clock that gave the Horns a 24-8 lead.

The Sun Devils responded with a short completion to Skattebo, a six-yard gain on a run by the sturdy back, and a first-down gain from Brown upheld on review. Trying a play-action pass, Leavitt’s throw was short and incomplete. Dropping back to throw, Leavitt had his pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage by Burke, forcing the Sun Devils into 3rd and 10. On a rare poor defensive call by coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, attacking the edges allowed Skattebo to run free up the middle for a big 15-yard gain.

After the conversion, Skattebo dropped the first-down pass from Leavitt and Brown was stopped for no gain. On another 3rd and 10, Leavitt completed a throw for eight yards. Facing 4th and 2, Arizona State finally changed it up, running a trick play pass by Skattebo that hung in the air before it was caught for a 42-yard touchdown to get the Sun Devils back into the game after the two-point conversion cut the lead to 24-16.

A drive that shaped up as a grinding effort to kill the game on the ground instead took a sharp turn when Sarkisian tried to hit a big play over the top, but Ewers delivered a poor throw that was intercepted.

Trying to hit a big play of their own, Arizona State got Skattebo matched up against Taaffe, who tried to interfere with the Sun Devils running back to stop the big play, but instead ended up having to tackle Skattebo by his face mask at the end of the 62-yard completion, setting up 1st and goal from the 8-yard line.

Brown dropped a swing pass on first down, but Barron was called for pass interference in the end zone on second down when he panicked and started grabbing at the wide receiver, moving Arizona State to the brink with a fresh set of downs with Skattebo punching it in on the following play.

On a long broken play as the Sun Devils went for two again, the pass from Leavitt was intercepted, but the Longhorns were called for holding in the end zone, allowing Arizona State another chance to convert. Collins had a shot at Skattebo in the backfield, but couldn’t make the play and the Sun Devils tied the game at 24-24.

Texas picked up some key field position when the sky kick attempt by Arizona State went well out of bounds. To open the drive, Ewers swung the ball out to Wisner for seven yards before a false start on junior right guard Cole Hutson put the Horns in a more difficult position on second down. A five-yard run by Wisner made the third down manageable and Helm recorded his first catch of the game, a 16-yard gain.

Back to outside zone, Arizona State inflicted a tackle for loss on Wisner, but Golden worked his way open on a comeback route for 14 yards and a first down with the clock starting to work against the Sun Devils with the game heading into the two-minute timeout.

Another false start on Hutson put Texas behind the chains in a critical part of the field and Ewers wasn’t able to hit Golden down the sideline on a jump ball against good coverage. On a run-pass option, Ewers had to throw under pressure and sailed it over Golden’s head. Ewers scrambled to regain the yardage lost by Hutson’s false start, setting up a 47-yard attempt by Auburn that missed wide right.

Leavitt scrambled for a 13-yard gain to open the drive, but couldn’t find his tight end on a crossing route on the next play. Then the Sun Devils were flagged for a false start and Leavitt threw incomplete under pressure. A big hit by Taaffe over the middle left Melquan Stovall down on the field after the 10-yard reception, stopping the clock with 1:03 remaining. While Stovall was down, the officials went to the monitor to evaluate a potential targeting penalty on Taaffe, who escaped a penalty even though he hit Stovall in the helmet.

After a fair catch by Bolden with a punt-safe call on by the Longhorns, Ewers hit a comeback to Golden for 13 yards before another false start on Texas, this time on senior left guard Hayden Conner. Helm moved the chains with a 15-yard catch, but Sarkisian had to use one of his remaining timeouts when Wingo made a short catch near midfield in bounds.

Another pass to Wingo was more effective, gaining 27 yards, setting up a short run and a check down to Wisner that moved the ball to the 18-yard line, allowing Ewers to put the ball in the middle of the field for Auburn’s field-goal attempt from 38 yards that hit the left upright and landed in the end zone, sending the game into overtime.

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Overtime

Texas won the toss and went on defense first, allowing a six yards gain by Skattebo before Muhammad broke up a pass in the end zone, nearly wrestling it away from the intended target. Skattebo caught the third-down pass, but came up short of the marker, forcing Dillingham into a decision on 4th and 1, lining up to go for it before taking his overtime timeout. The offense stayed on the filed after the timeout with Leavitt sneaking it from under center, initially ruled a first down prior to review, which confirmed the spot.

Arizona State was flagged for illegal formation trying to run the ball with Skattebo on first down. Skattebo was briefly down on the field after he was tackled for no gain, giving way to Brown, who picked up two yards to set up 3rd and 14, picked up by Leavitt on a scramble up the middle for 16 yards to the 3-yard line. Skattebo initially looked like he was stopped on his ensuing run before he received some help into the end zone from an offensive lineman.

Trying to find Davis on a back-shoulder throw, the pass attempt by Ewers went incomplete and Wisner was hit at the line of scrimmage. Facing 3rd and 10 and needing a touchdown, Sarkisian tried to run the fake screen play, but Arizona State defended it well and Ewers had to check down to Moore for a two-yard gain. The degree of difficulty to convert the fourth down increased when Banks was flagged for a false start. The Longhorns were able to send the game into a second overtime when Golden got open on a double move and Ewers delivered a strike.

In a big swing of momentum, Ewers hit Helm up the seam for a 25-yard touchdown to open the second overtime with Golden securing the two-point conversion for an eight-point lead, putting pressure on the Sun Devils to score a touchdown and make the two-point try.

Skattebo picked up 13 yards on a check down before Leavitt had to throw the ball away after being forced from the pocket. A short gain by Skattebo set up 3rd and 8 for Arizona State, an interception thrown by Leavitt with Texas senior safety Andrew Mukuba ending the game and sending the Horns to the semifinals.