It looks like the Texas Longhorns got rid of the bitter taste of a loss in the SEC title game.
The Longhorns lost the conference championship two weeks ago, while their opponent, No. 12 Clemson, was riding high after winning the ACC.
The fifth-seeded Longhorns earned a 38-24 victory to advance beyond the first round of the College Football Playoff.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Quinn Ewers of the Texas Longhorns throws during the first quarter against the Clemson Tigers in a first-round playoff game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on December 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
Texas kicked a field goal on its first drive of the second half to give the Longhorns a 31-10 lead, but Clemson was not quiet.
The Tigers scored 14 unanswered points during a stretch that included their defense holding Texas on a fourth-and-2 from the Clemson 36-yard line. Suddenly, Texas had a seven-point lead with 11:43 left.
However, just as Clemson was getting back into the game, Jaydon Blue ran for a 77-yard touchdown to put Texas back up by two touchdowns.
Clemson drove down the field to continue its comeback attempt, but the Tigers found themselves trapped in a fourth-and-goal from the 1.
The Tigers got the ball back again with 1:43 left, but couldn’t keep the drive alive and the Longhorns ran out of time.
Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron (7) celebrates a play during a CFP first-round game against the Clemson Tigers on Dec. 21, 2024, at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Quinn Ewers finished with 202 passing yards, completing 17 of 24 passes through the air. Blue and Quintrevion Wisner combined for 256 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries.
Clemson’s Cade Klubnik threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, completing 26 of his 43 passes. TJ Moore led all players with nine receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The Longhorns will now face Arizona State, which earned a first-round bye by winning the Big 12, in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Home teams are 3-0 in the first three games of the new 12-team format. Each winning team has covered the difference.
Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (26) celebrates scoring his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter against the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, on December. , 2024. (Sara Diggins/American-Statesman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
The first-round finale between Tennessee and Ohio State in Columbus begins at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
