The postseason in the College Football Playoff has afforded No. 3 Texas football the opportunity to have key players step up on the bigger stage in the national spotlight. We saw some under-the-radar players on the two-deep depth chart on each side of the ball make big plays that helped Texas beat the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the Playoff on Dec. 21.
Which underclassmen could step up for Texas football and Steve Sarkisian in the Playoff quarterfinals?
Among the underclassmen for the Longhorns on the defensive side of the ball, freshman edge rusher Colin Simmons and sophomore linebacker Liona Lefau made a big impact on the front seven vs. Clemson in the second half.
Texas also got significant contributions from underclassmen on offense to topple Clemson in the first round by double digits of the Playoff, including true freshman running back Jerrick Gibson and redshirt freshman offensive tackle Trevor Goosby.
Longhorns players don't have to dig to deep to find the motivation to win on the national stage at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta after Texas fell short of the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game three or four weeks ago.
Here are three true freshmen for the Longhorns who could have breakout games against the four-seed Arizona State Sun Devils in the quarterfinal of the Playoffs at the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1.
Ty'Anthony Smith, LB
Texas's linebacker play this fall has been stout under Pete Kwiatkowski and first-year co-DC/LB coach Johnny Nansen. Underclassmen like sophomore Anthony Hill Jr., Lefau, and freshman Ty'Anthony Smith have really progressed and developed in key areas for Texas's defensive front seven this season in the SEC.
Upperclassmen linebackers like Morice Blackwell Jr. and David Gbenda have also been reliable run stoppers and have effectively handled their duties dropping back into pass coverage and holding their own in space.
The younger linebackers are who I'm closely following for the Longhorns this postseason. We've seen Lefau and Smith both develop rapidly in the past couple of months for Nansen and PK up front for the defense.
Despite only taking rotational snaps for Texas at linebacker, Smith has impacted games in multiple ways for the Longhorns in SEC play. In conference play, Smith registered over a dozen combined tackles, three defensive stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and an interception.
Texas's linebackers must be stout in this game against Arizona State against one of the best running backs in college football, star senior Cam Skattebo. If the Longhorns get up by multiple scores in the first half and Arizona State really has to rely on Skattebo getting involved in the receiving game and freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, I could see the younger linebackers have huge changes for the Longhorns to impact this game for Texas's defensive front.