Texas Football will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl. The Longhorns will return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in overtime in the SEC Championship. They will take on Big 12 Champions, which could challenge the Longhorns.
While the Sun Devils might not beat the Longhorns in Georgia, they will make the Longhorns earn their ticket to the College Football Playoffs Semifinals against Oregon or Ohio State.
The Longhorns showed America that they are still a force to be reckoned with against Clemson. Who saw Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue running away with the victory over the Tigers?
I thought the Longhorns' defense was spectacular as well. The Longhorns will successfully run the ball against the Sun Devils next week. Let's examine the four reasons the Longhorns will beat the Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl.
Why Texas football will beat Arizona State: 4. Running the ball efficiently
The Longhorns probably won't be able to run the ball down the middle of the field. The Sun Devils' defensive line makes running the ball down the field challenging. Wisner and Blue combined for four touchdowns and 256 yards against the Tigers.
You can expect that duo to do it against the Sun Devils by running outside on sweeps or tosses. If the Longhorns' running game gets going against the Sun Devils, the Longhorns will more than likely advance to the Cotton Bowl.
3. Prime Quinn Ewers
Quinn Ewers looked like himself in the win over the Tigers. He passed for 202 yards and only missed seven passes. Ewers will need to do better than that if the Longhorns want to beat the Sun Devils. We will see another game from Ewers where he shows glimpses of Tom Brady.
There is no room for error, and Ewers is rising to the occasion. He was the one who audibled Blue's last touchdown run against the Tigers. If Ewers looks like Tom Brady against the Sun Devils, they will advance to the next round.
2. Shutting down Cam Skattebo
Shutting down Sun Devils' Senior running back Cam Skattebo will be challenging for the Longhorns' defense. He did receive some votes for the Heisman Trophy. He reminds me of Wisner, a running back unafraid of taking a big hit from anyone.
The Longhorns can't allow him to escape downfield. They have to wrap him up and stop him from doing damage in the Peach Bowl. They will advance to the semifinals if Texas's defense makes him obsolete in the Peach Bowl.
1. Jahdae Barron and the secondary
Texas's secondary will be a massive factor for the Longhorns in the Peach Bowl. Although they did allow some passing touchdowns against the Tigers, they came up big on key plays throughout the game, forcing them to punt.
I expect Longhorns senior defensive back Jahdae Barron to lead the secondary to another signature game. It could cause some issues in Arizona State's passing game. If the Longhorns enforce a "No-Fly Zone" in Atlanta, they will beat the Sun Devils.