4 takeaways from Texas's double-OT win vs. Arizona State

The second-ever postseason matchup between No. 3 Texas football and the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl got off to an explosive start. Arizona State scored on the game's opening drive, taking advantage of a couple of costly Texas penalties for the defense and special teams punt coverage unit for a 39-yard field goal.

Quinn Ewers and Texas football survive a Peach Bowl upset bid by Arizona State in second overtime, 39-31

Texas responded with back-to-back scores in just over 60 seconds to take control of the game in the first quarter. It only took quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns two plays on their first offensive drive to respond to the Arizona State score with the game's first touchdown.

The Longhorns scored its second touchdown of the first quarter on an explosive 75-yard punt return touchdown from senior wide receiver Silas Bolden to extend the first-half lead to 11 points.

The pace of the game slowed down more later in the first half, with the defenses for Texas and Arizona State finding their footing in the second quarter.

A couple of unfortunate plays and a safety had Arizona State hanging around in this game well into the second half against the Longhorns. Injuries for both teams took a physical toll on the game in a back-and-forth second-half game.

Sarkisian and the Longhorns relied on the ground game to try and salt away the win in the fourth quarter in the second half. But Arizona State stormed back behind the guidance of star running back Cam Skattebo to tie the game up in the fourth quarter and send it into overtime.

Consecutive touchdowns by junior wide receiver Matthew Golden and senior tight end Gunnar Helm gave the Longhorns the lead in overtime to put them in position to advance to Dallas for the semis.

Senior safety Andrew Mukuba sealed the Longhorns' trip to Dallas for the semifinal game in the College Football Playoff in the Cotton Bowl with an interception on a clutch play on an Arizona State money down.

Texas faces the winner of the Oregon-Ohio State Playoff quarters game for the Rose Bowl in Dallas in a little over one week, on Jan. 10 in DFW at Jerry World.

Here are four takeaways from Texas's anxiety-stroking double-OT Playoff win over Arizona State on New Year's Day.

Texas leans on explosive plays to combat time of possession on the clock

Texas put Arizona State's offense in an uncomfortable spot in the first half after building a comfortable double-digit lead thanks to a couple of explosive plays from the offense and the special teams punt return from Bolden.

Arizona State controlled the clock early in this game, owning nearly a double-digit lead in the time of possession margin battle by halftime. It meant little since the Longhorns owned a two-score lead for most of the first half.

Per Stathead, Bolden is the first player in the SEC with a receiving touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and a punt return touchdown in the 2024 season.

The game probably should've been a one-score lead for the Longhorns for most of the game. But explosive plays, especially with the punt return, handed Texas a larger cushion on the scoreboard in the second half.

After that sequence of first-quarter touchdowns by the offense and special teams punt return, the Longhorns didn't score another touchdown until the fourth quarter on a Ewers rushing score on third down.

Texas's offense got the juice it needed in overtime to get the win over Arizona State off the back-to-back explosive touchdown connections from Ewers to Golden and them the tight end Helm.