In what can only be described as an instant classic, Texas football overcame the Arizona State Sun Devils 39-31 in double overtime of the 2025 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The Longhorns started fast, scoring 14 points in the first 7:52 of the game. Texas looked confident in all three phases, and many thought the game was over as quickly as it started.
However, as they have done all season, the Sun Devils scrapped their way back into the game on the back of running back Cam Skattebo.
On a fourth-and-two with 6:31 remaining, Skattebo lofted a 42-yard touchdown pass to Malik McClain. After running in the subsequent two-point conversion, the Texas lead was cut to just eight.
A quick Quinn Ewers interception set Arizona State up with the ball down 24-16 late in the fourth quarter. Again, it was Skattebo who came up big, hauling in a 62-yard dart from quarterback Sam Leavitt before punching it in the endzone with a three-yard run.
A two-point conversion from Skattebo tied the game up at 24 with 5:00 remaining.
Texas moved the ball into field goal range not once, but twice, in the final five minutes of the game. However, two missed kicks from Bert Auburn, including a 38-yard attempt as time expired, sent the game into overtime.
With their backs against the wall, Ewers found Matthew Golden on a 28-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-13 to send the game into double overtime.
After a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm on the first play of the second overtime, it was the defense of Texas that was able to salt away this game. Senior safety Andrew Mukuba hauled in his fifth interception of the season on the two-yard line to send the Texas Longhorns to the College Football Playoff Semifinals.
What Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian said after Peach Bowl win over Arizona State
Here is everything Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the unbelievable victory.
On the win
"As far as our guys go today, not our cleanest game of the year. That's okay to say that, but the one thing that I know about our group is when our backs are against the wall and when our best is needed, our best shows up time and time again."
Coach Sarkisian said the moment isn't too big for his players. Said his team feels like this is where they're supposed to be.
"You grow through adversity as long as you handle adversity the right way."
On the offense
"I think ultimately, we've got to find a way to be a little more efficient on first down."
Coach Sarkisian said he wanted to be aggressive in overtime. That's why they were aggressive after scoring the touchdown in overtime, scoring on the subsequent offensive snap in the second overtime.
On the 4th-and-13 in overtime: Coach Sarkisian said they had practiced that look during the week with the same defensive coverage. He said Ewers changed the protection on that play and got them into max protection. Coach Sarkisian praised Ewers for standing in the pocket
On Matthew Golden: "You earn trust with consistency and time. I think there's a level of consistency in Matthew's game that he's earned a lot of trust from myself and Quinn that in a lot of critical moments it's easy to try to find him because you know he's going to be in the right spot, you know he's going to be competitively tough and make those plays."
"Quinn is a G, man."
On the defense
"It's pretty incredible. These guys do such a good job of saying 'protect the end zone.' If it's six inches, one yard, four yards, whatever it looks like, they're going to stand in there."
On Arizona State
"When we went up 16 in the fourth quarter, their ability to come back and take this thing to overtime was very impressive."