Arizona State faces Texas-size challenge in College Football Playoffs

Arizona State faces a Texas-size challenge in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs.

The third-ranked Longhorns jumped out to an 18-point first-half lead and held on for a 38-24 victory over No. 13 Clemson on Saturday in Austin, Texas.

Texas, the No. 5 seed in the 12-team playoff bracket, advances to take on Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day. The 10th-ranked Sun Devils earned the No. 4 seed a first-round bye in the expanded playoffs as champions of the Big 12 Conference.

Despite owning the higher seed, the Sun Devils will be decided underdogs in the quarterfinal showdown. FanDuel listed Texas (12-2) as a 13.5-point favorite following Saturday's first-round victory.

It will be the second all-time meeting between the two teams, with Texas winning the lone previous matchup 52-34 in the 2007 Holiday Bowl.

Like ASU (11-2), Texas has only two loses this season, though both came against No. 2 and second-seeded Georgia — 30-15 on Oct. 19 in Austin and 22-19 in overtime on Dec. SEC championship game in Atlanta.

The Longhorns ran all over Clemson on Saturday, rushing for 292 yards and four touchdowns — with junior Jaydon Blue (14 carries for 146 yards and two TDs) and sophomore Quintrevion Wisner (15 carries, 110 yards, two TDs) both topping 100 yards on the ground.

Just two plays after Clemson cut Texas' lead to 31-24 early in the fourth quarter, Blue quieted the Tigers' comeback bid with a 77-yard touchdown run.

After the game, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he was pleased with the way his team ran the ball against Clemson:

"We committed to it. I thought we blocked things really well. The runners trusted it, and they were hitting it."

Texas went into the game averaging 164.4 yards per game on the ground, while passing for 281 yards per game, but the Longhorns flipped the script against Clemson (10-4).

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers completed his first eight passes and ended the day 17 of 24 for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Ewers echoed Sarkisian's assessment of his team's rushing offense Saturday:

"We knew if we wanted to be in a good position to win this game, we had to be able to run the ball. ... We harped on it all week, and I'm just so proud of how our front five guys and some tight ends just put in the work the past 10 days, and really, really took it to heart to running the football."

Slowing down the Longhorns' offense will be a challenge for the Sun Devils, though one they're equiped to handle.

Arizona State boasts the Big 12's second-best rushing defense and ranks No. 22 in FBS, allowing 117.5 yards per game on the ground.

Moving the ball against Texas likely will be the more difficult task. The Longhorns ranked No. 2 in FBS in total defense, allowing just 249.8 yards per game.

Clemson gained just 76 yards on the ground in Saturday's first-round matchup, though the Tigers passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns.