Texas see off Arizona State in double OT to reach College Football Playoff semis
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Texas avoided the first big upset of the College Football Playoff, hitting a fourth-and-long touchdown pass to keep the game going and beating Cam Skattebo and Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime when an interception by Andrew Mukuba finally ended a Peach Bowl quarter-final classic Wednesday.
Skattebo led the Sun Devils back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter and put his team ahead for the first time all day with a three-yard touchdown run to start overtime against No 4 Texas (13-2). No 10 Arizona State were on the verge of winning when Texas faced fourth-and-13 on their first overtime possession. But Quinn Ewers found Matthew Golden breaking free behind two defenders to haul in a 28-yard touchdown.
After moving to the opposite end of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Ewers threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helms on the very next play, followed by a two-point conversion pass to Golden. The Longhorns finally put Arizona State (11-3) away when Mukuba picked off Sam Leavitt’s pass at the 3 to end the game.
After a bunch of lopsided results through the first five games of the expanded 12-team playoff, the format finally produced a classic that sends Texas back home for a Cotton Bowl semi-final on 10 January against No 1 Oregon or No 6 Ohio State, who were facing off in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
