(Photo: Texas Athletics)
Nobody could have predicted Arizona State football to be in the position it’s currently in.
Picked to finish last in the Big 12 this season, the Sun Devils marched their way to their first 10-win campaign since 2014 before handily defeating then-No. 16 Iowa State, 45-19, in the conference championship game, punching their ticket to the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
At that point, only one question remained: when will they play again and who will their opponent be?
A day later, head coach Kenny Dillingham’s squad was awarded a berth in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the fourth overall seed and thus a first-round bye given to the four highest-seeded teams in the tournament. No matter who it would face, Jan. 1, 2025 represents the first New Year’s Six Bowl Game ASU will appear in since it made the Rose Bowl in 1996.
“I think that’s going to be a great test for our guys to see how hard we pushed ourselves in Bowl prep to get to this point,” Dillingham said. “The Big 12 title, first year in the league and being able to take home the championship is huge, just for the direction of the program, what Arizona State as a program can be, not just the season.”
The final chip that needed to fall was the outcome of the No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup on Dec. 21 in Austin, Texas, as it would determine exactly who ASU would compete against in Atlanta on New Year’s Day. In a back-and-forth affair, fifth-seeded Texas pulled away to defeat 12th-seeded Clemson, 38-24, sealing a date between the Longhorns and Sun Devils. The two programs have met on one prior occasion — the 2007 Holiday Bowl, which resulted in a 52-34 Texas victory.
In four seasons at Texas’ flagship university, head coach Steve Sarkisian transformed a solid program into a national power. After going 5-7 and 8-5 in his first two years with the team, the Longhorns have back-to-back 12-win campaigns under their belt and are currently the favorite to win the National Championship by most Sportsbooks. Now, he has a chance to keep that dream alive at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the building he once coached in as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator from 2017 to 2018.
In 2024, Texas only has two blemishes on their record — a pair of losses to Georgia, first in mid-October and then in the SEC Championship Game. Outside of those defeats, however, the Longhorns have looked like a well-oiled machine, boasting the 17th-highest offensive grade and 2nd-highest defensive grade by PFF. As such, Texas is favored to win by nearly two touchdowns, making ASU the largest underdog in the playoff.
Sarkisian’s group has also produced five AP All-Americans and seven All-SEC players this season. A physical team that dominates in the trenches on both sides of the ball and oozes talent at every position, Texas will pose a challenge not yet experienced by ASU this season on a stage not witnessed by Sun Devil fans since the late ‘90s.
“In terms of Coach Sarkisian, his program, it’s remarkable where he’s taken that program,” Dillingham said. “From preseason being picked to win a national title to following up with playing National Championship-level football throughout their transition to the SEC, they just had an incredible season.”
Defense
Total Defense: 3,659 yards (1st SEC), 261.4 yards/game (1st SEC), 186 points (2nd SEC)
Passing: 2,196 yards (1st SEC), 156.9 yards/game (1st SEC)
Rushing: 1,463 yards (7th SEC), 104.5 yards/game (3rd SEC)
The sentiment that ASU hasn’t seen a team like Texas yet this season can be said for each position group, but it is especially true when looking at the Longhorns’ prowess on the defensive side of the ball. Even playing 14 games, one or two more than all of their SEC counterparts, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s unit has still allowed some of the lowest yardage totals in its conference and the entire FBS.
Given Kwiatkowski’s background building up defenses at Boise State and Washington, Texas’ defense rising to national prominence is no surprise. Though the Longhorns weren’t anything spectacular in 2021, his first season with the team, they improved in 2022 before becoming one of the Big 12’s premier defenses in 2023, when Kwiatkowski was named a Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach.
That dominance not only carried over but improved when the program shifted to the SEC for the 2024 campaign.
It’s not just that Texas has held opposing offenses to eye-poppingly low numbers almost every week, either. Because as strong as the Longhorns are at stymying your attack, they also excel at flat-out taking the football away from you; their 29 turnovers — 20 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries — created are tied with James Madison and Notre Dame for the most in the nation.
“It all starts with (the) pass rush,” Dillingham said. “They get pass rush, they get tipped balls. Their defensive line gets in throwing windows. Then their back end, obviously the versatility, they’ll drop eight, they’ll rush four, they’ll rush five, they’ll mix it up a little bit… Then the pass rush, like I said, everything starts with impacting the quarterback.
“When you talk about turnovers, they impact the quarterback enough and they get enough tipped balls to create some bonus turnovers… which are the tipped-ball turnovers.”
The Longhorns’ star-studded unit is indeed quite proficient at putting pressure on quarterbacks as they have generated 140 quarterback hurries, which will make things difficult for an ASU offense that has the FBS’ second-fewest giveaways (7). Senior edge rusher Barryn Sorrell leads the team in hurries with 12 to go along with 5.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
Another edge rusher who has made life difficult for quarterbacks is freshman phenom Colin Simmons, a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team. This season, he’s contributed a team-leading eight sacks, three forced fumbles and nine hurries. Two more defensive linemen in junior Trey Moore and senior Vernon Broughton have five to their names.
“I think their front seven is a really good group,” redshirt senior center Leif Fautanu said. “I think they’re very physical, they’re very long, they’re very talented as well… (Our) offensive line never really stepped down from a challenge but at the same time, they’re physical and we’re physical. So the whole emphasis of this week is to match their physicality with physicality.”
Texas’ 20 picks are tied with BYU for second-most in the country, only one less than San Jose State, and it’s far from an individual effort — 12 different Longhorns have snagged an interception this year. As a result, Texas has recorded a pick in all but two games this season while logging multiple on seven occasions. Additionally, it leads all of college football with a 92.7 PFF coverage grade.
Senior cornerback Jahdae Barron, an AP First-Team All-American, has led the way with five, the highest total in the SEC and tied for the third-most in the FBS, and 11 breakups. These stats, along with the best defensive grade (90.7) among Power Four cornerbacks according to PFF, earned him the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award given to the top defensive back in college football.
Junior safety Michael Taaffe, like Barron, is the highest-graded player in the Power Four for his position with a 91 defensive grade. This season, he has two interceptions, eight breakups and recovered the lone fumble he forced. Senior safety Andrew Mukuba, whose 90.4 defensive grade ranks second among Power Four safeties, is also a force in the Longhorns’ secondary as he’s accrued four picks, six breakups and a forced fumble.
“You’re playing a top-three defense in the country with a group that’s seen a lot of football, does a really nice job on defense, coached well, plays hard,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “We’re going to have to be patient… and take what they give us and try to figure out and make some adjustments early on.”
When it comes to stopping the run, Texas also excels. It’s been ranked towards the top of the nation for the entire year, and of the eight teams in the College Football Playoff, only Ohio State and Penn State have conceded fewer than opponents’ 3.11 yards per rush against the Longhorns.
Texas is also tied for the seventh-most tackles for loss in the country (102) for 469 yards. Sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. is responsible for the most tackles for loss on the team, contributing 16, 7.5 of which were sacks. He can manufacture turnovers, too, as he has an interception and four forced fumbles to his name.
Two of the Longhorns’ best run-stoppers are senior defensive lineman Alfred Collins and senior linebacker David Gbenda, who have an 87.9 and 85.3 run defense grade by PFF respectively. This season, Collins has 5.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble while Gbenda has five tackles for loss.
ASU senior Cam Skattebo has been one of the best running backs in college football with 2,074 yards from scrimmage and 6.0 yards per carry, but he will undoubtedly have his work cut out for him against a stout Texas defense. In order to find success, the Sun Devils will have to match the Longhorns’ physicality, especially in the trenches.
“Those guys over there on that side of the ball understand what good football is, and they play it every week,” Skattebo said. “They constantly fight through battles just like us, and I appreciate that side of things coming from them. They’re a good football team, and I’m excited to play against them and show them what I’m about and see what they’re about.”
Offense
Total Offense: 6,284 yards (1st SEC), 448.9 yards/game (3rd SEC), 475 points (2nd SEC)
Passing: 3,855 yards (2nd SEC), 275.4 yards/game (4th SEC)
Rushing: 2,429 yards (3rd SEC), 173.5 yards/game (7th SEC)
Make no mistakes about it, Texas is fueled by its defense and its ability to stymie elite offenses. That high-level defense spearheaded the Longhorns to a near-perfect season, but Texas isn’t just talented on one side of the ball. On offense, Texas hasn’t been nearly as explosive, but one thing stands out. The consistency, and it all starts with the guys up front.
Texas is one of just three teams in the FBS this season to have the same five starters on the offensive line in all 12 regular season games. In the middle of it all is senior center Jake Majors. If the Campbell Trophy finalist starts for the Longhorns — he sustained an injury in the CFP opening round against Clemson but is on track to play — it will be his 56th start for Texas, setting a new program record.
Majors is the heart of the Texas o-line, but the group’s best player is protecting junior quarterback Quinn Ewers’ blind side. Junior offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. just wrapped up a season that earned him All-American honors and the Outland Trophy for the best interior lineman in college football and is projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Texas’ advantage up front was clear, even against a historic program like Clemson, which has high talent of its own, something ASU defensive coordinator Brian Ward definitely noted during his film study.
“When you see a sound defense like Clemson with some of the athletes that they had up front who were used to having success against the guys they lined up against, then going up against a front, an offensive line like Texas, they were trying to do the same things they’d done all year, and it just wasn’t working for them,” Ward said. “It led to some explosive plays for Texas.”
The talent advantage for Texas upfront against the Tigers allowed them to have their most prolific rushing performance of the season, totaling a whopping 292 rushing yards on 6.2 yards per rush and four touchdowns. The Longhorns use two feature backs, and they both ran all over Clemson. Sophomore Tre Wisner and junior Jaydon Blue both accounted for 100+ yards and two touchdowns.
Wisner has been the more frequently-used player this season, attempting 191 rushes for 973 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Blue has been Texas’ goal-line weapon. He has totaled 126 carries for 710 yards but leads the team in rushing touchdowns with eight.
“They have a good group of backs,” ASU sophomore defensive tackle CJ Fite said. “They have the one-two punch back there. It’s just playing assignment football, which is the biggest thing. Making sure we’re all where we’re supposed to be, doing our one-eleventh, doing our job on the field, and not messing up the man beside you or behind you. … They have great players, but as long as we play our brand of football, we’ll get the job done.”
Blue and Wisner haven’t been the only one-two punch in Texas’ backfield. The Longhorns are led by Ewers, who had another successful season in Austin, throwing for 2868 yards and 26 touchdowns, but in goal line situations, Sarkisian has begun to use sophomore Arch Manning as a red zone weapon.
Manning has at least one carry in each of the last three games, including a touchdown score on fourth down in a pivotal matchup against Texas A&M.
“Ewers is a guy that’s getting 80, 85 percent of the snaps, and then they’ll bring in Manning to run specific plays and do specific things,” Ward said. “We’ll be real specific when he comes in and what our answer to it is. Obviously, it’s going to be a chess match, and they’re going to react to what we’re doing, so we gotta be on top of that.”
The Texas offense has been a machine at points this year, but there are two blips on the Longhorns’ schedule where they looked totally out of rhythm and not like themselves. Those two losses are of course to No. 2 Georgia, the team that beat Texas in the SEC Championship.
In their two games against the SEC champs, the Longhorns completely failed to run the football against the Bulldawgs’ vaunted front seven, rushing for just 60 yards across the two games. Outside of those two games, Texas has averaged 215 rushing yards per game. The two games could offer ASU a blueprint for success, but Georgia had the perfect pieces to make it work.
However, if ASU is able to slow down the Texas running game at all, it would force Ewers to throw the ball, and the Texas native has had trouble with interceptions this season, totaling 10 on the season including three against Georgia. ASU has done a successful job turning teams over this season especially through the air. The Sun Devils 1.2 interceptions per game ranks T-13th in the country.
If ASU has any path to victory against the Longhorns, Dillingham knows it starts with one thing.
“Obviously, win the turnover battle,” he said.
The Sun Devils were counted out before the season began, going from being picked last to finishing first in their conference. However, their biggest test is still ahead of them, but that doesn’t mean Dillingham and his team aren’t going to do their very best to try and pass that test.
And at this point, why doubt he can get it done?
“There is no doubt we are playing with house money. To say we are not is just a lie,” Dillingham said. “Nobody expected us to be here, but if you’re a competitor and you wake up a day not wanting to compete versus the very best, then something is wrong with you.
“Our guys got to this point because they are ultra competitors, not because they are ever satisfied. So just because you are playing with house money doesn’t mean you should be satisfied. We should be driven every single day to be the best version of ourselves, repeat, repeat, repeat.”
