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Texas football didn’t secure the SEC Championship as many had hoped or expected they would, earning a first-round bye, but the Longhorns are still alive and advancing in the College Football Playoff. The No. 3 Longhorns took care of business in the first round, defeating ACC Champion No. 16 Clemson in Austin.
Awaiting Texas in the quarterfinals is another conference champion—this time, the Big 12 winners, No. 12 Arizona State. The title the Sun Devils now hold was one the Longhorns captured just a year ago before their move to the SEC. While it took Texas 15 years to reclaim a conference title, Arizona State pulled it off in their very first season in the Big 12.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and his team will return to a familiar setting on New Year’s Day as they head to Atlanta, Georgia, to face Arizona State in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It’s the same venue where Texas lost to Georgia in the SEC Championship just a couple of weeks ago, their second defeat to the Bulldogs this season. This time, Ewers and the Longhorns are determined to rewrite the narrative and leave the Peach State with a win–even if they are once again without their beloved mascot, Bevo.
With that said, let’s dive into our bold predictions for Quinn Ewers against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, a quarterfinal matchup in the College Football Playoff.
Quinn Ewers throws at least one interception against Arizona State
Texas and coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t need to lean heavily on Quinn Ewers in their win over Clemson, as the ground game carried much of the load, racking up nearly 300 yards. Ewers attempted just 24 passes, completing 17 for an impressive 70.8%. However, one of those passes found its way into the hands of a Clemson defender.
It was Ewers’ only blemish of the game, but it marked his fourth interception in the last three contests. Those three games have been some of the biggest of the season for Texas and Ewers. Against Texas A&M, it was a battle for a spot in the SEC Championship. Then came the conference title game against Georgia, where Texas had a chance to secure a first-round playoff bye—Ewers threw two interceptions in that loss. Now, with their first round victory over the Tigers, the stakes are even higher as they head into the quarterfinals against the Sun Devils.
Don’t be surprised if Ewers tosses at least one interception in this high-pressure matchup.
Quinn Ewers throws for under 250 yards against Arizona State
Ewers hasn’t been lighting up the stat sheet with massive passing yardage this season. Part of that is due to his injury earlier in the year, but his struggles with consistency have also played a role. Ewers has surpassed 250 passing yards in only four games this season, with his last such performance coming against Georgia, where he threw for 358 yards. However, he’s also had four games where he didn’t even crack 200 yards.
The Sun Devils’ pass defense is respectable, allowing just 219.3 yards per game. Their run defense, on the other hand, has shown vulnerabilities at times–and they've never faced a rushing attack quite like that from the Longhorns.
Given Steve Sarkisian’s preference for a run-heavy attack, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Texas once again leaning on Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner, who had 256 yards and four touchdowns last week against Clemson. That could result in Ewers finishing with fewer than 250 passing yards in this matchup.
Quinn Ewers throws two touchdown passes against Arizona State
The last time Ewers threw for more than one touchdown in a game was just before Thanksgiving, when the Longhorns hosted Kentucky. In that matchup, the Texas quarterback tossed two scoring passes. While Ewers hasn’t been piling up passing yards recently, he’s still capable of connecting with one or two of his talented receivers to account for a pair of touchdowns in this game.
Quinn Ewers and Texas move onto the semifinals, beating Arizona State with ease
Not only is Texas the only team from last season to return to the College Football Playoff this year, but they’ll also advance to the semifinals with a victory over Arizona State. While it has been a remarkable turnaround season for Kenny Dillingham’s squad, their magic will run out when they face the Longhorns.
Texas simply has too much talent compared to the Sun Devils. That includes Quinn Ewers, who will do just enough to lead Texas to their second playoff win, securing a victory by at least three scores.
