Five Takeaways From Texas Longhorns CFP Win Over Clemson Tigers

The Texas Longhorns took care of business Saturday, beating the Clemson Tigers 38-24 to advance in the College Football Playoff.

Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue (23) evades a tackle from Clemson Tigers safety Khalil Barnes (7) to run the ball in for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, Dec. 21, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns stayed alive in their hunt for a national championship, beating the Clemson Tigers 38-24 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday.

Clemson was able to quiet down the rowdy DKR crowd with a quick touchdown on the opening drive, but Texas quickly took back control and led 28-10 at halftime. While the second half was slow, the Texas defense and run game helped solidify the win with clutch plays throughout.

The Longhorns are heading to the quarterfinals, where they will play the Arizona State Sun Devils in a neutral game in Atlanta on New Year's Day. If Texas wants to win that game and continue their quest in the playoffs, the Longhorns will need to continue a few things and work on a few more aspects.

Here are the five takeaways from the win:

1. The run game carried

The Longhorns scored four touchdowns on the ground against Clemson between Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue.

Whether it was up the gut, or pitching to one of the sides, the run game was working on all cylinders. The run game combined for an average of 6.1 yards per carry, and a lot has to do with Blue and Wisner. Blue had 146 yards on 14 carries and Wisner had 110 yards on 15 carries.

The offensive line helped open up massive holes all game, and Wisner and Blue took advantage of it. Blue helped put Texas up two scores in the second half with a 77-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, his longest run of the season. And Wisner had multiple great plays, including converting on a 3rd-and-10 on Texas' opening drive.

Getting the run game going has been the biggest difference for Texas, it is no surprise the two lowest rushing games all season for Texas are the two games they lost. And while it is important to have the run game show up at the start like it did against Clemson, the run game in the second half for Texas has been phenomenal as well to keep Texas ahead.

For now, a huge tip of the cap for the run game against Clemson.

2. There should be no Quinn Ewers hate.

Ewers finished the game completing 17 of his 24 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown as well as an interception. Though Ewers once again gave up the ball, it was hardly his fault, as the ball bounced right out of DeAndre Moore Jr.'s hands and into the air for a pick. The turnover didn't mean much and he made up for it the drive after with a throw over the middle to Gunnar Helm for six points.

Ewers looked comfortable and made a lot of great reads throughout the game. A lot of incompletions could be blamed on the receiver, including Golden's dropped pass on the fourth and two when Ewers made the correct read.

When the run game is going, it makes your job a lot easier, Ewers had plenty of time to throw and didn't have trouble moving the ball when needed. Texas completed six of its 12 third downs with Ewers.

And now with a neutral game, hopefully, Ewers can keep it up. He has been decently effective so far this season with neutral games against Oklahoma and Georgia. Texas fans need to believe in him.

3. Second-half play needs improvement.

It's a development that is coming to bite Texas. If the Longhorns can't come out with the same fire as they did in the first half, the championship-caliber teams are going to take advantage.

Look at the SEC Championship for example, Georgia took advantage of the lackadaisical coverage and won the game in overtime. Clemson was stopped in the end, but once Texas went up 31-10, the game shouldn't have been dragged out for as long as it was.

Looking back at the Texas A&M game where Texas didn't have any points in the second half, they improved, but when Texas has only averaged less than one touchdown in the second half in the last three games, it will be closer when playing the juggernauts of the playoffs like Oregon and Georgia.

4. The secondary stumbled more than they usually do.

The Longhorns secondary gave up the most passing yards they have given up all season with 336 yards.

Cade Klubnik got in grooves of quick throws that helped Clemson continue to make strides down the field and make long offensive drives. It looked like Texas would struggle a bit after Clemson's first drive, which took almost seven minutes off the clock where 60 of the yards were through the air. But the defense kept them out of the endzone until the third quarter.

After that, Clemson got moving again. Throughout the second half, the Tigers made it a goal to target Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad, and it worked for the most part. It was an unusually bad game from Muhammad, he continued to lose one on ones, but still stopped Clemson every now and then.

The secondary helped finish the job though. Michael Taaffe had a big tackle on a fourth-down stop to give Texas the ball back late in the fourth. Clemson doesn't give up many turnovers, so only forcing one shouldn't be a big deal. The Texas defense is still strong as most.

5. Texas has a very desirable path to the Championship.

After taking care of business against Clemson, the Longhorns now play the Big 12 Champion Arizona State Sun Devils. And while they are a very good team, they're arguably the weakest team of the top four seeds.

While the only undefeated team left is Oregon, a possible team that Texas would play in the Semifinals after Arizona State, the Longhorns have a ton of momentum going into the quarterfinals. Texas won't play Georgia until the national championship if both teams make it, and teams that could give Texas some problems, like Ohio State and Penn State are in the same situation.

But Arizona State should be the only focus for now. The game between the Longhorns and the Sun Devils will be on the first of the new year. Kickoff starts at noon CT on ESPN at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @LonghornsCountryOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @LonghornsSI

Other Texas Longhorns News:

MORE: Texas Longhorns Open as Big Favorites vs. Arizona State Sun Devils in CFP

MORE: Texas Longhorns Take Down Clemson Tigers to Advance in College Football Playoffs

MORE: Texas Longhorns Lead Clemson Tigers at Halftime of College Football Playoff

MORE: Three Texas Longhorns Injured in First Half vs. Clemson Tigers

MORE: Another Texas Longhorns Transfer Has Joined an SEC Team