ATLANTA — 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 quarterfinal 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 3-yard touchdown run to start overtime against No. 4 Texas (13-2).
No. 10 Arizona State — a two-touchdown underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook — was on the verge of winning when Texas faced fourth-and-13 on its 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 2-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 semifinal on Jan. 10 against No. 1 Oregon or No. 6 Ohio State, who were facing off in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
Despite being dominated on the stat sheet most of the game, the Longhorns had a seemingly comfortable 24-8 lead after scoring two early touchdowns and getting a 5-yard scoring run from Ewers with just over 10 minutes remaining.
But Skattebo and the Sun Devils were just getting warmed up.
The running back who calls himself the best in the nation, Skattebo backed up his bravado with a performance for the ages, showing every facet of his all-around game.
First, he took a pitch on fourth-and-2 and heaved a 42-yard touchdown pass to Malik McClain that gave the Sun Devils a chance when they made the 2-point conversion.
Then, Skattebo broke loose down the sideline and hauled in a 62-yard throw from Leavitt — getting his helmet ripped off at the end of the play, which seemed like the only way to bring him down.
That set up a 2-yard touchdown run by the bowling ball of a back, and it was only appropriate that Skattebo also powered in for the 2-point conversion that tied the game at 24 with 5 minutes remaining.
Texas had a pair of chances to win in regulation, but Bert Auburn was wide right on a 48-yard field goal attempt and clanked one off the left upright from 38 yards away as time expired.
