Texas bold predictions for Peach Bowl vs. Arizona State

It seems far-fetched to hold Cam Skattebo under the century mark with the form he was in in Arlington. The senior was breaking tackles left and right in that contest, leading many to believe he should’ve received an invite to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. The Skattebo, however, has been held to under 100 yards five times this year.

While Sam Leavitt did not start in all of these matchups, it’s important to note that Iowa State had one of the worst rushing defenses in the Big 12 heading into the conference championship game. That is not the case with Texas. The Longhorns only give up 104.5 yards per game on the ground, which ranks them ahead of any team in the Big 12 by more than 14 yards.

Sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr leads Texas’ rushing defense. The Denton, Texas native has a team-high 99 tackles, while recording 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and one interception. The Longhorns additionally have an elite secondary led by Jim Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron. This luxury will allow Texas to stack the box against Arizona State to contain Skattebo on Wednesday night.

Quinn Ewers will throw for 300+ yards and two touchdowns

While Iowa State couldn’t do it, Arizona State’s defense has several weaknesses the Longhorns can exploit. Specifically the secondary, which is giving up 219 yards per game. While the Big 12 Conference is historically known for its elite quarterbacks, 2024 was an off-year for the conference under center. Aside from Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders who the Sun Devils did not face this year.

Overall, Quinn Ewers has had his ups and downs for Texas this year. At times, the redshirt junior was placed into a quarterback controversy with backup Arch Manning. While Ewers’ lack of mobility from an ankle injury might hurt the Longhorns later on in the playoff, the Texas’ QB should thrive in this game. Arizona State’s defense only recorded 21 sacks for all of 2024. In comparison, Clemson entered the College Football Playoff with 32 sacks this season.

Against a much better pass rush, Quinn went 17/24 for 202 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In addition, despite the inconsistencies at times, Ewers is far and away the most talented quarterback Arizona State has seen this season. In a dome game reasonably close to home, this game is built for the Longhorns’ quarterback to thrive. Ewers has been at the forefront of Texas’ resurgence under Steve Sarkisian. It’s about time he had a feel-good game like this one is set up to be.

The Longhorns will look like the dominant national title contender they are

Arizona State has wildly overachieved under second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham. The Big 12 Championship game showed how far this program has come in 2024. The Sun Devils’ performance additionally reflected how this is one of the hottest teams in the country. Three of Arizona State’s last four wins came against teams ranked in the top 20 at the time. However, this matchup should be Texas’ game to lose.

Despite coming up short to Georgia in the SEC Championship game, many pundits believe the Longhorns got the easier path to the College Football Playoff semifinal out of the two. The Sun Devils ultimately cannot be taken for granted. But if Texas approaches this game focused and ready, Steve Sarkisian’s team can make this the statement game it should be for a program inching closer to its first national title since 2005.