Texas and Clemson have never played before, but their playoff game is still a rematch
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Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff Writer
AUSTIN, Texas — When the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was revealed, Cade Klubnik took one look at the screen, rubbed his forehead and laughed. He knew immediately what it meant.
The Austin native would be returning to his hometown to lead No. 12 Clemson against No. 5 Texas on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, TNT/Max), and immediately, Texas high school football fans celebrated the rematch of one of the most hyped quarterback meetings in the state’s rich history.
In January 2021, Klubnik and his Austin Westlake team beat Quinn Ewers and Southlake Carroll 52-34 in the 6A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in a matchup of two elite prospects. Both were originally in the same class, ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks in the state, with Ewers rated No. 1 nationally as well, earning one of the highest grades of all time for a recruit. Ultimately, Ewers would reclassify and skip his senior year of high school, heading to Ohio State before transferring to Texas.
Both played for legendary high school programs: Westlake has won four state championships while Southlake has eight. And both QBs played for Dodges — Todd Dodge and his son Riley — with Todd among the most venerated high school coaches in Texas history, whose influence on football in the state has led to this moment. The “Dodge Bowl,” as it was known, became the first time in history a father coached against his son for a state title in Texas.
“The thing I remember about the game is the first two possessions I went, ‘Damn, I shared too much information with my son through the years,” Todd said. “Because he knows exactly how to attack our defense.'”
In that game, Michael Taaffe caught passes from both quarterbacks. “He was like Travis Hunter for us through the playoffs,” Todd said of the two-way star who caught five passes from Klubnik against Southlake, and intercepted Ewers twice, earning defensive MVP honors. Fortunately for Ewers now, Taaffe is on his side as an All-American safety for the Longhorns.
For two teams that have never met in college football history, the Clemson-Texas game has ties that run deep.
“It feels a little weird watching on tape, watching Cade, knowing that he was my quarterback for a couple of years and now I’m playing against him,” Taaffe said this week. “It’s going to be so fun.”
Taaffe says they texted each other that they loved each other this week. Then he and Klubnik, who he said first played together in third or fourth grade, started getting ready to face off.
“He’s going to do whatever it takes,” Taaffe said. “I don’t assume that there’s going to be a lot of sliding out of Cade come Saturday. There’s probably not going to be a lot of stepping out of bounds, especially if he sees 16 [Taaffe’s number]. He’s going to try to impose his will on me. He’s definitely going to try to lower his shoulder on me and he’s going to tell me about it too. I’m going to be ready for that and … I’m going to be ready to lower my shoulder on him.”
THE FIRST ON-CAMPUS playoff game in FBS history in Texas featuring two of the state’s biggest quarterback prospects is a real conundrum for Brad Thomas, the lead pastor at Austin Ridge Church. High school football is often referred to as a religion in Texas, something Thomas is currently navigating.
Thomas, a South Carolina native and a Clemson grad, went to seminary in Dallas, met his wife Courtney in Texas and stayed. He’s been in Austin for 20 years now. The Klubnik family has been members of his church the entire time, and Ewers has attended since he’s been in Austin. Thomas was introduced to Ewers in the church foyer for the first time by Klubnik.
“This is probably the worst-case scenario for me as a pastor of a church that mainly consists of UT people,” Thomas joked. “If Clemson wins the game, I probably need to find a job. If we lose the game, we probably need to find a job.”
Klubnik, meanwhile, will be playing against six former Westlake players on the Texas roster, acknowledging that it’ll be strange to land at the Austin airport and bus over to a hotel in his hometown as a visitor. He joked this week that he heard from so many people it would’ve been nice to have a flip phone to cut down on the distractions but was excited about the rematch with his old friend.
“Quinn and I go way back,” Klubnik said. “We played each other in seventh grade and 7-on-7 and stuff. And then met my junior year in the state championship game, and it was definitely a very high-profile game.”
The two even hung out in California at the Elite 11 quarterback competition when they were in high school, with both Dodges going to support their stars and the families having dinner together.
“It’s definitely cool for sure,” Ewers said this week. “Me and Cade have a good relationship and he’s a cool dude and it is definitely cool to get to play each other again. It’s come full circle and whatnot.”
Todd Dodge said the two quarterbacks are different, each with his own style.
“They’re probably about as opposite of personalities as you’ll ever get,” he said. “Cade is pretty high-strung and a rah-rah leader kind of guy, getting his team fired up. Quinn’s kind of Cool Hand Luke. Their teams need both of those things.”
Klubnik’s parents went to Texas A&M but said Cade didn’t grow up with the rivalry since it was on hiatus, so any sense of playing Texas is more of hometown excitement than any animosity.
With Texas focused on Ewers, Dodge said the Aggies were the ones who were surprisingly off the radar, simply because Jimbo Fisher didn’t seem interested.
“If anybody missed out on Cade Klubnik in the state of Texas, it was Texas A&M,” Dodge said. “They just didn’t show any interest. Everybody else in the country did, but they didn’t.”
So Texas coach Steve Sarkisian mentioned being surprised when Klubnik seemed focused on Clemson during recruiting.
“Big fan of Cade,” Sarkisian said. “[But] he always had a dream of going to Clemson.”
Thomas, who proudly preached in an orange suit after Clemson won national championship games, hopes he can take a little credit.
“We’ve had about 20 to 25 kids from Austin Ridge go to Clemson in the last, I’d say six years, and many of the athletes, I really feel like I should be [getting] a kickback or something. I’ve been doing subliminal messaging for about 18 years.”
Thomas knows of rivalries. His daughter Lydia graduated from Texas. Courtney graduated from Oklahoma. The Thomas family has a flagpole outside their house with Clemson, Texas and OU flags on it, stacked in order of who’s riding the highest at the moment. He’s hoping Clemson orange will be waving over burnt orange in the hierarchy after this weekend.
“I’m excited to watch these kids play,” Thomas said. “I grew up near Clemson and so that’s just been part of my whole life. I’m totally excited about this game and I’m going to be wearing my Clemson garb surrounded by Horns.”
EVEN THE COACHES have shared experiences with the quarterbacks. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney recalled his only visit to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium this week. It was alongside Sarkisian watching Westlake and Klubnik beat Austin Vandegrift 70-7 in a playoff quarterfinal on campus at Texas.
“The only time I’ve been at a game at this stadium, I actually stood in the end zone with Sark and watched Cade play,” Swinney said.
That was a meaningful game for Todd Dodge, a former Longhorns quarterback, as well.
“It’s actually the first time I’d ever got to coach at the place that I played at,” he said. “Cade had a big game, but I’ll never forget it was the first time Dabo had seen him play in person.”
Todd Dodge became the first Texas high school football player to throw for more than 3,000 yards in 1980 before playing for Texas and becoming a legendary high school coach with his fingerprints all over this matchup.
From 2000 to 2002, he went 19-10 in the suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth at Southlake before he turned it into a machine. From 2002 to 2006, the Carroll Dragons went 79-1, with only a 16-15 loss to Katy in the 2003 state championship game. He coached stars like Alabama’s Greg McElroy, Missouri’s Chase Daniel and passed along plenty to his son, Riley, who committed to Texas, but followed Todd when he took the job at North Texas and played there.
“He’s a legend,” Cade’s mom, Kim Klubnik, said. “He’s a walking, living legend and his son is too.”
Garrett Riley, Klubnik’s current offensive coordinator, who was the offensive coordinator at SMU at the time of the Westlake-Southlake title game nearby at AT&T Stadium, said he remembers the anticipation around the Ewers-Klubnik heavyweight fight.
“Knowing everybody’s story and how they were brought up and the high schools that they went to, I just have a deep appreciation for their story, really both of them,” he said. “We weren’t really in the mix for ’em at that time. I remember when the two Dodges played each other. I remember watching the game on TV, a lot of anticipation. I was certainly tuned in to watch the father-son battle. And oh, by the way, you got these two highly touted elite quarterbacks leading the charge for both teams.”
Riley, who grew up in West Texas, said the Dodge influence and the Southlake mystique — they all dye their hair blonde for the playoffs as a sign of team unity — was a big part of his coaching upbringing too.
“I remember being in little ol’ Muleshoe, watching Fox Sports Southwest and watching the state championship games on TV and seeing the bleached hair and them throwing the ball all over the yard. It was awesome. Those quarterbacks were always really good, so I remember that vividly.”
So it’ll be a big game for Riley too. And he knows his quarterback is going to be soaking it all in.
“Cade may know 60 percent of the crowd that’s going to be there that night,” Riley said. “It’ll be a pretty special evening for him.”
WHEN THE PAIRING was first announced, Swinney called the game the “Mukuba Bowl.”
Texas safety Andrew Mukuba, an Austin native who played for three years at Clemson before transferring back home, said he and Klubnik were “locker buddies” when they were on the same team.
“The only two guys from Austin, Texas, so we clicked a little bit,” Mukuba said, who added that his former teammates have been “kind of talking crazy,” in text messages.
“It’s good to go through that with them,” Mukuba said. “I was on the same side with them at one point. But it’s going to be exciting now.”
Taaffe said Mukuba’s story can’t be overlooked among the quarterbacks. The big hitter who knocked Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton‘s helmet off in the SEC championship game is locked in.
“There’s so many storylines about Quinn, about Cade, about myself, but Andrew, I mean those are all his guys,” Taaffe said. “He knows every single one of them because I could be mistaken, but I don’t think Clemson gets people out of the portal. Literally he knows every single guy from that team. … It’s going to be an interesting game for him, but he’s definitely ready. I mean, he’s going the extra mile to be ready for this game and he’s going to do what he does.”
But Taaffe has his own motivations. Most notably, playing against Klubnik.
Taaffe said he and Klubnik forged a bond during COVID-19, with Taaffe even working with his QB to learn the offense.
Taaffe also worked out for two hours for more than 100 straight days with Mukuba and Jahdae Barron, this year’s Thorpe Award winner, all Austin DBs who now star together on the nation’s top-ranked pass defense. Then, he would spend time learning the details of the passing game with Klubnik.
“I had 22 hours of the day left, and me and Cade were throwing the ball, running routes and figuring out every single avenue how to win the state championship,” Taaffe said. “That’s how me and Cade kind of took off. We had nothing to do but become best friends because we were trying to go win a state championship.”
He said he knows Klubnik’s tendencies. But he said Klubnik knows his too.
“He’s going to probably show me one thing that they’ve done on film a hundred times and it’s going to be the opposite,” he said. But he’s not conflicted about what he needs to do.
“I’m a competitor no matter who it is,” Taaffe said. “My job is to take my opponent’s soul. That’s what I try to do, no matter if it’s my best friend or the guy that I hate the most on this planet.”
TOD AND KIM Klubnik, who retired when Cade went to college and bought an RV to follow Clemson to every game, have made plenty of friends out that way. They’ve spent the week handling recommendations for Austin BBQ or Mexican restaurants. “One thing that’s been really sweet is how kind our Longhorn friends have been to us this week, offering to help get tickets or whatever we need,” Kim said. “They’ve just been really kind and we really, really appreciate our Longhorn friends right now.”
Thomas is excited to see the two quarterbacks play on a giant stage after enduring their share of criticism over the past couple of seasons.
“People were wanting Cade to get in the portal after his sophomore year. They expected Cade to be Trevor Lawrence. Well, he’s not Trevor Lawrence,” Thomas said. “People want Quinn to leave every game. They expect everybody to be Colt McCoy or Vince [Young]. The Texas fans are calling for Arch to play. I’ve watched both of these kids handle this with such grace and such patience and perseverance. So I think this is also an opportunity for these two kids to be on the same field and just be who they are, which is really cool.”
Both Dodges have said Texas’ grueling high school playoff schedule — the only state where teams play up to a 16-game season — and the attention that comes with being a star in their programs have prepared them for this moment.
“I’d be more shocked if they weren’t in these types of games in their college career,” Riley Dodge told Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. “Both battled through adversity and doubters. They both went to work and handled their day-to-day and came out better for it. Playing in big programs under a spotlight set them up for success.”
They’re both extremely close to their quarterbacks and say they are among the finest the state has ever produced.
“Riley and Quinn have a tremendous relationship,” Todd Dodge said. “They keep in touch in the same way I do with Cade. Those two quarterbacks, what a matchup and what great players, I’m so proud of both of them as they lead their teams into the college playoffs.”
Still, like Taaffe, he’s got to watch Klubnik going up against his Longhorns.
“Yeah, there’ll be some mixed emotions going this week,” Todd said. “But the beautiful thing is how much fun it’s going to be.”
Beginning with snow in South Bend, the College Football Playoff made its on-campus debut this weekend. The scenes have not disappointed.
Up next is the quarterfinal round, which features four games played at traditional postseason sites: the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Peach Bowl. Much like the first round, the quarterfinals will span two days. No. 3 Boise State kicks things off and will make its first-ever CFP appearance — albeit in a very familiar game, the Fiesta Bowl, where 18 years ago much of the country learned about the Broncos in their unforgettable win against Oklahoma. They’ll face No. 6 Penn State.
The New Year’s Day slate begins with perhaps the most surprising CFP entrant: Arizona State, which was picked to finish last in the 16-team Big 12 and won the league to earn the No. 4 seed. Coach Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils will be in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the first time since 1970 and will face No. 5 Texas. Up next will be the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, in which No. 1 seed Oregon, the nation’s only undefeated team this season, will take the field and face No. 8 Ohio State in a highly anticipated rematch. An incredible day finishes up in New Orleans, where No. 2 seed Georgia, the only team in the CFP field to win a national championship in the past four seasons, will face No. 7 Notre Dame at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Ten teams are left in the hunt for a national championship, following a season of unpredictability. Here’s a look at the first two quarterfinal matchups and what to expect Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. — Adam Rittenberg
Jump to:
Penn State vs. Boise State
Texas vs. Arizona State
Ohio State vs. Oregon
Notre Dame vs. Georgia
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 3 Boise State
When: Dec. 31, 7:45 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN
What we learned in Round 1: Perhaps we learned Penn State has an elite defense, but that seemed pretty clear before the 38-10 win over SMU in which the D picked off Kevin Jennings three times in the first half, returning two for touchdowns. Moreover, those interceptions were as much a statement about SMU’s incompetence on the execution of those plays as Penn State’s brilliance. Perhaps we learned that, once again, the 106,000-plus fans in Happy Valley can create havoc for opposing teams, but that won’t be an advantage through the rest of the playoff for Penn State. Perhaps we learned coach James Franklin can win a big one. He had been just 5-21 vs. top-12 teams at Penn State entering this year’s playoff. But while SMU might have earned its No. 11 ranking, the talent disparity on the field clearly favored Penn State, and had the Mustangs not imploded of their own accord so early, there might’ve been real hand-wringing over Franklin’s perplexing fourth-down call from his own 20-yard line up 14-0 or the offense’s inability to break big plays against SMU until the score was entirely lopsided. In other words, Penn State’s win was encouraging, because things mostly went right, and the Nittany Lions did what they were supposed to do. But beyond that, an easy victory against an SMU team that helped by beating itself didn’t exactly prove that this year’s Penn State is finally capable of getting over the hump against a genuinely top-tier opponent. The really good news is, the Nittany Lions are going to get at least one more chance to do just that.
X factor: QB Drew Allar. Allar and the Penn State passing game have been a mixed bag over the past two years. The top-line numbers speak for themselves. Allar wins, he doesn’t turn the ball over, and he has moved the ball consistently against lesser competition. But the downfield threat has never quite materialized for Allar, even as the offense’s explosiveness has improved with Andy Kotelnicki calling plays in 2024. Part of that comes from the lack of a true speed demon on the outside, and part of it comes from a game plan built around two talented tailbacks. But there will come a time in these playoffs — and quite possibly against Boise State — when Allar needs to change the dynamic, force a defense to respect the vertical threat and win some battles downfield.
How Penn State wins: It’s unlikely Penn State can completely run back the blueprint for beating SMU, as it’s not often a defense is gifted so many big plays by the opposing quarterback, but the basic framework for a win should look a good bit like what the Nittany Lions did in Round 1. It’s no secret Boise State’s magic is created by tailback Ashton Jeanty, so if Penn State can force the game into Maddux Madsen’s hands instead, there’s reason to think it can cash in on some QB mistakes, just as it did against SMU. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Jeanty has faced his share of stacked boxes this season, so not only does Penn State need to game-plan to stop Jeanty on defense, but Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton & Co. have to actually bring down the Heisman Trophy runner-up before he can escape into space. — David Hale
Key player: RB Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty has turned in one of the best seasons college football has ever seen from a running back, rushing for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns, to finish second in the Heisman voting. He needs 132 yards to break Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record, which has stood since 1988 (when bowl stats did not count toward official stats). Jeanty can do it all: get tough yards, break long ones, catch passes. And he has done it as the focal point from opposing defenses in a way few players ever are.
X factor: QB Maddux Madsen. There isn’t really a question of what the Broncos will get from Jeanty. He’s going to deliver when the chances are there and, probably, when they aren’t. In the Mountain West, he was dominant enough to minimize the importance of the passing game. That won’t be the case in this game. The Broncos will need complementary football and Madsen to rise to the occasion. In the regular season, Madsen did an excellent job protecting the football — he threw 29 touchdowns to just three interceptions — and that has to be the case against Penn State. The Nittany Lions terrorized SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, and SMU never stood a chance with his poor performance.
How Boise State wins: When the Broncos lost by three at Oregon in September, they went toe-to-toe with the Ducks from start to finish. That performance earned them a lot of credibility with the selection committee and is perhaps the blueprint for how to advance. The key part here is not falling behind early. They never trailed by more than a score against Oregon, and that allowed Jeanty to stay as involved as possible. He’s going to see loaded boxes, as usual, but the opposing talent level is much higher than anything the Broncos have seen since Oregon. If Boise State can hang on to the ball and avoid third-and-long, it will have a puncher’s chance. — Kyle Bonagura
When: Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN
What we learned in Round 1: Texas can morph into whatever form necessary to advance. Quinn Ewers started 8-for-8, but he cooled off after a ball bounced off DeAndre Moore Jr.’s hands and turned into an interception. But the running game took over Saturday for the Longhorns. After running for a total of 60 yards in two losses to Georgia this year, the Longhorns had two 100-yard rushers against Clemson, just the fourth pair of running backs to top the century mark in the playoff. Jaydon Blue, who had 38- and 77-yard touchdown runs — the second the Longhorns’ longest run of the season — added some explosiveness to an offense that has been methodical all season. This Texas team has dimensions where it can shift gears.
X factor: Texas tight end Gunnar Helm is a reliable security blanket for Ewers and the Longhorns, catching a touchdown with 33 seconds left in the first half, and three of his other five catches went for first downs, all coming on first down. The threat of Helm on early downs over the middle softens up looks for the rest of the offense. The 6-5, 250-pound senior is now first in Longhorns history in catches by a tight end and second in yards and touchdowns by a tight end in a season.
How Texas wins: Run the ball and shut down Cam Skattebo. The Texas pass defense was gashed by Clemson at times, giving up three passing TDs after surrendering only four all season, but without Jordyn Tyson, the Sun Devils might not have enough weapons to keep spreading out the nation’s best pass defense. If Texas can contain Skattebo (in the passing game, too) and feed its own running backs behind a strong offensive line, the Longhorns can stifle the Sun Devils and milk the clock while making them play from behind. — Dave Wilson
Key player: RB Cam Skattebo. What is not to love about the way Skattebo plays? His emergence became one of the best storylines of the season, as he ended up finishing fifth in the Heisman voting. He rushed for 1,568 yards and 19 touchdowns while adding 506 yards and three touchdowns receiving — the only player in the country with 1,000-plus yards rushing and 400-plus yards receiving (even with one missed game). As if that weren’t impressive enough, the last player to hit those marks was Christian McCaffrey in 2015. Skattebo got better as the season progressed — and his performance in the Big 12 championship game speaks to that. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the game after scoring three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving), with 208 yards of total offense.
X factor: DB Xavion Alford. It is hard to call one of the best defensive players in the Big 12 an X factor, but so much of the focus on the Sun Devils has been on their offense that Alford deserves some of the spotlight — and he is likely to have an opportunity to come up big. An All-Big 12 first-team selection, Alford has been the model of consistency and an ironman of sorts. He played the fourth-most snaps in coverage in the Big 12 this season (424, 33rd among all FBS players) and allowed just seven receptions, the third fewest in FBS (minimum 300 coverage snaps). Teams have learned to not throw his way — he has been targeted just 17 times this season. As a result, he has allowed only 76 yards in coverage, fourth lowest among FBS players.
How Arizona State wins: Texas presents the biggest, most physical challenge up front that Arizona State has faced this season. The Longhorns completely owned Clemson at the line of scrimmage in their first-round game, so to defeat them, Arizona State will have to match or beat that physicality — and force Ewers into making mistakes. We all know what Skattebo can do, but Texas ranks as one of the best defenses in the country — so keeping that group off-balance is going to be key. Sam Leavitt has shown incredible poise as the starting quarterback, but the offensive line is going to have to make sure to keep Texas at bay so he does not get rattled. — Andrea Adelson
When: Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN
What we learned in Round 1: Despite falling to Michigan, Ohio State is plenty capable of winning the national championship. The Buckeyes bounced back in a big way, throttling one of the SEC’s top teams all year in Tennessee. Ohio State jumped to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka got open at will, and quarterback Will Howard put the ball on the money. Defensively, linebacker Cody Simon set a physical tone, cracking Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava‘s helmet on the opening drive with a devastating hit. It’s hard to see anyone else in the playoff defeating this version of the Buckeyes.
X factor: The Volunteers simply couldn’t cover Smith, who ignited the Ohio State scoring barrage with a 37-yard scoring grab on the opening possession. Ohio State curiously gave Smith only two targets in the Michigan loss, with both coming in the third quarter, resulting in just one catch for 3 yards. This time around, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s game plan against Tennessee clearly was to get the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Wide Receiver of the Year involved early and often. The Buckeyes have capable veteran playmakers (Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins), but Ohio State’s offense is at its most dangerous when Smith is touching the ball.
How Ohio State wins: In their first meeting, the Buckeyes allowed Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel to operate with a clean pocket (no sacks, only two QB hurries). The Heisman Trophy finalist made them play with 341 passing yards, highlighted by several completions downfield and two touchdowns on the way to the 32-31 victory. As the Tennessee game illustrated, Ohio State has the pass rushers — notably Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau — to overwhelm the opposing quarterback. Getting to Gabriel in the rematch will be paramount for the Buckeyes. — Jake Trotter
Key player: QB Dillon Gabriel. This is why Gabriel left Oklahoma and made his way to Eugene, to play in games like this. The fifth-year senior will lead Oregon into the Rose Bowl with a chance to stay undefeated and get one step closer to his ultimate goal of winning a national championship. Only Shedeur Sanders had a better completion percentage than Gabriel this season, an impressive feat when you consider this is his first year in the Ducks’ offense. Gabriel fit in seamlessly into offensive coordinator Will Stein’s unit and has produced his best games when Oregon has needed him the most — 341 yards and two touchdowns against Ohio State and 283 yards and four touchdowns in the Big Ten title game against Penn State. For Oregon to advance, Gabriel will need to not just replicate those kinds of performances, but likely dig deeper for more.
X factor: DE Jordan Burch. Oregon’s defense hasn’t exactly lacked for much given its depth and talent, but Burch has been a force. Despite missing four games with an injury, he has been able to tally 8.5 sacks (20th in the country), including a 2.5-sack outing against Washington in the regular-season finale. Having an extended rest period between the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl is a boon for a player like Burch, who could single-handedly tilt the game in the Ducks’ favor by wreaking havoc in the opposing team’s backfield.
How Oregon wins: The Ducks have the benefit (or the curse, depending on how you look at it) no other team in the quarterfinals has: They’ve already beaten their opponent once. Against the Buckeyes in October, Oregon fought fire with fire, out-gaining, outmatching and ultimately outscoring Ohio State by a single point in Eugene, thanks to a handful of explosive plays, fewer penalties and winning the turnover battle (2-0). The margin between these two teams is already slim and on a neutral site, Oregon will have to be more explosive, more disciplined and simply better — especially on defense, where they allowed 467 total yards — to be able to beat a tough opponent twice. The way the playoff bracket shook out is not how the No. 1 seed Ducks would have likely preferred, but what we get as a result is a rematch that could provide us with an all-time classic between arguably the two best teams in the country this year. It’s only fitting that the setting will be the Rose Bowl. — Paolo Uggetti
When: Jan. 1, 8:45 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN
What we learned in Round 1: Notre Dame has a championship-level defense with stars at all three levels. Safety Xavier Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Award in 2023, but he’s actually even better this season and showed why against Indiana with 10 tackles and an interception. Jaiden Ausberry led a playmaking group of linebackers and Rylie Mills created havoc up front, as Notre Dame flexed on third down (7 of 13 conversions). Notre Dame’s offense isn’t always the most fluid unit, but with so many running options, chunk plays are always possible, and Jeremiyah Love can deliver them, as he showed with a 98-yard touchdown, the longest play in CFP history.
X factor: WR Jordan Faison, a standout lacrosse player thrust into action at wide receiver in 2023 because of attrition, has become a sneaky good target for quarterback Riley Leonard. Despite missing three early-season games with a sprained ankle, Faison has made multiple catches in every contest he has appeared in, and he had a career-high seven receptions for 89 yards against Indiana. “He’s a playmaker, man,” coach Marcus Freeman said. The sophomore also has a knack for shining in the postseason, as he earned Sun Bowl MVP honors last year with 115 receiving yards and a touchdown against Oregon State. Notre Dame can’t beat Georgia strictly with its run game, and it will need wideouts such as Faison to make notable contributions.
How Notre Dame wins: The Irish must harass Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, likely filling in for injured starter Carson Beck, just as they did Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke on Friday. Notre Dame’s defense, which has carried the team much of the season, recorded 10 tackles for loss and three sacks against Indiana and rarely let the Hoosiers operate on schedule. The Irish also need to replicate the offensive balance they showed against Indiana while being a bit more consistent on the ground. Remove Love’s 98-yard touchdown, and Notre Dame had 95 net rushing yards on 34 carries. Notre Dame also must play a cleaner game on special teams after having a field goal attempt blocked and an onside kick recovered by Indiana late in the game. — Rittenberg
Key player: QB Gunner Stockton. With Bulldogs starter Carson Beck probably sidelined for the CFP because of an elbow injury on his throwing arm, they’ll turn to Stockton, who is expected to make his first start in the Sugar Bowl. Stockton completed 12 of 16 passes for 71 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in Georgia’s 22-19 victory over Texas in the SEC championship game. He came off the bench to rally the Bulldogs back from a 6-3 deficit at the half. The third-year sophomore has completed 78.1% of his attempts for 206 yards in parts of three games in 2024. Stockton is more of a runner than Beck, but he has far less experience. At Rabun County High School, Stockton had 13,652 career passing yards and 177 passing touchdowns to go with 4,372 rushing yards and 77 rushing touchdowns in his four-year career. He set Georgia state high school records for career passing touchdowns, passing yards and rushing touchdowns.
X factor: RB Trevor Etienne. The Florida transfer returned from a nearly monthlong absence because of a rib injury and ran for 94 yards with two scores in the SEC championship game. He ran for 87 yards with three touchdowns in a 30-15 victory over the Longhorns in the regular season. Etienne can become a big safety valve for Stockton because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield — he has 28 receptions for 168 yards. Etienne is also a more-than-capable blocker, which will be important if Notre Dame’s defense decides to dial up the heat on Stockton. The Irish are 39th in run defense in the FBS (133 yards per game), and they held Indiana to only 63 yards in the first round.
How Georgia wins: With Stockton stepping under center, the Bulldogs are going to need their defense to rise up big time. This hasn’t been Georgia’s best defense under coach Kirby Smart; it ranks 21st in scoring defense (20.4 points), 36th against the run (127.8 yards) and 35th in total defense (334.8 yards). The defense has played well in some of Georgia’s biggest games, including wins over Texas and Tennessee. Linebackers Smael Mondon Jr. and Jalon Walker will need to control Notre Dame’s running game, and they’ll need to force the Irish into a couple of turnovers. — Mark Schlabach
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Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff Writer
AUSTIN, Texas — Coach Steve Sarkisian said he had a simple message for his offensive line and running backs after Texas‘ SEC title game loss to Georgia, the Longhorns’ second loss to the Bulldogs this season.
“Run to win.”
Texas ran for just 60 yards in the two games against Georgia — 29 in a 30-15 defeat in Austin in October and 31 in a 22-19 overtime loss two weeks ago.
On Saturday, in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff, the Longhorns ran for a season-high 292 yards in a 38-24 win over Clemson. Now, they will run all the way back to Atlanta, the site of that second Georgia loss, with a quarterfinal trip to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to face Arizona State on Jan. 1.
“We needed to run the football to win this game,” Sarkisian said. “We’re going to need to run the football to advance in these playoffs. That’s what playoff football’s about.”
Running back Jaydon Blue, who struggled with an ankle injury early in the season and missed the UTSA game, reeled off 38- and 77-yard scoring runs, both on audibles called by quarterback Quinn Ewers, who finished 17-of-24 passing for 202 yards and a touchdown with one interception.
Blue, who had lost four fumbles previously in the campaign and was carrying a football around a month ago to highlight ball security after fumbling against Kentucky, had 2 yards on two carries in the two Georgia games. On Saturday, he rushed for a career-high 146 yards, calling it a “sigh of relief.”
“Going back to the SEC championship, we didn’t run the ball well at all,” Blue said. “[Sarkisian] just stayed on us in practice. The O-line, running backs, the whole offense took that in, and we were more physical in practice. He really made a big emphasis on us running the ball.”
And the Longhorns managed it against Clemson despite some key linemen suffering injuries in the game.
Shortly before halftime, center Jake Majors and right tackle Cameron Williams were hurt. Hayden Conner moved from left guard to center, with backup center Cole Hutson playing left guard and Trevor Goosby at right tackle.
Meanwhile, Clemson’s offense was able to press Texas. The Longhorns, which hadn’t allowed more than 350 yards to any team this season, gave up 412 yards, including 336 yards and three touchdowns through the air from Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik. Texas had allowed just four previous touchdown passes all season.
The contest represented a rematch of the 2020 Texas state championship game between Ewers, who was born in San Antonio, and Klubnik, an Austin native playing against several former high school teammates on the Longhorns squad.
Texas safety Michael Taaffe, one of Klubnik’s best friends, said after Saturday’s game that the signal-caller posed challenges that the Longhorns hadn’t previously seen this season.
“When you look across the sideline, no matter how close you are with the other opponent, they’re your opponent,” Taaffe said of Klubnik. “We were definitely sharing words back and forth. So, that was fun. But then, at the end of the game, it’s all love. He had a great game. … He helped us get ready for next Saturday, for sure. So hats off to Cade; he’s a baller.”
Sarkisian said this team has proved to him it is versatile and resilient.
“I don’t know if this was our best game defensively, but when we had to have it, they made those plays. To me, that’s a sign of a great defense,” Sarkisian said.
And after Clemson rallied from a 31-10 deficit to make it 31-24 after Klubnik’s third TD throw, Blue was off on that 77-yarder early in the fourth quarter. Sarkisian saw it as a sign of resolve, both for Blue and the Longhorns.
“He was able to continue to work and improve his game and then have a game like this in the playoff,” Sarkisian said of Blue. “Just really proud of him, but I think that is kind of symbolic of everybody on our team. Everybody’s been dealing with stuff.
“I know one thing about our team, it’s that when times get tough, we respond. And Jaydon was a great example of that.”
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