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ATLANTA — Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers sat at his locker long after a thrilling 39-31 double-overtime win over Arizona State had ended Wednesday, his heart rate back to normal.

“We had them right where we wanted them,” Ewers told ESPN with a sly smile when asked about his season-saving touchdown pass on fourth-and-13 in the first overtime.

Ewers then delivered another touchdown pass in the second overtime, and safety Andrew Mukuba sealed the victory with an interception, helping the Longhorns win the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and advance to the semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, where they’ll face Ohio State.

For Texas, it was two players, often underappreciated at various times in their careers, who came up big with the game on the line. Coach Steve Sarkisian praised his team for its resilience afterward, finding a way to win despite blowing a 16-point fourth-quarter lead.

“One thing that I know about our group is when our backs are against the wall and when our best is needed, our best shows up time and time again,” Sarkisian said. “There’s going to be plenty of stuff that we’re going to look at and say, ‘We got to do better,’ but our toughness and fight doesn’t need to be better. If there’s one thing that you want as a calling card for your team, [it’s] just that.”

That resilience starts with Ewers. The Texas offense struggled for much of the game, unable to get its ground game going and forced into far too many third-and-longs. After a quick 77 yards in two plays on the first drive of the game, Texas slogged through the next two quarters with 64 total yards.

At one point, up 17-3 in the third quarter, Ewers was sacked in the end zone after recovering a fumble. It was the first safety in CFP history and cracked the door open for Arizona State to regain its confidence and get back in the game.

But Ewers bounced back from that and showed plenty of grit, leading Texas on two fourth-quarter drives that ended in missed field goal attempts, including one from 38 yards that would have won it in regulation. He had to show that determination again for Texas to win.

Arizona State had already scored to go up 31-24 in the first overtime. Texas faced fourth-and-13 from the Arizona State 28, one play to determine its season. Ewers saw Arizona State had planned to blitz and changed the protection at the line. When offensive coordinator Kyle Flood saw that, he knew the Longhorns would have a one-on-one opportunity to get the ball to Matthew Golden.

Sure enough, Texas handled the pressure. Golden streaked down the sideline and Ewers delivered a perfect ball for a 28-yard touchdown pass, the same way the Longhorns practiced it days before the game. The job was not done.

Yet.

Texas got the ball to start the second overtime. The first-down play was a pass play called for tight end Gunnar Helm. Ewers said it was a play the Longhorns like to run in the spring and fall camp during a portion of practice called “red zone lockout,” when the offense goes against the defense in simulated overtime situations. The last time they ran it in a game was last year against Iowa State. Helm scored.

Ewers threaded the ball perfectly for Helm again. Touchdown. The 2-point conversion to Golden? Successful. Now, it was time for the defense, which had carried Texas while the offense struggled. Through three quarters, Texas had shut down one red zone opportunity after another for Arizona State, including a crucial fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line late in the third quarter.

But the Sun Devils had the ball for nearly 13 minutes in the third quarter, which began to wear down the defense, and Cam Skattebo started to find his groove.

By the time Skattebo helped the Sun Devils tie the score with five minutes left in regulation, the energy was gone from the Texas defense. Mukuba, a transfer from Clemson, went to veteran leader Jahdae Barron and told him something had to be done. The defense had to get its energy back.

After Texas tied the score in the first overtime, Barron gathered the defensive players and said, “The offense is going to go score. The game is on us.'”

Mukuba, who grew up in Austin, decided to transfer to the Longhorns after not reaching what he believed was his full potential with the Tigers. He came into a veteran group led by Barron, one of the best defensive players in college football. But this time, Mukuba believed, the moment was made for him.

Arizona State faced third-and-8 from the Texas 10-yard line in the second overtime, trailing by eight points. As quarterback Sam Leavitt dropped back to pass, Mukuba saw the play was coming toward him. He said he thought, “I have to make the play. Obviously, we want to win. We want to get to the next round. In that moment, I felt it was on me.”

Mukuba hauled in the interception. Game over. The Longhorns ran onto the field in celebration, fully aware they had not played the most complete game but found a way to win. It was a far different feeling than one year ago today, when Ewers threw incomplete on the final play of the Sugar Bowl to lose to Washington in the CFP semifinals and end what had seemed to be a storybook season.

Now, the Longhorns have another semifinal chance, with the hope they can return to Atlanta in 19 days to play for a national championship. They opened as five-point underdogs to the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl, according to ESPN BET.

“It sure does feel a whole lot better to be on this side of things,” Ewers said. “That really showed through today. With all the momentum swings that were going on, we all just stayed confident in our own game. The resiliency of all these guys is unreal.”

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Freeman, Franklin eye boost to all Black coaches

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Freeman, Franklin eye boost to all Black coaches

Notre Dame‘s Marcus Freeman and Penn State‘s James Franklin are aware they are on the brink of making history in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday.

The winner will become the first Black head coach to take a team to the national championship game. Both were asked about that possibility during their respective news conferences Saturday previewing their matchup.

Franklin said it reminded him of Super Bowl XLI between Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith in 2007, the first Super Bowl featuring Black head coaches. Franklin was the offensive coordinator at Kansas State at the time, coaching for Ron Prince, another Black head coach.

“I remember thinking that, as a coach, how significant that was in the profession, and how significant that was for young coaches coming up in the profession, to see those guys in that role,” Franklin said. “I also remember, at that time, there were a lot of conversations about, ‘Will this impact the profession? Will this impact opportunities for guys?'”

At the time, there were six Black head coaches in college football, Franklin said. There are now 16 head coaches in 134 FBS programs, something Franklin described as progress.

“I know some people will say, ‘Well, that that’s not a huge increase,’ but it is an increase,” Franklin said. “At the end of the day, does this create opportunities for more guys to get in front of athletic directors? Does this create opportunities for search firms? I hope so. I think at the end of the day, you just want an opportunity, and you want to be able to earn it through your work and through your actions. I take a lot of pride in it.”

When Freeman was asked, he made sure to note that he is also half-Korean, a nod to his mother. But he also understands the significance of the moment.

“It’s a reminder that you are a representation for so many others that look like you, and I don’t take that for granted,” Freeman said. “I’m going to work tirelessly to be the best version of me, and it’s great, because even the guys in our program can understand, ‘Don’t put a ceiling on what you can be and what you can do.’

“Now, with that being said, it’s not about me. It’s about us. More than anything, I want to achieve team glory with this program.”

Freeman was also asked how he can inspire other young coaches who are watching him on this stage.

“If you want to impact the young people in this profession, you probably should do things to help them, and those are things that maybe after the season I could focus on trying to do,” Freeman said. “I want to be a representation. But that’s not enough. If you want to truly help some people, then you got to be one to make decisions and actions that truly help people.”

Franklin said he is honored to be in position to coach against Freeman in the semifinal.

“I’m honored to be able to compete against Notre Dame. Most importantly, I’m honored to represent Penn State and the young men in that locker room,” Franklin said. “For me to sit here and say that it’s not important, it’s not significant, that would not be accurate.”

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PSU’s Franklin: ‘Too early’ to say if Carter plays

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PSU's Franklin: 'Too early' to say if Carter plays

Penn State All-American defensive end Abdul Carter is working back from an apparent left arm injury, and while coach James Franklin said it’s “too early” to determine Carter’s status for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame, there’s optimism about his return.

“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything stopping him from playing, but it’s going to come down to, how is he able to play?” Franklin said Saturday. “We’ll see. But his mentality is great. He’s excited about this week, but it’s too early to say at this stage.”

Carter left the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl against Boise State on Tuesday in the first quarter, not recording any statistics before exiting and not returning. No. 6 seed Penn State won 31-14 to advance to the Capital One Orange Bowl, where it will face No. 7 seed Notre Dame on Thursday night.

Carter, 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, became Penn State’s first consensus All-America selection since Saquon Barkley in 2017. He also was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. lists Carter as the No. 2 prospect for the 2025 NFL draft, behind Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado.

Carter posted a social media message Tuesday of Darth Vader in a bacta tank from the movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” indicating his recovery process from the injury.

“He’s doing great. His attitude is great. His mentality has been really good,” Franklin said. “We’ll see, but he’s taken the right approach and mentality, and it’s really going to come down to how he feels and how much practice he’s going to get during the week.”

Franklin does not usually provide injury updates about players who are not out for the season but understands the attention around Carter, who leads Penn State in sacks (11) and tackles for loss (21.5) and ranks second in quarterback hurries (8) and fourth in total tackles (63). A Philadelphia native, Carter moved from linebacker to defensive end this season under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen. He has 22 career sacks, 37.5 tackles for loss, 5 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 13 passes defended.

Penn State players are off Saturday before returning to practice Sunday.

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Irish hurry CFP prep with 2 fewer days than PSU

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Irish hurry CFP prep with 2 fewer days than PSU

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman says his team has to “expedite the preparation” with fewer days than Penn State to get ready for the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday.

During a news conference Saturday in South Bend, Indiana, Freeman was asked about the challenges presented after the team’s quarterfinal game against Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl was delayed one day following a deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans.

The Irish beat the Bulldogs 23-10 on Thursday, while Penn State beat Boise State 31-14 in its quarterfinal game Tuesday.

Freeman pointed out that his team came out of the Georgia game relatively healthy and is proceeding as if this is a normal game week. Notre Dame’s only significant injury was suffered by backup tight end Cooper Flanagan, who sustained a foot injury that will keep him out of the rest of the playoffs.

“How you handle the unpredictable things in life will determine the success, and so the greatest thing about this week is it’s just a normal game week,” Freeman said. “Now what we’ve got to do is utilize the time. We have to expedite the preparation because what you miss in terms of not having those couple days is the mental preparation of knowing exactly what to do. We’ve got to make sure we utilize every hour of the day to capitalize off of the preparation. For us, this is just game week.”

Freeman has led the Irish to the semifinals after a Week 2 loss at Northern Illinois that could have derailed the season. Instead, they treated every week like a playoff game and are now on the brink of playing for a national championship.

As a result, there is far more noise surrounding the program heading into the semifinal, something Freeman acknowledged. But he also knows it is important not to deviate from what got the Irish to this moment.

“I think it’s human nature to enjoy people saying good things about you,” Franklin said. “It’s human nature. But we’ve talked all year about being misfits. That’s what we have to continue to be. You have to make the choice to either waste time listening to people tell you how good you are or you’re going to put your time into preparing for this opportunity right in front of us. That’s been my message loud and clear, and we all have to make that choice.”

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