Texas runs all over Clemson to make the Tigers one-and-done in the playoff

AUSTIN, Texas — To the edge Texas ran.

Until Clemson was pushed over the proverbial cliff.

There was nothing complicated about the No. 5 seed Longhorns’ scheme in a 38-24 win over the Tigers on Dec. 21 in the first round of the College Football Playoff. They ran their speciality, the outside zone play, over and over and over.

Clemson, which struggled to hold an edge for sizable portions of the season, just couldn’t stop it. In a weekend of flameouts for lower-seeded CFP teams, the No. 12 Tigers (10-4) were more the rule than the exception.

They did fight, climbing back from a 31-10 deficit to make it a one-score game, 31-24, early in the fourth quarter. But if the Tigers came to Austin believing they were dangerous because they were winning despite incomplete performances, they let the 2024 season come and go without executing for all four quarters.

The offense was stagnant for much of the first half, aside from a nearly perfect opening touchdown drive. The defense had a couple of stingy moments, but they were fleeting, because Texas would regain its footing and just roll.

Texas (12-2) finished with 292 rushing yards, which trumped a 336-yard game from Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.

What went wrong

Klubnik opened with a nearly perfect 12-play, 75-yard drive to hush the Texas Memorial Stadium crowd.

But the Longhorns answered with their own 12-play, 75-yard drive — and the Tigers just didn’t have the ability to match.

Clemson had 13 plays on its next four drives combined, totaling just 50 yards. Meanwhile, Texas scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, and — if not for a fourth-down stop by the Tigers’ defense after a Klubnik pick — could have made it four straight touchdown drives.

Like the opener at Georgia, an SEC opponent had a monster quarter and put Clemson on its heels. It was just the second quarter this time, not the third.

Texas outscored Clemson 21-3 in the second period as the Longhorns gained 121 of their 148 first-half rushing yards. They usually ran to the edge opposite star sophomore defensive end T.J. Parker, but they also ran right at him on Quintrevion Wisner’s second touchdown run.