AUSTIN, Texas – No. 13 Clemson got into the College Football Playoff on a thunderous kick in the final seconds of the ACC championship. No. 4 Texas limped in after a great regular season was deflated by a frustrating overtime loss to Georgia in the SEC title game.
Now these two heavyweights meet for the first time with even higher stakes: Their first round showdown in the newly expanded College Football Playoff on Saturday is the first step toward what both hope is a national championship.
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It matters little to Tigers coach Dabo Swinney that a program that once dominated the CFP has to go on the road as the lowest seed in the field at No. 12. The Tigers are just glad to be back in the hunt.
Clemson (10-3) was all but forgotten after a season-opening humiliation at the hands of Georgia, and now has some swagger and a puncher’s chance of winning the whole thing. Clemson won national titles in 2016 and 2018 but missed the playoff the last four seasons.
“We’ve overcome a lot to get here. There are players who’ve never been in the playoff before, so this is a huge moment for them,” Swinney said. “It’s going to be like a normal road game times a million, because this is playoff game ... You gone fishin’ if you lose this one, as Charles Barkley likes to say. You win, you keep going. You lose, you’re done.”
Texas (11-2) is the only one of last year’s four playoff teams to make it into the expanded field this season. The Longhorns peaked at No. 1 at midseason and there only two losses were to Georgia, the No. 2 seed in the playoff.
Fifth-seeded Texas earned the right to host the matchup, even if the last month was a little rough around the edges.
The Longhorns have been carried into the postseason by a dominant defense. But in three of the last four games, Texas has been held to 20 points or less, with just one touchdown in the last six quarters.
The playoff is a reset. All Texas coach Steve Sarkisian sees is a tournament that stretches all the way to the Jan. 20 championship game. For two teams, there is still a month of games. The winner Saturday advances to the next round against Big 12 champion and No. 4 seed Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1.
“This is pretty exciting stuff, this new era of college football,” Sarkisian said.
Quarterback rivals
Quinn Ewers of Texas and Cade Klubnik of Clemson go way back in a rivalry born out of their Texas roots. Klubnik led Austin Westlake over Ewers and Southlake Carroll in January 2021 for a Texas Class 6A state championship when both were rated among the top quarterback recruits in the country. Klubnik returns to his home town to start a quest for a national title.
Texas secondary
Klubnik faces arguably the best secondary in the country. Cornerback Jahdae Barron won the Thorpe Award as the top defensive back, and safety Michael Taaffe was a second-team AP All-American. Safety Andrew Mukuba transferred from Clemson and has been one of the biggest hitters on the team. Texas has allowed just four passing touchdowns this season.
Special teams
Clemson freshman Nolan Hauser is 17 of 23 on field goals attempts and 3 of 6 on kicks longer than 40 yards. One of those was a doozy: a 56-yarder as time expired to win the ACC championship. Texas senior Bert Auburn’s 61 career field goals rank first in school history, but he is 14 of 21 this season and just 6 of 13 beyond 40 yards.
Big Banks
Texas expects dominant offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. back in the lineup after the junior missed most of the last two games with an ankle injury. Banks won the Outland and Lombardi awards presented to the top lineman in college football. Clemson has 28 sacks this season. Banks has surrendered just one.
Running tough
Klubnik is a dual threat as a passer and runner. But the Tigers also need a big game from tailback Phil Mafah, who has nearly 1,200 yards this season. He has been limited over the last few games with a nagging shoulder injury.
“He’s physical. He’s big,” said Taaffe, the Texas safety. “He jump cuts like he’s 150 pounds and then he runs the ball like he’s 260. He’s special.”
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