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.

“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.”

After coming up one play short of a stunning upset, Coach Kelly Dillingham said he had plenty he’d like to change about how the Sun Devils’ New Year’s Day finale played out. But the second-year coach knows his players left no doubt they deserved to compete with the best.

“I think a lot of people were questioning that,” Dillingham said, “and I don’t think any person questions if we belonged on the field.”

The Sun Devils, predicted to finish last in the Big 12 in the league’s preseason poll in July, achieved a remarkable turnaround from 3-9 to 11-3 in 2024. They earned the No. 4 seed and a firstround bye as the Big 12 champion despite finishing No. 12 in the final CFP committee rankings.

They looked like they were overmatched early in their first playoff game, quickly falling behind 14-3. But from that point forward, Arizona State did almost everything it needed to do to outplay and outlast the Longhorns.

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.

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.

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’s 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.

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.

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.

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.

In the game, the Sun Devils outgained their foe 510-375 in total offense. They wore down Texas’ defense, controlling the ball for nearly two-thirds of regulation. They shut down Texas’ powerful run game. They got a legendary performance from Skattebo in the final game of his college career. And in the end, they furiously rallied from a 16-point deficit in the game’s final seven minutes to force overtime.

“We gave everything we had,” Skattebo said.

They had their chance to win, leading 31-24 in the first overtime, but couldn’t get a game-clinching stop on fourth-and-13 and let Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden get wide open for a 28-yard score. Five plays later, the Sun Devils’ season was over. Texas safety Andrew Mukuba picked off Leavitt’s pass, and the No. 5 seed Longhorns survived.

Skattebo, the Sun Devils’ relentless senior running back who finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, led the way as he did all season with 143 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 30 carries. He threw a 42-yard touchdown pass on a fourthand-2 in the fourth quarter to spark the late rally, then burned the Longhorns for a 62-yard reception on Arizona State’s next drive. He finished with eight catches for 99 yards. Despite the loss, Skattebo earned Peach Bowl offensive MVP honors.

After going toe-to-toe and two overtimes with a Texas team that’s one of the best in the game, Dillingham knows they have plenty of reasons to be proud.

“I hate to lose more than anybody,” Dillingham said, “but now that it’s over, you can reflect and where these guys have come from is an incredible testament to the team. But, golly, that one sucks.”

After their final game together, Skattebo and Leavitt held hands during their postgame news conference. They helped each other push through the pain as they tried to put in perspective a special season that exceeded their wildest expectations.

“This is just the beginning for us,” Skattebo said. “No matter what, these guys will be in my life forever. It’s awesome that I was able to play football for and with them.”

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