Texas, Penn St. advance in CFP - Marin Independent Journal

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Texas, Penn St. advance in CFP

Blue bloods control first round of playoff

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Texas running back Jaydon Blue tries to break a tackle by Clemson linebacker Wade Woodaz during Saturday’s game. ERIC GAY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Jaydon Blue ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns, the last a 77-yard burst in the fourth quarter, and Texas beat visiting Clemson 38-24 on Saturday in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff.

Blue’s fourth-quarter touchdown came after Clemson rallied from down 31-10 to 31-24 on Cade Klubnik’s third touchdown pass.

Texas (12-2) advanced to the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl to play Big 12 champion Arizona State.

Blue also scored on a 38-yard cut-and-dash burst in the second quarter.

Quintrevion Wisner added 110 yards rushing and two first-half touchdowns for Texas. Quinn Ewers passed for 202 yards and a touchdown.Klubnik, who grew up in Austin, passed for 336 yards and rallied the Tigers (10-4) in the second half against a Texas defense that had given up just four passing touchdowns all season.

The runner-up in the Southeastern Conference, Texas is the only one of last season’s four playoff teams to make the new 12-team field. Clemson won the ACC championship to make the playoff. The Tigers were the No. 12 seed in their first appearance since 2020 and seventh overall.

The Tigers had three big fourth-down chances in the fourth quarter. They turned the first one into a touchdown when Klubnik threw to T.J. Moore. But they came up short on the next two. Keith Adams Jr. was stuffed at the Texas 1 and Klubnik’s pass at the Texas 26 was incomplete with just over a minute left.

PENN ST. 38, SMU 10 >> Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and the host Nittany Lions toyed with the mistake-prone Mustangs in a dominant victory in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

Sixth-seeded Penn State (12-2) advanced to face fourth-seeded Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve by hounding SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings into three turnovers, including a pair of ill-thrown floaters in the first half DeLuca and Rojas converted into Pick-6s that sent the white-out crowd at wintry Beaver Stadium into a frenzy and SMU (11-3) into a funk from which it never recovered.

Ohio State 42, Tennessee 17 >> Will Howard threw two touchdown passes to freshman Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State routed Tennessee in a first-round College Football Playoff game, setting up a New Year’s Day rematch with No. 1 Oregon at the Rose Bowl.

Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson rushed for two touchdowns apiece for the Buckeyes (11-2).