CJ Vogel

You are absolutely right. What a job by the Longhorns to play disciplined football.

I agree, it wasn't terrible in round one, but it still was an issue.

If you are able to stall out Skattebo, Texas will be just fine.

I am sure there are other key moments that I will find in the research leading up to the game, but right now this one stands out to me. Anything y'all can think of that Texas must have success with in order to guarantee a victory?

There is a continued dominance on first down. Having dug through stat after stat since the conclusion of the Clemson game on Saturday, this one remains one of my favorite that I keep returning to. Texas was elite on first downs offensively in round one of the College Football Playoff. It was one of their more complete performances of the year on first downs and it helped sustain drive after drive. Here are the main numbers from Steve Sarkisian's offense on first downs vs. Clemson. 33 first down snaps 253 yards 7.7 yards per first down snap Quinn Ewers was 10-12 passing on first downs for 124 yards or 10.2 yards per attempt, a really solid mark for him. There were two sacks on first down, one of which being Ewers taking a self sack on a busted play where linemen were downfield a throwaway would have resulted in a penalty. In the run game, Texas gained 129 yards on 19 rush attempts. That is a 6.8 average clip. Talk about staying ahead of the chains, that is how you do it. Three first down plays went for touchdowns as well. Rushes of 3, 26 and 38 all found the end zone off of a first down snap. Here is the big one for me. Of the 33 first down snaps, Texas gained two yards or more on 27 of them. There were three incompletions and a rush for loss, then a pass for -6 on the screen where Williams and Wisner were injured and a sack. Other than that, a new first down was gained or Texas was playing ahead of the chains. A really positive mark for the Longhorns who constantly stubbed their toe and played behind the chains against Georgia. *** One other note. Texas had an average distance to gain of 11.6 against Georgia. Against Clemson, that mark was down to 4.6. The run game certainly helped and the Longhorns benefitted greatly. If Texas can duplicate this against Arizona State, I have a hard time seeing them stall many drives on New Year's Day. They will dominate if this first down success makes the trip to Atlanta.

That’s all for today.

Dillingham acknowledged being a 14-point underdog and says “rightfully so” in regards to the Vegas line.

Sark says he believes Arizona State is playing football as well as anyone in the country and remind folks of how difficult it is to win the Big 12 and they did it in year one.

Sark says he thinks it’s very important for his team to take some time to unwind with family for Christmas in the week leading up to ASU. Says he trusts his team to take care of business even if not in the facility. “If I can’t trust them now, when can I trust them?”

Dillingham credits the Texas pass rush for its ability to create turnovers. Says they rush 3, 4, 5 and it’s all effective because of how sticky they are in the back end.

Sark says he thinks it’s very important for his team to take some time to unwind with family for Christmas in the week leading up to ASU. Says he trusts his team to take care of business even if not in the facility. “If I can’t trust them now, when can I trust them?”

Dillingham says he watched Quinn Ewers out of high school but did not ever talk to him because he didn’t think he would have a chance to land him. Dillingham says Ewers’ is very accurate downfield and has great pocket awareness.

Sarkisian says Cam Skattebo is a very versatile running back. Loved watching his highlights.

Sarkisian says WR Isaiah Bond “continues to make really good progress.” Wants to reevaluate after Christmas where he is physically.

Dillingham says Helm’s contact balance provides an issue for his defense. Says he would prefer to have an opposing TE who can’t extend completions like Helm.

Sarkisian says he loves the versatility of Gunnar Helm — Helm set the single season reception record for a TE. “I do think his catch radius is a positive for him and I believe Quinn trusts that.”

“This is College Football in 2024… I am happy for those guys, especially the ones having some success,” Sarkisian speaking on the six former Longhorns on ASU’s roster.

“(sarkisian) has always studied and I have always been able to steal a few things from him.” - Dillingham.

Dillingham says Sarkisian changes his offensive scheme as well as anyone in the country.

Sarkisian says he has watched a lot of plays from Coach Dillingham. Says he was very innovative. Mentioned watching Arizona State playing Washington last year in prep for Washington in the CFP Semis.

Sark also gives a lot of credit to Trevor Goosby for stepping in once again, this time at RT. Goosby stepped in against A&M after just seven snaps. Sarkisian says he’s been very proud of him.

RT Cam Williams’ knee is “not as serious as we thought.” Says Steve Sarkisian. Williams had an MRI on Sunday.

Sarkisian says Texas has a “real come to Jesus meeting” after the SEC Championship Game in regards to penalties. The Longhorns had 11 penalties vs. Georgia, then turned acting to have just 2 vs. Clemson.

ASU HC Kenny Dillingham says Texas has the combination of talented players who play really hard and that’s not fun to play against.