Texas answers Sarkisian's challenge as RBs explode in CFP win - ESPN

AUSTIN, Texas — Coach Steve Sarkisian said he had a simple message for his offensive line and running backs after Texas' SEC title game loss to Georgia, the Longhorns' second loss to the Bulldogs this season.

«Run to win.»

Texas ran for just 60 yards in the two games against Georgia — 29 in a 30-15 defeat in Austin in October and 31 in a 22-19 overtime loss two weeks ago.

On Saturday, in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff, the Longhorns ran for a season-high 292 yards in a 38-24 win over Clemson. Now, they will run all the way back to Atlanta, the site of that second Georgia loss, with a quarterfinal trip to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to face Arizona State on Jan. 1.

«We needed to run the football to win this game,» Sarkisian said. «We're going to need to run the football to advance in these playoffs. That's what playoff football's about.»

Running back Jaydon Blue, who struggled with an ankle injury early in the season and missed the UTSA game, reeled off 38- and 77-yard scoring runs, both on audibles called by quarterback Quinn Ewers, who finished 17-of-24 passing for 202 yards and a touchdown with one interception.

Blue, who had lost four fumbles previously in the campaign and was carrying a football around a month ago to highlight ball security after fumbling against Kentucky, had 2 yards on two carries in the two Georgia games. On Saturday, he rushed for a career-high 146 yards, calling it a «sigh of relief.»

«Going back to the SEC championship, we didn't run the ball well at all,» Blue said. "[Sarkisian] just stayed on us in practice. The O-line, running backs, the whole offense took that in, and we were more physical in practice. He really made a big emphasis on us running the ball."

And the