Instant Analysis: Clemson’s comeback effort fails in Austin

Clemson stood at the goal line hoping for a comeback in Austin. Much like their efforts at the one-yard line, those hopes were fulfilled.

Texas fended off the Tigers’ comeback and secured a place in the quarterfinals with a 38:24 win.

Clemson’s season comes to an end in the Lone Star State. Here’s what we saw.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Cade Klubnik gave Clemson a chance.

Texas had given up a season-high 329 yards to Florida, and Klubnik’s efforts gave the Tigers enough to surpass that mark.

Klubnik spent the second quarter on his back as the Longhorns’ pass rush exerted its will on the Clemson offensive line, but the Tigers were never out of the fight.

The junior signal-caller was certainly the better quarterback, making several impressive attacks that gave hope to a game that seemingly had no reason for it.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MATCH: In his final game as a Tiger RJ Mickens was a single bright spot for the Tiger defense.

Mickens had Clemson’s only forced turnover of the afternoon, giving the Tigers short life in a disastrous second quarter.

He also had six tackles, made plays inside the secondary and got his hands dirty in the running game.

STATUS OF THE GAME: Clemson’s most glaring flaw was its constant, heavy rushing attacks on the Tigers.

The results against Texas showed a similar picture.

The two-headed attack that defined Steve Sarkisian’s offense was on display once again, with Quintavion Wisner and Jaydon Blue each rushing for 100 yards and completing the ball Wes Goodwin‘s defense.

Eight Texas rushing plays yielded 216 yards. As the season comes to a close, this statistic will track the brilliant comeback of the Clemson offense.

MOMENTS THAT ARE IMPORTANT: Wisner’s first half set the tone for the Longhorns, where Texas averaged over six yards per carry, asserting its dominance in the trenches for the afternoon. The most glaring mistake for the Tigers was the trip to Austin, which produced a nightmarish result for Clemson.

Despite the success at Texas, RJ Mickens’ interception gave the Tigers short life. It appeared he was headed for the end zone, but a blindside block negated the play and forced the offense to settle for a three instead.

Gunnar Helm turned Clemson’s hope into despair when his 19-yard score brought the Longhorns into the locker room with an 18-yard lead. Quinn Ewers didn’t throw the ball often, but this shot was enough to score three points in Austin.

Clemson continued to fight in the second half, but Klubnik found the victory Jarvis Green for a 25-yard score, cutting the Longhorn lead to 14.

After a Texas loss, Klubnik led the team down the field and cut the lead to seven, but once again rushing defense was the Tigers’ main problem. Blue rushed for 77 yards and led the Longhorns to 14 yards rushing.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Texas finally broke through and put away the Tigers for the first time, largely fulfilling their CFP hopes.

NEXT: Clemson’s season comes to an end against Texas, with a season record of 10-4.