
Texas football sets up Peach Bowl quarterfinal against Arizona State
The Longhorns beat the Tigers 38-24 in the CFP opener and advanced to the quarterfinals where they will face Arizona State in Atlanta Jan, 1.
The 2024 Texas football advent calendar has come with one delightful surprise after another for Longhorns fans.
Coach Steve Sarkisian’s team is 12-2 as it prepares for a College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Arizona State on New Year’s Day in the Peach Bowl.
BUY TICKETS TO TEXAS VS ARIZONA STATE IN PEACH BOWL
What gifts have helped Texas get here?
Here’s a look at the four best gifts the Longhorns and their fans found under the tree this year.
Noise-cancelling headphones for Oklahoma and Texas A&M fans
Few luxuries supersede the feeling of walking onto a flight with a couple of screaming children, dipping into your carry-on bag and finding an effective pair of noise-canceling headphones.
Amid the chaos, you’ve found instant peace.
By beating the Sooners and Aggies in decisive fashion, the Longhorns won their fans a calendar year’s worth of silence from the two fiercest rivals on their schedule.
Maybe throw Arkansas fans who had a lot to say about their 2021 victory in there, too.
Arch Manning, the ultimate savings bond
Arch Manning, the mega-quarterback prospect from one of football’s first families, made his value crystal clear in 2024.
Stepping in for injured starter Quinn Ewers early on in the season, Manning quarterbacked the Longhorns to three wins without incident. In the process, he showcased a tantalizing skillset, featuring a huge arm and elite athleticism for the quarterback position.
Much like a savings bond, coach Steve Sarkisian made it clear that Manning’s value will help the Longhorns key win games in the future, not the present, once Ewers came back.
Texas fans know Manning’s there, but it’s unwise to unleash him fully ‒ no matter how badly they might want to every time Ewers makes a poor throw.
A loaded Texas football gift card
Maybe, as presents, they come off as a little bit impersonal. But in practicality, is there anything better than a loaded gift card or even a wad of cash?
You can fend off the fuzzy socks and purchase something you might actually enjoy.
The Longhorns used their credit on a new deal for Sarkisian, which will keep him contracted through the 2030 football season and pay him $10.6 million in base salary in 2024.
Sarkisian took Texas to the SEC championship game in its debut season in college football’s best conference. One of eight teams left standing in the College Football Playoff, the Longhorns are the only program to qualify for the CFP in each of the last two years.
That’s much, much better than fuzzy socks.
A lifelong protection plan on your new computer
You’ve just spilled water all over the brand-new laptop you purchased. You bring the laptop’s corpse back to the department store, only to discover you didn’t spend the additional 11 dollars to insure your $1,500 investment against this exact scenario.
What a nightmare.
Fortunately, the Longhorns have Kelvin Banks to ensure that the football equivalent of this situation doesn’t play out.
Nobody is better than the star left tackle at protecting Texas’ prized possessions at the quarterback position. On 1,000 pass-blocking reps over the last two seasons, Banks has allowed two sacks.
Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at deckert@gannett.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
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