Heartbreaker
Arizona State loses in double-overtime at
2025 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

ATLANTA – In a thrilling battle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Arizona State University fell short against the Texas Longhorns in double overtime, losing 39-31 in the 2025 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

The Sun Devils, making their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, staged a dramatic comeback to force overtime after trailing 24-8 in the third quarter. They ultimately fell short, however, against the heavily favored Longhorns (13-2).

“Yeah, that’s one of the best teams in the country, if not the best team in the country we faced today,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said in a postgame press conference. “We started off not so great, and the way the guys battled back is remarkable.

“I hate to lose more than anybody, but now that the game is over and where these guys have come is an incredible testament to the team,” he added. “But, golly, that one sucks.”

ASU senior running back Cam Skattebo delivered a heroic performance, rushing for 144 yards on 30 carries, scoring two touchdowns while receiving 8 passes for 99 yards, totaling 243 all-purpose yards, and even completing a 42-yard touchdown pass.

“He’s a special player and it’s just Cam,” Dillingham said of his star running back. “It’s exactly what I expected (from him), bottom line. When you give him the ball crazy things will happen.”

Despite Skattebo’s efforts, Texas junior quarterback Quinn Ewers led the Longhorns with 322 passing yards on 20-of-30 attempts, throwing three touchdowns and one interception.

This season marked Arizona State’s return to the national spotlight. It was their most significant bowl appearance since the 1997 Rose Bowl, when then-quarterback Jake Plummer and linebacker Pat Tillman led the Sun Devils to a 12-1 season. Arizona State transitioned to the Big 12 Conference this year after 46 years in the Pac-12 and was predicted to finish last in the conference. Defying expectations, they captured the Big 12 Championship in their inaugural season, defeating Iowa State.

Winning the coin toss, Arizona State opened with a field goal but quickly found themselves in a 14-3 hole. Texas capitalized on a two-play drive, with Ewers connecting with sophomore wide receiver DeAndre Moore for a 23-yard touchdown. Moments later, senior wide receiver Silas Bolden returned a punt 65 yards for another score. The Longhorns extended their lead to 17-3 with a 22-yard field goal by senior kicker Bert Auburn just before halftime.

The Sun Devils clawed back in the third quarter with a safety and a field goal, narrowing the gap to 17-8. A defensive stand at the goal line by Texas resulting in Skattebo gaining no yardage on a 4th and goal from the 2-yard line. Despite that, the ASU defense came up big with a safety on the Longhorns’ next possession that energized the Sun Devils.

Redshirt freshman kicker Carston Kieffer later added at 36-yard field goal, cutting Texas lead.

“The punt return killed us early and that got us behind two scores early, but then from there out, you know, we didn’t have control of the game,” Dillingham said. “They were playing really good red zone defense. Looking back at it, I didn’t put our guys in the best possession to succeed too many times.

“Our guys deserved to win the football game, and I didn’t do a good job for them as their head coach, putting them in possession to win,” the ASU coach added. “I’m gonna reflect on it, and I’m gonna look at how I can be better to put them in a better position to be successful.”

The fourth quarter saw a flurry of action including two missed field goals late in the quarter by Texas’ Auburn. The Longhorns extended their lead to 24-8 with an 8-yard rushing touchdown by Ewers. Arizona State responded with a trick play, as Skattebo connected with wide receiver Malik McCain for a 42-yard touchdown on a flea-flicker. A successful two-point conversion brought the score to 24-16.

Momentum shifted dramatically when ASU’s defense intercepted Ewers at their own 21-yard line. Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt then found Skattebo for a 62-yard pass, setting up a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Skattebo. A subsequent two-point conversion tied the game at 24-24 with 5:05 left in regulation.

Texas had two opportunities to win in regulation, but Auburn missed field goals from 35 and 38 yards, the latter with just two seconds remaining.

In the first overtime, ASU took their first lead of the game when Skattebo scored on a 3-yard run, making it 31-24. Texas responded with a clutch 4th-and-13 touchdown pass from Ewers to junior wide receiver Golden, forcing a second overtime.

Texas struck first in double overtime with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to senior tight end Gunner Helm. On ASU’s ensuing possession, Leavitt’s third-down pass was intercepted by senior defensive back Andrew Mukuba at the 2-yard line, sealing the victory for Texas.

With the win, Texas advances to the Cotton Bowl, where they will face the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes routed Oregon in the Rose Bowl later that evening.

For Arizona State, the loss caps a season of immense progress and signals a bright future for the program in the expanded 12-team playoff era as the Sun Devils finished the year at 11-3.

“Undeniable,” Skattebo retorted when asked to reflect on the past season. “We fought through everything all season. I mean, we gave everything we had as you saw in that game, we never stopped.

“I bet nobody in this room thought we were gonna be even close when we went down 17-3 in that first quarter,” he added. “We believe in ourselves; we believed in what we had going. Undeniable is what this team is about.”

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