ATLANTA — Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers sat at his locker long after the end of a thrilling 39-31 second-overtime win over Arizona State on Wednesday, his heart rate having returned to normal.

“We had them right where we wanted them,” Ewers told ESPN with a mischievous smile when asked about his season-saving touchdown pass on fourth-and-13 in the first overtime.

Ewers then delivered another touchdown pass in the second overtime, and safety Andrew Mukuba sealed the win with an interception, helping the Longhorns win the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and advance to the semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, where they face Ohio State.

For Texas, it was two players who were often underestimated at different points in their careers who put the game on the line. Coach Steve Sarkisian praised his team afterward for its resilience and finding a way to win despite blowing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter.

“One thing I know about our group is when our backs are against the wall and when our best is needed, our best shows up again and again,” Sarkisian said. “There will be a lot of things that we look at and say, ‘We have to do better,’ but our toughness and fight doesn’t have to be better. If there’s one thing you want to have as a calling card for your team, (it’s) exactly that.

This resilience starts with Ewers. The Texas offense struggled most of the game, unable to get its ground game going and having to play way too many third-and-longs. After rushing for 77 yards in two plays on the first drive of the game, Texas struggled through the next two quarters with a total of 64 yards.

At one point, with a 17-3 lead in the third quarter, Ewers was sacked in the end zone after recovering from a fumble. It was the first safety in CFP history and opened the door for Arizona State to regain its confidence and get back into the game.

But Ewers bounced back and showed plenty of grit, leading Texas on two fourth-quarter drives that ended in missed field goal attempts, including one from 38 yards that would have won regulation time. He had to demonstrate that determination again for Texas to win.

Arizona State had already jumped out to a 31-24 lead in the first overtime period. Texas faced fourth-and-13 from the Arizona State 28, a season-defining game. Ewers realized that Arizona State had planned a blitz attack and changed the defense at the line. When offensive coordinator Kyle Flood saw that, he knew the Longhorns would have a one-on-one opportunity to get the ball to Matthew Golden.

In fact, Texas withstood the pressure. Golden stormed down the sideline and Ewers delivered a perfect ball for a 28-yard touchdown pass, just as the Longhorns had practiced days before the game. The work wasn’t done.

Still.

Texas got the ball and started the second overtime. The first down play was a passing play called for tight end Gunnar Helm. Ewers said it’s a play the Longhorns like to run in spring and fall camp during a portion of practice called the “Red Zone Lockout,” where the offense goes against the defense in simulated overtime situations. The last time they did it in a game was last year against Iowa State. Helm scored.

Ewers introduced the ball perfectly for Helm again. Landing. The 2-point conversion to Golden? Successful. Now it was time for the defense, which had carried Texas while the offense struggled. Through three quarters, Texas had snuffed out chance after chance for Arizona State in the red zone, including a crucial four-and-goal from the 2-yard line late in the third quarter.

But the Sun Devils had the ball for nearly 13 minutes in the third quarter, which began to wear down the defense, and Cam Skattebo began to find his rhythm.

When Skattebo helped the Sun Devils equalize with five minutes left in regulation, the energy was gone from the Texas defense. Mukuba, a transfer from Clemson, went to veteran leader Jahdae Barron and told him something needed to be done. The defense had to get its energy back.

After Texas tied the game in the first overtime, Barron gathered the defensive players and said, “The offense is going to score. The game is ours.”

Mukuba, who grew up in Austin, decided to join the Longhorns after failing to reach his full potential with the Tigers. He joined a veteran group led by Barron, one of the best defensive players in college football. But this time, Mukuba believed, the moment was right for him.

Arizona State faced third-and-eight from the Texas 10-yard line in the second overtime, trailing by eight points. When quarterback Sam Leavitt dropped back to pass, Mukuba saw the play coming his way. He said he thought, “I have to make the game. Of course we want to win. We want to get to the next round. At that moment I felt like it was up to me.”

Mukuba intercepted the ball. Game over. The Longhorns ran onto the field in celebration, knowing they hadn’t played the most complete game but had found a way to win. It was a much different feeling than it was a year ago today, when Ewers threw an incomplete on the final play of the Sugar Bowl, lost to Washington in the CFP semifinals and ended what seemed like a fairytale season.

Now the Longhorns have another shot at the semifinals and hope to return to Atlanta in 19 days to play for a national championship. According to ESPN BET, they were five-point underdogs against the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl.

“It definitely feels a lot better to be on this side of things,” Ewers said. “That really showed today. With all the dynamic swings that there were, we all just stayed confident in our own game. The resilience of all these guys is unreal.”