The No. 1 Texas Longhorns barely escaped Neyland Stadium with a 20-17 victory over Tennessee on Saturday afternoon, but man, did the Vols make them sweat. Despite a brutal day on offense, Tennessee rallied late, even getting a Hail Mary into the end zone on the final play, only to see it fall incomplete. It was a heartbreaker for the Vols, especially after showing that kind of fight in the closing moments.
Offensive Line Abused, Brandon Battled Through Injury
Let’s be real, this was a rough watch for anyone hoping for a smooth Tennessee offense. Quarterback Faizon Brandon was 17/29 passing for 145 yards and a single score, which isn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard. The ground game? Absolutely dreadful, with the team managing only 70 yards on 44 carries. DeSean Bishop led the way with a mere 33 yards on nine attempts. What was the biggest problem? The offensive line. They were absolutely atrocious, getting abused at the point of attack all game long. There were zero running lanes, making life impossible for the backs. Brandon even left the game for a bit with a shoulder injury, with George MacIntyre stepping in, though Brandon bravely returned to finish the half as Texas took a 10-3 lead into the locker room. The entire unit just got manhandled.
Texas Dominance and Questionable Playcalling
The Longhorns came out looking like the No. 1 team for sure. They marched 75 yards for a touchdown on their opening drive, going up 7-0 after Arch Manning threw a 43-yard duck that Tennessee’s defense should’ve picked, but instead got badly beat. But the real story for Texas was their defensive front. They racked up an incredible 10 sacks on the day, with future first round pick Colin Simmons having an absolute monster game with five sacks alone. That’s a game-wrecker right there.
Compounding Tennessee’s woes was the playcalling. Josh Heupel’s decisions were extremely suspect. With the offensive line getting hammered, he seemed completely unwilling to mix things up, sticking to deep routes and letting Brandon sit in the pocket over and over. This was a one score game for much of the second half, and yet, no quick screens, no trick plays to break momentum. It was arguably Heupel’s worst job ever as a play caller in Knoxville, just letting his quarterback get pounded.
Tennessee did fight back though. A Qua Moss punt return touchdown leveled the game at 10-10, and they hung tight. After Texas went up 13-10, the game stalled until Texas finally broke through with a 60-yard touchdown drive with under six minutes left, making it 20-10. But Brandon found Mike Matthews in the end zone for a 30-yard score with 1:21 left, pulling them within three. Matthews was a bright spot, leading pass catchers with four grabs for 72 yards and that late touchdown.
What a wild finish, and what a tough pill to swallow for Tennessee. They showed heart, but the offensive line’s struggles and the playcalling quandaries proved too much to overcome against the top-ranked Longhorns.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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