No. 1 Texas barely escaped Knoxville with a 20-17 road win over No. 14 Tennessee, and honestly, it felt way closer than that final score on Saturday night. President Donald Trump was in the crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium, and what he saw was a Longhorns team that snagged a win in their SEC opener, but made it look way harder than it should have been. This whole thing came down to the absolute wire.
The Defense Was Clutch When It Absolutely Had To Be
Thank goodness that Texas defense actually showed up in Knoxville because holy cow, this game got WILD! They were legit for about three-and-three-fourths quarters, suffocating the Vols. But then, with just 1 minute, 22 seconds left on the clock, Tennessee dropped a 30-yard touchdown pass that changed everything, followed up by a successful onside kick. Talk about a gut punch! The final minute was pure chaos: a big sack, a questionable defensive penalty, and then the biggest defensive play of all: Jelani McDonald breaking up a Hail Mary pass in the end zone to seal the deal. Can you believe it? That’s how it ended. Edge rusher Colin Simmons was a beast all game, sacking the Vols QB in the first quarter and then again taking down Faizon Brandon in the second. This guy is a problem for opposing offenses, hands down the most dangerous pass rusher in college football. This defense kept Texas at No. 1, but man, they made us sweat for it.
The Offense Is Still Trying To Find Its Footing
On the other side of the ball, the offense is still developing its identity, that’s for sure. They ground out yards when it counted, especially in the fourth quarter when the offensive line really wore down Tennessee, much like they did against Ohio State a couple of weeks back. That’s good! But for much of the game, running the ball was a struggle, especially with starting running back Hollywood Smothers sidelined with an injury, even though he was upgraded to probable. He went through warmups but watched as Raleek Brown stepped up, rushing for 67 yards and two absolutely critical touchdowns on 17 carries. His longest run was only 10 yards, averaging 3.9 yards per run. As a team, Texas only ran for 37 yards through three quarters and finished with a measly 70 total, an average of 1.7 yards per carry. Yikes. Controlling the clock with the run and opening things up for Arch Manning in the passing game is gonna be absolutely critical for the Longhorns moving forward. Cedric Golden hit it right on the head: “Will the real Longhorns please stand up? Questions are coming in the SEC.” You can feel it.
A Much-Needed Break Before The Red River Rivalry
You know what? This bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for this Texas squad. They’ve gone 4-0, picking up wins against a No. 1 and a No. 14 team already this season, which is huge! Now, they get a chance to catch their breath and regroup before their massive Red River Rivalry matchup against Oklahoma. They’re gonna need every bit of that rest to iron out these kinks, especially on offense, because the Sooners are not gonna be forgiving. Time to dial it in, Longhorns, the whole league is watching to see if you can truly stand tall as the No. 1 team in the nation.
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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