No. 1 Texas survived a major scare Saturday, clinging to a wild 20-17 victory over No. 14 Tennessee in their SEC opener at Neyland Stadium. This wasn’t some blowout; the Longhorns were locked in a nail-biter on Rocky Top, and frankly, they almost blew it despite their defense playing lights out for most of the game.
Defense Dominated, But Discipline Nearly Cost Everything
The Longhorns’ defense absolutely throttled the Volunteers’ offense for huge chunks of this game, holding Tennessee to a measly 88 yards in the first half. That’s suffocating, plain and simple. Texas linebacker Colin Simmons was a human wrecking ball, racking up a career-high five sacks against Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon. Five sacks! That’s insane. But here’s the kicker, the kind of stuff that makes you wanna throw your remote: Simmons got flagged for excessive celebration and unsportsmanlike conduct after one of those sacks. He simulated using the restroom right there on the Neyland Stadium turf. Seriously? That kind of stunt is a momentum killer, and it was just one part of Texas’ penalty problem, which saw them hit with 10 infractions for 100 yards. They gave up prime field position multiple times because of boneheaded plays.
Offense Stumbled, Then Found a Way
After scoring on their opening drive with Raleek Brown’s 9-yard touchdown run, set up by a 43-yard catch from Emmett Mosley V, the Texas offense just stalled out. They had three three-and-out series, Manning threw an interception trying to force a deep ball to a double-covered Cam Coleman, and running the ball was a struggle all afternoon. It was tough sledding in front of a sellout crowd, which even included President Donald Trump. But when it mattered most, they found a way. Raleek Brown punched in a 4-yard run with just 5:41 left in the game to give Texas some much-needed breathing room. And Gianni Spetic nailed a 44-yard field goal earlier to put them up 13-10 after Qua Moss returned a punt 57 yards for a Tennessee touchdown that tied things up.
Tennessee didn’t quit, though. Faizon Brandon threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews with only 1:22 left, making it a three-point game. They even recovered the ensuing onside kick at their own 49 after Ryan Wingo couldn’t secure it. But penalties pushed the Vols back, forcing a Hail Mary from the Texas 46 on the final play, which defensive back Jelani McDonald knocked away in the end zone to seal the win. Phew.
Texas moves to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the SEC. They get a much-needed week off before facing archrival Oklahoma on October 10 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. That’s gonna be a huge one, and they absolutely need to clean up those penalty issues if they want to stay undefeated and keep that No. 1 ranking. Tennessee drops to 3-1 and 0-1 in the conference.
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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