No. 1 Texas snagged a gritty 20-17 victory over No. 14 Tennessee in a crazy road game at Neyland Stadium, but man, did they make it interesting! While Colin Simmons absolutely went off, making history with a five-sack performance, and Raleek Brown scored twice, this SEC opener for the Longhorns was a true nail-biter right down to the wire.
Simmons and Brown Go Off, But the Offense Stalls
Simmons wasn’t just getting sacks, he was etching his name into the Texas football record books with those five takedowns. The dude was unblockable, even if he did pick up a wild unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the first half for simulating urination after one of his sacks. You gotta love the passion, right? Texas opened the game with a bang too, something they haven’t always done on the road against ranked opponents. Arch Manning strung together 5-, 8-, and 43-yard passes on a quick seven-play drive that Raleek Brown capped off with a 9-yard touchdown run. That was huge, especially considering how the Longhorns’ first drives in their previous six road games against ranked teams averaged just 8.3 plays and 31.7 yards, resulting in only one field goal.
But after that hot start, the offense cooled off. Texas never made it back to the end zone in the first half, instead relying on Gianni Spetic to exchange field goals with Tennessee’s Cooper Ranvier, taking a 10-3 lead into halftime. Manning even threw an interception at Tennessee’s 4-yard line. The Longhorns managed 147 yards over 27 first-half plays, which tells you they moved the ball, but couldn’t punch it in.
Heart Attack in Rocky Top: A Last-Second Escape
The offensive struggles just kept rolling after the break. Texas went three-and-out, giving Tennessee a chance to claw back. And claw back they did! The Volunteers cut the lead to three points with a touchdown just 1 minute, 22 seconds left in regulation. My goodness, what a moment. Then, Tennessee recovered the on-side kick! Everyone watching had to be losing their minds. It all came down to a last-second Hail Mary, but Texas defensive back Jelani McDonald swooped in and knocked it away in the end zone, saving the game. Talk about cutting it close for the No. 1 team in the nation. Texas now sits at a perfect 4-0 overall, 1-0 in the SEC, thanks to that thrilling three-point win.
What’s next for the Longhorns? They are riding into their bye week on a high note before diving headfirst into their annual rivalry game against Oklahoma on October 10 in Dallas. As for Tennessee, now 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the SEC, they get to host Auburn next week.
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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