Texas takes down Tennessee: No. 1 Longhorns survive late scare to pick up SEC road win

Texas is going to be 4-0 with a pair of top-15 wins going into October. That's a situation any team in the country would take if offered.

The question for the Longhorns is whether they have another gear to hit because they'll need it over the last two months. Texas nearly gave this game away due to a comedy of errors that were entirely preventable.

The Longhorns took 11 penalties for 115 yards -- some of which were of the absurd variety. Arch Manning threw a pass in front of the line or scrimmage twice. Colin Simmons pretended to relive himself all over the lush Neyland Stadium grass. Ryan Niblett negated a long and clever punt return with a fair catch signel ... when he wasn't the one fielding the ball.

Then, there were other errors like Manning's interception on a throw into double coverage, a ball snapped well over Manning's head, and the Horns looking unprepared for Tennessee's onside kick.

Texas can thank its defense for this win, but in order to get where it wants to go, the team has to play much cleaner football over the next eight games. This type of performance won't cut it against a team with a better offense.

Through the first three weeks of the season, the Tennessee offense moved the ball without much problem against Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State. There was doubt about what it might look like against a top-tier performance, and the answer was not an encouraging one for the Vols.

Faizon Brandon looked every bit his age as he bailed on rare clean pockets and double-clutched the ball over and over again on Saturday. Those are the mistakes a young quarterback is going to make, but he didn't get much help either. The offensive line got eaten alive in the running game, and the tandem of DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris never found a way to turn a little daylight into a big gain.

Brandon and the Vols did move the ball effectively on their penultimate drive of the game, which resulted in a touchdown, but Texas was playing softer defense with a 10-point lead.

Tennessee's final drive was the most egregious drive of the day as it needed to go just shy of 20 yards in 82 seconds. That proved to be nearly impossible as the Vols backed themselved up with penalties, and Brandon made freshman mistakes by taking a sack and throwing well short of the sticks with no timeouts. If Tennessee got anything from its offense on Saturday, it would have won the game.

The silver lining for Tennessee is that the defense and special teams were extremely sharp and well-coached. It's just that the offense looks like a big problem as the team heads into SEC play.

Colin Simmons, have yourself a day. The Texas EDGE was effectively unstoppable for 60 minutes. Against a Vols offensive line that's full of leaks, Simmons was around and on top of Faizon Brandon for 60 minutes, and it didn't matter whether Brandon was in the pocket or on the run.

Simmons finished the day with five sacks, which tied a Texas single-game record, and he gets a major share of the credit for this win. Even on the rare occasion when Brandon wasn't facing pressure, you could tell that the freshman quarterback had happy feet after taking so many hits from Simmons and his fellow defensive lineman.

All of that is even more impressive when you consider that Tennessee entered the day giving its quarterbacks an average of 3.14 seconds until pressure, which ranked first among FBS teams. Of course, the Vols hand't faced anyone quite like the Horns.

When you have the kind of day Simmons just had, you can excuse a flag for "simulating use of the restroom."

FINAL: No. 1 Texas 20, No. 14 Tennessee 17

This game was won by the Texas defense, which completely smothered an otherwise explosive Tennessee offense. Longhorns EDGE Colin Simmons tied a program record with five sacks as he spent all afternoon in the Volunteers backfield. Will Muschamp and the Texas defense made life very difficult on Vols freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who finished the day with just 145 passing yards.

Brandon's Texas counterpart, Arch Manning, did enough to help his team pull out a hard-fought road win. Outside of an early interception, Manning took care of the football and took what was given for 201 passing yards. Between penalties and a leaky offensive line, there's plenty for Texas to clean up, but making those corrections will be more pleasant at 4-0 rolling into October.

1:22 4Q: No. 1 Texas 20, No. 14 Tennessee 17

Faizon Brandon finds Mike Matthews for a late touchdown pass to pull Tennesse within three points, and the Vols have just recovered the onside kick. They will now have the chance to tie or win the game with 82 seconds left on the clock. The Texas defense has been dominant all day, and it needs its biggest stand now.

5:41 4Q: No. 1 Texas 20, No. 14 Tennessee 10

That may do it. Texas finally got the drive it needed with an eight-play, 60-yard march to go up by two scores. Raleek Brown finished it off with his second touchdown run of the day, and there's now immense pressure on a Tennessee offense that has done nothing all day long.

The Vols need two scores in under six minutes, and they've only been able to muster three points with the ball in their hands to this point.

10:25 4Q: No. 1 Texas 13, No. 14 Tennessee 10

Colin Simmons has terrorized the Tennessee offensive line all day, and he just made some program history. With another sack of Faizon Brandon (including a forced fumble), Simmons just tied the Longhorns single-game record with his fifth sack of the afternoon. We still have most of the fourth quarter remaining, and Tennessee has to keep dropping back as it tries to rally. Simmons may stand alone atop the record books before long.

End of 3Q: No. 1 Texas 13, No. 14 Tennessee 10

The defenses continued to dominate in the third quarter, although Tennessee did finally reach the end zone thanks to a punt return from Qua Moss. The key for the Vols will be finding anything on the offensive side of the ball in these final 15 minutes. Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon has already been sacked five times, and Colin Simmons has accounted for four of those.

The Vols have to find answers for the Texas pass rush if they're going to start moving the ball.

9:00 3Q: No. 1 Texas 13, No. 14 Tennessee 10

Right after Tennessee tied the game with a punt return and got Neyland Stadium rocking, Texas steadied the ship with a 44-yard field goal from Gianni Spetic. The bulk of that drive was the result of a spectacular downfield catch by Cam Coleman -- coupled with a roughing the passer penalty on Vols safety TJ Metcalf.

It was a great play from Coleman, but he did come off the field in pain. He's now in the medical tent. That will be something to monitor as the game progresses.

11:14 3Q: No. 1 Texas 10, No. 14 Tennessee 10

With Tennessee's offense sputtering, the defense or special teams needed to make a play to spark the Vols, and those units just combined to tie the game. The defensive line got to Arch Manning for yet another sack to force a Texas punt from its own end zone, and returner Qua Moss took a low line drive and weaved through Longhorns gunners for a 57-yard return score.

Halftime: No. 1 Texas 10, No. 14 Tennessee 3

After each team scored on its opening drive, the offenses have cooled off significantly. Texas has the only score since then -- a single field goal -- but it has squandered some big opportunities.

Arch Manning threw an ill-advised interception, a bad snap has gone over Manning's head and he's thrown two passes in front of the line of scrimmage. The biggest mental mistake from Texas came from Colin Simmons when he pretended to ... uhh... relieve himself after sacking Faizon Brandon. That extended a Vols drive, and the Horns were lucky the didn't capitalize.

Neither team has gotten anything going in the running game as both sides have combined for 68 rushing yards. At least Texas has something going through the air while Brandon is struggling in his first SEC start -- missing reads and dealing with relentless pressure.

After leaving the game with an apparent left shoulder injury, Brandon is back in action after spending 15 minutes in the injury tent. His first play was ... a quarterback draw. It was a great display of toughness from the freshman, but the Vols probably don't want him taking many more hits today.

MacIntyre and Brandon battled for the starting quarterback job from spring practice through fall camp with the latter pulling away in the last couple of weeks.

A four-star recruit in the 2025 signing class, MacIntyre played his high school football at Brentwood Academy and was the No. 17 quarterback in that cycle. Just shy of 6-foot-6, MacIntyre has a large frame, but he has less bulk than Brandon. MacIntyre doesn't bring the same dual-threat ability as Brandon, but he can extend plays.

Coming into Saturday, Brandon completed 12 of his 16 career pass attempts for 125 yards and a touchdown.

13:40 1Q: No. 1 Texas 10, No. 14 Tennessee 3

After running an option play that got stuffed, Brandon went down hard with the weight of multiple Texas defenders falling on top of him. Brandon was able to walk off the field under his own power, and sophomore George MacIntyre enters the game as Brandon's replacement. A former four-star recruit out of Nashville, MacIntyre has only played in mop-up duty throughout his career.

14:29 1Q: No. 1 Texas 10, No. 14 Tennessee 3

The Horns' lead is back to a touchdown with Gianni Spetic knocking home a short field goal. The Texas passing game was clicking on that possession, but Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam was a big reason the Longhorns stayed out of the end zone. He's been in the backfield a lot already, and he has a two tackles for loss and a sack so far.

End of 1Q: No. 1 Texas 7, No. 14 Tennessee 3

The Longhorns have a four-point lead and are deep in Volunteers territory as they look to add more. So far, the concerns about Arch Manning's road woes have been wildly exagerrated. He's on fire, completing seven of his eight pass attempts for 120 yards in the first quarter. He's been under some duress, but that hasn't affected his accuracy to this point.

7:40 1Q: No. 1 Texas 7, No. 14 Tennessee 3

After Texas came up with six points on its opening drive of the game, Tennessee responded with a field goal on its first possession. The Vols were aided by a couple of Longhorns penalties -- a roughing the passer and defensive pass interference -- which put them in the red zone. Tennessee was unable to finish from there, and Cooper Ranvier knocked his 33-yard attempt through the uprights.

Linebacker Rasheem Biles was all over the field for Texas on that drive, and it may have been a costly possession for the Vols. Left guard Wendell Moe limped off the field after going down. His status is unknown at this time.

10:58 1Q: No. 1 Texas 7, No. 14 Tennessee 0

That was an impressive first drive from the Longhorns. The big play was a 43-yard strike from Arch Manning to Emmett Mosley V, who slipped behind the Vols defensive backs. Raleek Brown capped off the 75-yard march with a nine-yard touchdown run. That should help Manning and the offense settle in while also quieting the Neyland Stadium crowd a bit.

Start of 1Q: No. 1 Texas 0, No. 14 Tennessee 0

The raucous atmosphere in Neyland Stadium is coming through the TV, and these teams are ready for a top-15 SEC matchup. Tennessee is looking to knock off No. 1 for the first time since 1985, and Texas is trying to start 4-0 with a pair of elite wins on its resume before October arrives. It'll be a fun one on Rocky Top. Let's play football. 

Roughly 45 minutes prior to kick off, Air Force One flew over Neyland Stadium as President Donald Trump arrives in Knoxville. We'll see what kind of impact Trump's presence has since headset communications cut out when he changes locations within the stadium.

Today's game will be a big test for Manning, who hasn't performed particularly well on the road at Texas. Last season, the Horns went 2-3 on the road, and Manning's numbers took a noticeable dip in each game.

Road losses to Georgia and Ohio State can certainly be excused for a first-year starter, but what about a loss to four-win Florida or overtime wins against Mississippi State and Kentucky? Manning's overall body of work left a lot to be desired in that quintet of games.

• Completion percentage: 57.7%
• Yards per game: 232.4
• Touchdowns: 7
• Interceptions: 5

Can the environment in Neyland Stadium, couple with Jim Knowles' defensive scheme, pull more those issues out of Manning on Saturday? If Manning shows some growth in that department, Texas should leave Knoxville with a win.

With a noon kickoff and President Donald Trump in attendance, the University of Tennessee implored fans to arrive early. The Neyland Stadium gates opened at 9 a.m. ET, and the Vols enticed fans with half-price concessions (including alcohol) for the first hour.

It's fair to say the Tennessee faithful got the message. Neyland Stadium was nearing full capacity well before kickoff as fans rolled through the gates early and often.

This will be the 19th time Tennessee has faced the No. 1 team in the country, and things haven't gone well for the Vols in that giant-slayer mode. Tennessee is just 2-16 all-time against top-ranked opponents, and the last win came in 1985 when the Volunteers took down No. 1 Auburn.

The silver lining for Tennessee is that Texas hasn't done a great job of taking its No. 1 ranking on the road. Since the FBS era began in 1978, the Longhorns are 1-3 on the road as the top-ranked team in the country. The most recent loss was last season, when the Horns lost to Ohio State as the preseason No. 1. Prior to that, Texas fell to Texas Tech in Lubbock -- one of the best college football games of the modern era. 

After spending most of the week on the SEC availability report, Smothers was removed on Saturday morning. That means he'll be available for the Longhorns, who will have their leading rusher in the fold. The question will be about Smothers' workload? It's probably fair to expect Raleek Brown and Derrek Cooper to rotate in frequently.

On the Tennessee side, backup running back Javin Gordon has been ruled out with a leg injury. The Vols are still deep at that position, with DeSean Bishop, Daune Morris and Justin Baker all available against Texas. Defensive lineman Nathan Robinson remains a game-time decision as the Vols evaluate his status in warmups.

Believe it or not, this is the first time Tennessee and Texas have met in the regular season. Every other time they've faced one another has been in the Cotton Bowl -- and the last time that happened was all the way back in 1968. In those three Cotton Bowl matchups, Texas emerged victorious in two of them.

• 1950: 20-14, Tennessee
• 1952: 16-0, Texas
• 1968: 36-13, Texas

It's rather suprising that these two promiment college football programs haven't met in almost 60 years, but we'll finally settle which school is the "real UT" this afternoon. That is, at least until Tennessee travels to Austin in a couple years.

It's going to be a circus on Rocky Top today. "College GameDay" is on campus this morning, and President Donald Trump is expected to roll in before kickoff. To accommodate for the extra security measures, Tennessee has announced the Neyland Stadium gates will open at 9 a.m. ET with half-price concessions (including alcohol) for the first hour.

Beyond the logistical mayhem, Trump's presence in Neyland Stadium could cause communication problems. Steve Sarkisian revealed that coach-to-player and coach-to-coach communications cut out whenever the president changes locations. In fact, when Trump was in attendance for last season's national title game, Indiana and Miami lost communication briefly during the fourth quarter.

Steve Sarkisian says Trump's departure disrupted Miami's headsets in CFP title game; sources differ on timing

John Talty

Peyton Manning is one of eight players in Tennessee football history to have his number retired. His nephew, Arch, rolls into Neyland Stadium wearing the very same No. 16 -- albeit in a different shade of orange.

Arch has the public support of his uncle this weekend, so how will those family ties affect his reception on Rocky Top this afternoon? I spoke to a couple of Tennessee fans who will be in attendance to gauge their expectations.

Arch Manning brings No. 16 back to Tennessee as Peyton roots for Texas QB: How Vols fans forecast reception

Austin Nivison

Earlier in the week, I was tasked with previewing this game and providing a pick. Frankly, it's tough to know who to trust in this game. That sounds silly to say when Texas beat the former No. 1 team in the country just a couple weeks ago, but the Horns' road struggles under Steve Sarkisian give me pause. On the other hand, Tennessee hasn't really been tested, and the Vols are rolling with a freshman quarterback against Will Muschamp's defense.

That's why I set my sights on the total, which might be a tick too high, even with Sarkisian and Josh Heupel calling the shots on offense.

Texas vs. Tennessee prediction, pick, odds, spread: Longhorns face tough road test against Vols

Austin Nivison