Going into the game, most assumed that the No. 1 Texas Longhorns would have trouble on the road against the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers. Few imagined that it would be a frustrating slog for the Longhorns, as they repeatedly shot themselves in the foot on both sides of the ball, having to hold off a last-second Hail Mary to keep their record blemish-free for the year with the 20-17 victory.
Sustained offensive drives were not on the menu for Texas against Tennessee. After the scripted opening drive went like clockwork — seven plays for 75 yards and a touchdown — the Longhorns went three plays for negative six yards and a punt. They added a field goal on their third drive, then ended the first half with an interception and a pair of three-and-outs. Texas finished the game with six three-and-outs that combined for a total of negative six yards, and its two field-goal drives ended on the Tennessee 7-yard line and 27-yard line.
The Longhorns weren’t bad on actual third-down execution, averaging 4.6 yards per play (five yards per dropback and 5.8 yards per rush), but put themselves in massive holes on the first two plays of drives. The Longhorns faced an average distance to go of nine yards and saw just two third-down attempts shorter than five yards, both of which they converted.
Penalties: 11 penalties for 115 yards
Part of the third-down issues on both sides of the ball were Texas’ penchant for drawing flags. For just the fifth time in six seasons under Sark, Texas went over 100 penalty yards in the game; oddly, though, Texas is 4-1 in such contests. The lone outlier was the 2022 matchup against Oklahoma State, a game Texas led 31-17 at one point. At one point in the first half, the Horns had more penalty yardage than the Volunteers had total yardage and ended the first 30 minutes with 70 penalty yards; Tennessee had just 88 total yards.
Despite the elite defensive performance overall, the Texas defense was flagged five times for 75 yards, with four of five giving the Volunteers a free first down. The only play that didn’t give them a first down was the first of the game, a roughing the passer call on an 11-yard completion that added 15 to what was already a first-down play. Colin Simmons’ now-infamous celebration after sacking Faizon Brandon on 3rd and 13 tells the story of Texas’ biggest issue in the game — getting in its own way.
Offensively, Texas had four accepted penalties, three of which were on Arch Manning, and a distinct lack of awareness. A pair of passes beyond the line of scrimmage and one delay of game that took a manageable 3rd and 2 to a trickier 3rd and 7 on the fringe of the red zone. Manning missed Jermaine Bishop on the sideline at the two-yard line, and the Longhorns settled for a field goal.
It wasn’t all bad for Texas and, frankly, the defense is likely the only reason the Longhorns managed to escape Knoxville with a win. Texas brought down the athletic opposing freshman quarterback a whopping 10 times, the second-most in school history, behind a 15-sack effort against Texas Tech in the 1981 season. It’s not just that Texas harassed Brandon; when Tennessee needed him to be a playmaker, Texas ratcheted up the pressure and kept him from getting comfortable. The Longhorns entered the fourth quarter with five sacks and doubled that total in the final 15 minutes.
Simmons, the future first-round pick, led the charge for Texas with five of his own, tying Shane Dronett’s five-sack performance against the Red Raiders 36 years ago. Simmons’ performance in this game is more sacks than the entire team had in 17 games before he arrived on campus three years ago. What may be most impressive is the timing of the sacks, with four of his five coming on third downs.