5 Tennessee football takeaways from loss to No. 1 Texas with Trump watching
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Tennessee football and quarterback Faizon Brandon ran into a rock solid Texas defense for a 20-17 loss to the No. 1-ranked Longhorns on Sept. 26.
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The 13th-ranked Vols (3-1, 0-1 SEC) almost pulled off an improbable upset. Brandon tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass with 1:22 remaining to cut Texas' lead to 20-17. Arion Carter recovered the ensuing onside kick with 1:21 remaining to give the Vols a chance to tie or win it. But Brandon's Hail Mary pass was incomplete as time expired.
Before that, Tennessee was strong on defense, and it scored on touchdown on a punt return. But the Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 SEC) looked like the best defense in college football.
This was Texas' first trip in Knoxville in program history, and it made the most of it.
The game was a spectacle from start to finish. ESPN’s “College GameDay” was on the field just before kickoff. President Trump arrived as the national anthem played. Celebrities were on site like Peyton Manning, Glen Powell and Shane Gillis. And all of it was framed by an orange-and-white Checker Neyland pattern of fans packing the stadium.
On the field, defense was the story. Tennessee frustrated Arch Manning and kept the Longhorns from pulling away. Texas swarmed Brandon, the freshman quarterback, and essentially grounded the Tennessee offense. The Vols managed only 221 yards of total offense.
Tennessee plays Auburn on Oct. 3 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC or ESPN) at Neyland Stadium. But first, let’s wrap up Week 4.
Here are five takeaways from this SEC opener.
Tennessee football vs. Texas takeaways
Texas defense smothered Faizon Brandon, Vols offense
Brandon was under duress throughout his first SEC game. Texas sacked him 10 times, including five by edge rusher Colin Simmons.
Brandon held the ball too long on some plays. He didn’t have enough time to attempt a pass on others. He took some vicious hit and briefly left the game in the second quarter with an apparent shoulder injury following a rushing attempt.
Brandon finally broke through with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews with 1:22 remaining. He finished 17-of-29 passing for 145 yards, one TD and no interceptions.
Arch Manning, Tennessee defense battled
After a hot start by Arch Manning, the Tennessee defense shook up the Texas quarterback.
First, the Vols pass rush got to him. He was sacked by Xavier Gilliam and Tyree Weathersby. Then Kayin Lee intercepted a deep pass by Manning. And stingy pass coverage forced him to attempt two illegal forward passes beyond the line of scrimmage for penalties.
But Manning, the nephew of iconic Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, did enough damage to protect the Longhorns' lead. He finished 14-of-19 passing for 201 yards, no TDs and one interception. And he was sacked six times.
Qua Moss punt return TD ignited Neyland Stadium
Tennessee’s offense couldn’t reach the end zone in the first half. But Qua Moss did the job on special teams with a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter to tie to game at 10.
Moss caught a line-drive punt, eluded a Texas tackler, cut right and raced down the sideline to the end zone. Neyland Stadium rocked when Moss, a Kansas State transfer, crossed the goal line.
It was Tennessee’s first punt return for a TD since Dee Williams’ 39-yard score against Texas A&M on Oct. 14, 2023.
Vols were fortunate to be down 10-3 at halftime
Texas scored with ease on the game’s opening drive. And it outgained Tennessee 147 yards to 88 in the first half. That’s why it seemed like the Vols should’ve trailed by more than 10-3 at halftime.
So why was the margin not greater? Tennessee’s defense locked down. It forced three three-and-out possessions, intercepted Manning and brought steady pressure to keep the Longhorns in check.
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s offense scored on its opening drive for a fourth straight game to start the season. It extended that scoring streak with Cooper Ranvier’s 33-yard field goal to cap a nine-play, 60-yard drive, and give the Vols their only points of the first half.
Tennessee falls to another No. 1 team
Tennessee failed to get a win over a No. 1 team. It fell to 3-19 all-time against No. 1 teams in any poll.
The Vols beat LSU in 1959, Auburn in 1985 and Alabama in 2022. Each of those teams were ranked No. 1 in at least the AP poll, coaches poll or College Football Playoff poll.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 5 Tennessee football takeaways from loss to No. 1 Texas with Trump watching