KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A minimum of this Saturday, “the true UT” was Texas.
Colin Simmons entered the Texas soccer file books with a five-sack efficiency, and Raleek Brown scored twice because the No. 1-ranked Longhorns earned a 20-17 win over No. 14 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. The three-point victory was recorded within the Longhorns’ SEC opener.
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The Volunteers made issues fascinating after a landing with 1 minute, 22 seconds remaining in regulation lower the Texas result in three. Tennessee then coated an on-side kick. However a last-second Hail Mary was knocked away by Texas defensive again Jelani McDonald in the long run zone.
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The Tennessee triumph additionally sends Texas (4-0, 1-0) into its bye on a excessive observe. The Longhorns are off till their annual rivalry sport Oct. 10 in opposition to Oklahoma in Dallas. Tennessee (3-1, 0-1) will host Auburn subsequent week.
Texas will get off to a fast begin… after which stalls
Texas Longhorns operating again Raleek Brown (0) runs the ball into the tip zone to attain early within the first quarter of Texas’ sport in opposition to the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sept. 26, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
Texas opened the sport with the soccer, and the Longhorns used seven performs to march down the sphere. Manning transformed 5-, 8- and 43-yard passes alongside the best way earlier than Raleek Brown ended the drive with a 9-yard landing run.
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Good begins on the highway in opposition to a ranked opponent had been one thing that had eluded Texas lately. Over the earlier three seasons, the Longhorns had been hosted by six ranked opponents. On their first drives in these six video games, UT was held to 1 discipline purpose whereas averaging 8.3 performs and 31.7 yards per game-opening possession.
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Sept. 9, 2023 at No. 3 Alabama: 7 performs, 27 yards (punt)
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Sept. 7, 2024 at No. 10 Michigan:
13 performs, 51 yards (missed discipline purpose)
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Oct. 26, 2024 at No. 25 Vanderbilt:
5 performs, 17 yards (interception)
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Nov. 30, 2024 at No. 20 Texas A&M:
3 performs, 3 yards (punt)
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Aug. 30, 2025 at No. 3 Ohio State:
9 performs, 33 yards (turnover on downs)
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Nov. 15, 2025 at No. 5 Georgia: 13 performs, 59 yards (discipline purpose)
Texas didn’t return to the tip zone within the first half. The Longhorns ultimately took a 10-3 lead into halftime after Tennessee’s Cooper Ranvier and Texas’ Gianni Spetic exchanged discipline targets.
Texas compiled 147 yards over 27 first-half performs. Manning threw an interception at Tennessee’s 4-yard line throughout a primary half that featured a wierd unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that was referred to as after Simmons simulated himself urinating after a sack.
Texas Longhorns defensive finish Colin Simmons (1) sacks Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Faizon Brandon (11) within the second quarter of Texas’ sport in opposition to the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sept. 26, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
As Colin Simmons makes historical past, Texas shuts down Tennessee
The Texas offense continued to wrestle after the halftime break and went three-and-out on its first offensive possession of the second half. A sack of Manning introduced punter Mac Chiumento onto the sphere, and his 48-yard punt was returned by Tennessee’s Qua Moss for a game-tying landing. That 57-yard spotlight accounted for the primary landing scored on a punt return in opposition to Texas since Jeff Scott did so for Ole Miss in 2013.
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Texas rapidly regained the lead when Spetic kicked a 44-yard discipline purpose with 9 minutes left within the third quarter. Brown then secured the victory on a 4-yard landing run with 5:41 left.
Extra: See the most effective pictures because the Longhorns play the Volunteers
Defensively, Texas dominated a Tennessee that had scored 143 factors in its first three video games in opposition to Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State. The Volunteers had been restricted to 151 passing yards and 70 speeding yards.
The Texas go rush recorded 10 sacks and harassed Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon all afternoon. 5 of these sacks belonged to Simmons, who tied a college file that Shane Dronett set in 1990 at Texas Tech.
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This text initially revealed at Colin Simmons, Raleek Brown lead No. 1 Texas to SEC-opening highway win over No. 14 Tennessee.