No. 1 Texas edges Tennessee 20-17 behind Colin Simmons' five sacks
Texas stayed unbeaten and extended Tennessee's decades-long drought against the nation's top-ranked team in each side's Southeastern Conference opener.
What we know
- No. 1 Texas beat No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 at Neyland Stadium, improving to 4-0 while Tennessee fell to 3-1 in each team's SEC opener. [1]
- Colin Simmons recorded five sacks, tying the Texas single-game program record, as the Longhorns defense totaled 10 sacks. [2]
- Raleek Brown's 4-yard touchdown run with 5:41 left gave Texas its final margin; Brown finished with 67 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. [1] [2]
- Tennessee has not beaten the AP's No. 1 team since 1985, according to the AP. [2]
No. 1 Texas held off No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, improving to 4-0 in each team's Southeastern Conference opener. Tennessee fell to 3-1. According to the Associated Press, Tennessee has not beaten the AP's top-ranked team since 1985. President Donald Trump attended the game, the AP reported.
Colin Simmons recorded five sacks, tying the Texas single-game program record set by Shane Dronett against Texas Tech in 1990, as the Longhorns defense finished with 10 sacks overall [1][2]. Running back Raleek Brown carried 17 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Arch Manning completed 14 of 19 passes for 201 yards with one interception while being sacked six times. Kicker Giannis Spetic added two field goals.
For Tennessee, quarterback Faizon Brandon completed 17 of 29 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Mike Matthews caught four passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Running back DeSean Bishop led Tennessee on the ground with 34 yards on 11 carries.
Brown's 4-yard touchdown run with 5:41 remaining put Texas ahead for good, according to the AP. Tennessee answered with an 80-yard drive capped by Brandon's 30-yard touchdown pass to Matthews with 1:22 left, cutting the deficit to three. Linebacker Arion Carter recovered Tennessee's ensuing onside kick, but on the final play, Jelani McDonald batted away Brandon's Hail Mary pass intended for Travis Smith Jr. in the end zone, according to the AP.
The AP reported that Texas also allowed a 57-yard punt-return touchdown by Qua Moss and was penalized 11 times for 115 yards, seven of them in the first half. Simmons was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after one sack for what the game official described as "simulating" using the restroom, according to the AP. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said, "We took him out, we addressed it and put him back in. ... At that point, I'm not going to give the guy a death penalty over an unsportsmanlike conduct. We got to fix it, though. That can't continue."
Manning said, "It's not about me. I didn't play very well, but our team played great. Defense played well." Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said, "Up front we weren't good enough. Quarterback was not good enough. We didn't play smart enough, but I'll take the effort."
Texas has a bye before playing Oklahoma in Dallas on Oct. 10. Tennessee hosts Auburn on Oct. 3, according to the AP.