Texas is still undefeated and still No. 1. The Longhorns also just got sacked six times by an unranked-until-recently Tennessee team and won by three.
The final was 20-17 in front of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium, the 30th consecutive sellout in Knoxville and the first time these two programs had met on campus. The previous three meetings were all at Cotton Bowls.
Tennessee’s Defense Won Most of the Night
Six sacks. Ten tackles for loss. Tyree Weathersby had 2.5 sacks and a career-high six tackles. Kayin Lee intercepted a pass. The Volunteers hit Texas in the backfield all night and never let the Longhorns settle into any rhythm.
Qua Moss, a sophomore defensive back, returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter for the first score of his career. Tennessee found points in every phase and still came up short.
Faizon Brandon Is Going to Be a Problem
Tennessee started a freshman quarterback against the best team in the country and he did not blink. Brandon connected with Mike Matthews on a 30-yard touchdown, and Matthews finished with four catches for 72 yards and his third scoring grab of the season.
Tennessee fell to 2-18 all-time against AP No. 1 teams with that loss. The record is ugly. Saturday was not.
The Texas Question
Steve Sarkisian’s team has now won games it should have lost and won games it should have won comfortably by uncomfortable margins. Getting out of Neyland alive is a real accomplishment and also a warning.
The Longhorns’ offensive line allowed six sacks. Arch Manning spent the night running for his life. Against Georgia, against Alabama, against anyone with a front seven that can win one-on-one matchups, that math does not survive.
What the Polls Should Do
Texas will stay at No. 1 and probably should. Winning on the road in the loudest environment in the sport counts for something, and the alternative candidates all have their own problems, with Ole Miss having just been run out of the Swamp.
But the Longhorns are ranked on résumé and reputation rather than on how they have looked, and there is a difference. The schedule will settle it one way or the other.
Tennessee, meanwhile, just proved it can play with anybody. The Volunteers get nothing for it in the standings and everything for it in confidence.
Neyland Delivered
College football has spent years arguing about which environment is the toughest in the sport. A sellout of 101,915 that never sat down for four quarters made a decent case.
This was the first meeting between these programs on a campus. The previous three all happened at Cotton Bowls, which is its own small indictment of how scheduling used to work.
Texas got out with a win. Tennessee got a blueprint for how to beat a No. 1 team, which it can use in November when the stakes are higher.
What to Watch Next
The Longhorns need a clean offensive performance before anyone treats that ranking as earned. The Volunteers need to turn a moral victory into an actual one against a ranked opponent, or Saturday becomes another line in the 2-18 record.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.