The Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers now have a time and a TV window for their Week 4 SEC showdown.
No. 1 Texas and No. 15 Tennessee will meet at Noon ET on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Neyland Stadium, with ABC carrying the broadcast.
Both teams enter the game unbeaten at 2-0 and are expected to move to 3-0 before that matchup arrives. Tennessee is set to host Kennesaw State in Neyland Stadium this weekend, while Texas welcomes UTSA to Austin.
The game will double as the SEC opener for both programs, even though conference play already got rolling last week with Alabama’s win over Kentucky in Lexington. It will also be Tennessee Football’s Checker Neyland game, a detail sure to fire up the Vols’ crowd.
Texas is being led by Arch Manning, the nephew of former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning is in his fourth year with the program and his second season as the Longhorns’ starter.
Last season, he passed for 3,163 yards with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions as Texas came up short of the College Football Playoffs. This year, the Longhorns have early momentum after knocking off No.
1 Ohio State last Saturday in Austin.
On the other side, Tennessee has turned to true freshman Faizon Brandon. The former five-star recruit won the starting job after an offseason-long quarterback battle and has opened his college career with two wins, including one Power Four road victory. Through two games, Brandon has accounted for seven total touchdowns.
The matchup is set: Texas at Tennessee, noon on Sept. 26 in Neyland Stadium.
In Other News...
Tennessee Just Took Another Brutal Hit At A Key Offensive Spot
Tennessees offense has taken another hit at a spot that matters in both the passing game and the run game, with head coach Josh Heupel confirming that starting tight end Ethan Davis suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Davis had been part of the Vols plan at the position, and his absence adds to an injury list that keeps growing at a bad time for the offense.
With Davis out, Tennessee is expected to lean more heavily on younger options such as DaSaahn Brame and Trent Thomas to handle the tight end role. That puts more pressure on a group that now has to absorb a significant workload shift while the Vols try to keep the offense on track without one of its established pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Telander Said What Tennessee Fans Wanted To Hear After That Win
After Tennessees 45-24 road win over Georgia Tech, Jeremiah Telander had every reason to feel good about the start of the season, and he sounded like a player who knew exactly what the performance meant. The linebacker turned in a productive afternoon with three tackles, a sack and an interception, then used his time with the media to point to the way the Volunteers handled the game and the impact of the freshman quarterback in his first big outing.
Telander also touched on the shift in his own defensive role, which has been part of the early-season adjustment for Tennessees defense. Even with the convincing victory in hand, he kept the focus on progress and the details the Vols still need to clean up, a familiar message but one that carries more weight when it comes after a road win against a Power Four opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee May Be Getting A Needed Defensive Line Boost Just In Time
Tennessee is starting to get some encouraging news in the trenches at a good time. Josh Heupel said several defensive linemen who were banged up in preseason and the early part of the season are expected to be closer to full strength for the upcoming game against Kennesaw State, a welcome development for a group that has been dealing with uneven availability.
Freshman defensive tackle JJ Finch, who missed the previous game because of injury, is expected to be ready to play. Senior Daevin Hobbs and sophomores Isaiah Campbell and Ethan Utley have also worked back after dealing with their own setbacks, giving the Vols a chance to restore some depth and stability up front as the schedule continues to move forward. [Read more 🡒]