Tennessee’s offensive line left no room for spin after the loss to No. 1 Texas, and now the heat is squarely on Glen Elarbee.
The Vols were bullied up front in a 10-sack night for the Longhorns, a number that made the collapse impossible to ignore. Fans were already furious watching Colin Simmons and company tear through the Tennessee front, and the performance only sharpened the questions around Elarbee’s future. The line has been shaky before, but this one landed differently because it looked so thoroughly overwhelmed.
Texas’ 10 sacks are the second-most in a single game in program history, according to @_JoshRWhite. That kind of outing doesn’t just sting in the moment; it puts a spotlight on the coach responsible for the unit.
Faizon Brandon had the roughest outing of his young Tennessee career, but he was fighting uphill from the snap. There wasn’t much chance to settle in with protection breaking down the way it did, and that reality lands on Elarbee. It also puts the larger coaching picture in focus for Josh Heupel, who has to decide whether accountability is coming soon enough.
That’s where Sam Pittman enters the conversation.
Pittman was fired by Arkansas a year ago today, on Sept. 28, 2025, after the program slid into decline. Even so, his track record with offensive lines is hard to ignore. He coached Tennessee’s line in 2012, then worked the same role at Arkansas and Georgia before taking over as Arkansas’ head coach in 2020.
Earlier this summer, Pittman was asked about the idea of coming out of early retirement to return to coaching. He said he was in no rush to give up life near the lake and the cold beers that come with it.
That said, there’s a clear difference between running a program and coaching one position group. If Heupel ever decided to make a change, Pittman would face far less pressure in Knoxville as an offensive line coach than he did as a head coach. Heupel and Elarbee are close friends, which would make any move uncomfortable, but the results against Texas make the issue hard to avoid.
Tennessee has to show something different against Auburn this weekend. Another rough outing would only turn up the volume on the calls for change. And if Heupel does decide to move on from Elarbee, Pittman looks like the obvious first phone call.
In Other News...
Tennessee Texas Finish Just Got An Official Officiating Twist
The Southeastern Conference added an officiating wrinkle to Tennessees loss to Texas, saying the Volunteers drop-kick onside attempt was handled incorrectly. The league said the kick should have drawn a five-yard penalty and a replay of the down because it was taken from behind the required 35-yard line, a violation of free-kick rules.
Even so, the correction does not change the result of Texas 20-17 win over Tennessee. For the Volunteers, it leaves one more frustrating detail attached to a game already decided by a narrow margin, even if the official ruling stops short of altering the final scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Secondary Just Took Another Brutal Hit Before Auburn
Tennessees secondary is dealing with another setback heading into Auburn, with sophomore defensive back Dylan Lewis expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season because of a foot injury he suffered against Kennesaw State. Lewis had already been listed as out in SEC availability reports before the Texas game, and he was later seen in a walking boot, a clear sign the injury was serious enough to keep him sidelined for an extended stretch.
For a defense already managing other season-ending injuries in the back end, losing Lewis only tightens the margin for error. The Vols have had to keep adjusting their depth and rotations in the secondary, and now they head into the Auburn matchup with another important piece unavailable, leaving the coaching staff to sort out how to patch together a group that has been hit hard. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Are Stuck On One Faizon Brandon Debate
Tennessees loss to Texas left plenty of fingerprints on the offense, but the loudest postgame debate has centered on Faizon Brandon and how much of the struggle was really on the quarterback. Brandon finished 17 of 29 for 145 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, yet the bigger number was the sacks, with Tennessees protection breaking down often enough to make the whole night feel hurried and uneven.
Film analyst Brooks Austin pushed back on the idea that Brandon alone was responsible, pointing to a shaky run game and the lines problems up front as part of the picture. Josh Heupel sounded similarly measured, saying Brandon may have been sped up and stressing that the answer has to come from more than one player. For Tennessee, the uncomfortable part is that the debate is still open, and the film may only deepen it. [Read more 🡒]