Josh Heupel had plenty to sort through after Tennessee’s 20-17 loss to Texas on Saturday, but the most obvious problem sat right in front of him.
The Volunteers never found any real footing against a Texas front that overwhelmed Tennessee’s offensive line from start to finish. Texas finished with ten sacks and 12 tackles for loss, and edge rusher Colin Simmons was the headliner with 5.5 sacks. For Tennessee, it turned into a long afternoon that left true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon under constant heat and the offense stuck in neutral.
“Some of it was communication,” Josh Heupel answered when asked if it was physicality or communication up front. “A lot of it was a combination. It’s guys working together.”
That pressure never really let up. Brandon looked rattled early, and Tennessee’s offense spent much of the game trying to survive rather than attack. The Vols also managed only 70 rushing yards on 44 carries, a 1.6-yard average that told the same story in a different way: there was no push, no rhythm, and no room.
“That position group, we all understand, needs to play at a higher level consistently for 60 minutes to give us a better chance to move the football,” Heupel said of his offensive line. “Some of that’s in the run game, certainly in protection as well. All the protection problems, it’s not just five guys, it’s everybody involved in it.
“It’s tight ends, it’s backs, it’s quarterback, it’s wide receivers doing their job too. But certainly we’ve got to get better.
There were times in the run game we’ve got to create a little bit more movement. There’s times where we created movement, get to a little bit of space, unblocked hat makes a tackle, they tackled well.
So it’s all those pieces working together.”
Tennessee’s tight end situation made the challenge even harder. Playing without Ethan Davis, especially while leaning on so many 12 personnel looks, mattered more than it may have seemed at first glance. With Auburn coming to town on Saturday, that’s one of the biggest issues the Vols have to clean up quickly.
DaSaahn Brame and Trent Thomas will need to handle more of that load, and Tennessee will need its starting offensive line to stabilize around them. That task got even tougher when Wendell Moe went down with an injury early against Texas, a setback that clearly affected the Vols’ already rough day up front. More will come into focus after Wednesday’s injury report.
In Other News...
Tennessee Just Got A Left Side O-Line Problem It Can't Ignore
The opening drive against Texas left Tennessee with an immediate problem on the left side of its offensive line, and it is one the Volunteers are now expected to live with for the rest of the 2026 season. Starting left guard Wendell Moe Jr. is expected to miss the remainder of the year after sustaining an injury in that game, and head coach Josh Heupel has not offered any specifics on the injury itself.
In the meantime, Tennessee has already started to reshuffle up front, moving Sham Umarov to left guard and inserting Donovan Haslam at right guard. It is the kind of in-game adjustment that can solve one issue for a night, but for the Volunteers it also underscores how much strain one absence can put on the interior of the line as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Lost A Proven Starter At The Worst Possible Time
Wendell Moe Jr. was supposed to be one of the steadying pieces of Tennessees season, the veteran guard who brought preseason All-American recognition and returned as an All-SEC pick. Instead, the Volunteers are bracing for life without him after he was injured against Texas, a blow that lands especially hard because of how much value he provided on an offensive line that already needed continuity and reliability.
The timing makes it even tougher for Tennessee, which now has to sort through its depth and identify the next linemen up for the coming stretch of games. Losing a proven starter in the middle of the season changes the look of the line immediately, and for a team with big ambitions, the absence of a player with Moe Jr.s experience is the kind of setback that can ripple well beyond one position group. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Got A Faizon Brandon Scare At The Worst Time
Faizon Brandons brief injury scare against Texas gave Tennessee a tense moment at the worst possible time, but the freshman quarterback was evaluated and cleared by medical staff to return and finish the game. For a Volunteers offense already trying to settle in around a young passer, getting him back on the field was a relief in the moment and a sign that the shoulder issue did not linger long enough to knock him out of the lineup.
Brandon also did not appear on Tennessees initial SEC Student Athlete Availability Report for the upcoming Auburn game, which points to the staff expecting him to be available. Josh Heupel added to that optimism by confirming Brandon was healthy and ready to play, a reassuring update for a Tennessee team that can ill afford another setback at quarterback as conference play keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]