Tennessee’s unbeaten start came to a stop in its SEC opener, as Texas escaped Knoxville with a 20-17 win.
The Longhorns set the tone early and never let the Vols fully settle in. Texas opened the scoring with a 9-yard run by fifth-year running back Raleek Brown, and Gianni Spetic added the extra point with 10:58 left in the first quarter. Tennessee answered a few minutes later with a 33-yard field goal from Cooper Ranvier, trimming the gap to 7-3 after the first quarter.
Texas kept the pressure on to start the second, getting another three points in the opening 30 seconds on Spetic’s 22-yard field goal. Tennessee also had an early scare in the quarter when quarterback Faizon Brandon was injured on a run. George MacIntyre stepped in temporarily before Brandon returned.
The Vols finally got a jolt after halftime. Senior defensive back Qua Moss brought back a 57-yard return for a touchdown, and Ranvier’s extra point tied things at 10-10.
But the tie didn’t last long. Spetic drilled a 44-yard field goal with 9 minutes left in the third quarter to put Texas back in front 13-10.
Brown delivered again in the fourth quarter, this time from 4 yards out with 5:41 remaining. Spetic’s kick made it 20-10 and forced Tennessee into comeback mode.
The Vols answered with a touchdown drive of their own, as Faizon Brandon hit Mike Matthews on a 30-yard pass and Ranvier converted the extra point to cut the deficit to 20-17 with 1:22 left. Tennessee then tried the onside kick, and Jackson Ross kept it low, creating a scramble that the Vols recovered.
From there, Tennessee moved to the Tennessee 49-yard line and Brandon completed a 5-yard pass to Braylon Staley for a first down. Texas then sacked Brandon for a loss of four, before Brandon picked up eight yards on the ground. A 10-yard holding penalty on Tennessee linebacker Donovan Haslam pushed the Vols back to the Tennessee 40.
Texas added another sack, but a face mask penalty on Longhorns edge Zina Umeozulu moved Tennessee to the Texas 45. After a 5-yard false start penalty against the Vols and a 4-yard completion from Brandon to DaSaahn Brame, Tennessee couldn’t finish the drive. Texas held on for the 20-17 victory.
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McAfee followed through with a $500,000 donation to the Pat Summitt Foundation, the nonprofit focused on fighting Alzheimers disease, and that gave the kick a meaning well beyond the stage show of Saturday morning television. For Volunteers fans, it was the kind of Knoxville moment that felt both pure college football and deeply tied to the programs history, with the spotlight on a cause that still resonates throughout Tennessee. [Read more 🡒]
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Tennessee Suddenly Has A Backfield Problem Before Its Biggest Test
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Nathan Robinson adds another layer of uncertainty, with the starting defensive lineman listed as a game-time decision and set to be evaluated before kickoff. For Tennessee, the concern is not just one injury here or there, but how the roster holds up when depth is suddenly being tested on both sides of the ball, forcing other players into bigger roles at precisely the wrong moment. [Read more 🡒]