KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Texas walks into its SEC opener with a packed Neyland Stadium, a heavyweight matchup against Tennessee and a crowd that was already swelling well before kickoff.
The No. 1 Longhorns, 3-0 and 0-0 in SEC play, are making their first-ever trip to Neyland Stadium to face the No.
14 Volunteers, who are also 3-0 and 0-0. With the anticipated arrival of President Donald J.
Trump for the game, the building was nearing capacity early, and by the 78-minute mark before kickoff it looked about 80% full.
NFL interest is strong on Rocky Top, too. Scouts from the New York Giants, Green Bay, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, Buffalo and the Los Angeles Rams are in attendance. Representatives from the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville and the Reliaquest Bowl in Tampa are also on site.
Texas running back Hollywood Smothers appears set to go. He arrived with the first group of players at 10:09 a.m. for warm-ups, stretched in the end zone and started taking small springs around 10:30 a.m.
After a pair of short sprint drills, he moved into alternating short and long passing work. He looked fully mobile throughout, even breaking into a little dance after a sharp catch, and he remained on the field for an extended stretch before leaving pregame warmups at 10:44 a.m.
Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson also made the trip to Knoxville after receiving a state district judge’s ruling this week that granted him a fifth year of eligibility. Hutson has the most college experience among Texas offensive linemen, with 1,959 snaps, but it remains unclear whether he’ll get his first action of the season.
Most of the snaps at left guard have gone to Oregon State transfer Dylan Sikorski and Western Kentucky transfer Laurence Seymore. Steve Sarkisian said Texas had a call scheduled Thursday with the SEC to make sure Hutson would be cleared by conference officials.
According to sources, the SEC was forwarded State District Judge Maria Cantu Hexel’s ruling granting Hutson’s application for an injunction against the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility rule. Sources said Hutson was told Friday that he was eligible and would be traveling to Knoxville.
Archie Manning is also in the building. Manning made the trip from New Orleans to Neyland Stadium for the showdown between the top-ranked Longhorns and 14th-ranked Volunteers. He doesn’t travel to games much these days, but this one mattered, with his son Peyton’s jersey retired by Tennessee and grandson Arch set to lead Texas in its SEC opener.
The Texas-Tennessee matchup on the volleyball side added another layer to the weekend. No.
7 Texas dropped the first two sets Friday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, including a second set in which the Longhorns led the whole way and held a 23-22 edge before falling 26-24. Then Torrey Stafford flipped the match.
She sparked the comeback in Game 3 with five kills and an ace, then finished with a season- and match-high 28 kills and 12 digs as Texas beat No. 13 Tennessee 21-25, 24-26, 25-18, 25-22, 15-11 to improve to 5-4 and 1-0 in SEC play.
Nya Bunton added a career-high 14 kills and four blocks, Rella Binney had a career-high 54 assists and 14 digs, and Cari Spears posted her first double-double of the season with 12 kills and 12 digs. Binney recorded her third straight 40-assist game, third consecutive double-double and fifth double-double of the season.
Now Texas gets the football version of the Texas Two-Step. The second step is Saturday in Neyland Stadium.
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Indiana coach Curt Cignetti added another layer to the dispute, pushing back on reports that his team suffered a major headset shutdown. He said there were brief communication problems earlier in the game, but they were resolved before the finish, leaving the broader question of what actually happened in the final stretch still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
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Last season, Texas' trouble away from home was not just about talent level. Penalties and composure issues kept showing up in losses, turning otherwise manageable stretches into uphill climbs. This matchup in Tennessee offers a cleaner test of whether the added experience on the roster translates into better poise when the environment gets difficult, and for a team with bigger goals, that is the part worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Newcomers Are Already Setting The Tone For No. 1
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Sophomore Luka Mladenovic gave Texas another strong showing by winning the 200 breast and finishing second in the 100 breast and 200 IM. The meet mixed collegiate and professional swimmers across several events, but the Longhorns still came away looking like a group with depth and versatility. For a No. 1 team trying to establish its rhythm early, performances like these matter because they hint at how quickly the newcomers are already raising the standard. [Read more 🡒]