Texas is walking into a heavyweight road test to open SEC play, and the margins in Knoxville are going to be thin. With seven of its nine conference games coming against teams in the newest AP Poll, the Longhorns start at No. 14 Tennessee in Neyland Stadium, a place that can turn a Saturday into a problem fast.
If Texas is going to leave with a 1-0 SEC start, the first big question is whether the passing game finally finds its rhythm. Arch Manning and his trio of Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo, and Emmett Mosley have yet to fully sync up in the same game, and that matters because Tennessee’s pass defense has been stingy.
The Volunteers are allowing 151 passing yards per game, less than eight yards per completion, and they’ve given up only one passing touchdown. Texas, meanwhile, sits No. 12 in the SEC in passing offense at 241.33 yards per game and 10.97 yards per completion, numbers that land in the bottom third of the league.
That challenge gets even more interesting because Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is going up against a familiar name on the other sideline. Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was the Ohio State defensive coordinator when Texas met the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinal two seasons ago. The Longhorns will need steadier production through the air this time around if they want to stress that Tennessee secondary.
The other major pressure point is Tennessee’s ground game. Through three weeks, the Volunteers have built the SEC’s best rushing attack and the fourth-best in the nation, averaging close to 300 rushing yards per game, 6.74 yards per carry, and 11 touchdowns. DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris have both already topped 200 rushing yards and are each averaging well above six yards per carry.
That puts a lot on Texas’ front seven. The Longhorns have been average against the run so far, ranking No. 10 in the SEC in rushing defense while allowing 109 yards per game and a little over three yards per carry. Tennessee will try to use that run game to set the tempo and control the pace, and Texas has to be ready to fight for every yard at the line of scrimmage.
And then there’s the sideline battle, which could matter just as much as anything happening between the lines. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is preparing to call his first SEC game as the exclusive defensive play caller since 2020, when he was the head coach at South Carolina. In his first three games back in that role, the Texas defense has been productive, ranking No. 2 in the SEC in scoring defense, No. 6 in passing defense, No. 8 in total defense, and No. 10 in rushing defense.
Across from him is Josh Heupel, Tennessee’s head coach and offensive play caller, who has kept the Volunteers’ offense humming year after year. Through three games, Tennessee ranks No. 1 in rushing offense, No. 3 in scoring offense, and No. 5 in total offense.
For Texas, the formula is clear: get the passing game on track, slow down Tennessee’s backs, and hold up in a matchup that will be shaped as much by coaching decisions as by the action on the field.
In Other News...
Texas Just Revived A Discipline Concern Fans Hoped Was Gone
For a Texas team that had spent its first two games looking far cleaner than it did at times a year ago, the Saturday night win over UTSA offered a reminder that discipline can disappear in a hurry. The Longhorns were flagged eight times for 88 yards, a sharp jump from the previous two games, and the mistakes showed up in the places a staff least wants to see them - on offense, in the kicking game and in situations that were supposed to be routine.
Several of those flags came at damaging moments, from too many players on the field to a horse-collar tackle and a string of special teams infractions that changed field position and wiped away momentum. UTSA turned some of those openings into points on two drives, and Texas spent too much of the night trying to recover from self-inflicted problems instead of putting the game away on its own terms. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Freshman Turned One GameDay Moment Into A Massive Payday
A Texas freshman turned a Saturday spotlight into a life-changing moment on ESPN College GameDay, stepping into the networks Kicking is Easy challenge and calmly sending a 33-yard field goal through. Connor Kacena-Merrell had a crowd around him for the buildup, with fraternity brothers in the stands and encouragement flowing from Matthew McConaughey, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit before the kick that changed everything.
The prize ballooned to $1.2 million, and Kacena-Merrell immediately showed what kind of day it was for him by pledging half to the nonprofit Building Tomorrow. The rest, he said, will go toward his education and investments, turning a one-off GameDay opportunity into something with a much longer reach than the moment itself. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Faces A Colin Simmons Concern Ahead Of Tennessee
Texas got a scare in its win over UTSA when edge rusher Colin Simmons left early with a foot injury, and the early concern lingered afterward when he was seen in a walking boot. Head coach Steve Sarkisian initially downplayed the issue, suggesting Simmons would be fine, but the lack of a firm follow-up has kept the situation from settling.
The next real checkpoint comes Wednesday evening, when the first SEC injury report for Texas-Tennessee is released. Until then, Simmons remains one of the biggest questions on the Longhorns defensive side, especially with a trip to face Tennessee carrying plenty of attention and no shortage of stakes. [Read more 🡒]