Defense saves the SEC opener for No. 1 Longhorns: 3 Texas vs Tennessee observations
This bye week couldn't come at a better time for No. 1 Texas football. The Longhorns may need it just to catch their breath.
Texas beat No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 Saturday on the road at impressive Neyland Stadium, in front of a crowd of 101,915 and with President Donald Trump there, too, and it felt even closer than the final score. Texas' defense thankfully made the road trip to Knoxville because it wasn't pretty or nearly complete, but it's a win the Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 SEC) will take.
The defense was so good, at least for three-and-three-fourths quarters, before the Vols shot their way back into the game with a late 30-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute, 22 seconds left, followed by a successful onside kick. That led to a dramatic final minute that saw a big sack, a big defensive penalty and a big defensive play – Jelani McDonald's pass breakup on a Hail Mary in the end zone – to end it.
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Was this a road game that Texas might have lost last year? Either way, consider this: In the first four games, Texas has notched wins over a No. 1 and a No. 14 and now have a week off to prep for its Red River Rivalry matchup with Oklahoma.
Here are some observations we saw from Saturday's win:
Texas' offense is developing its identify
Like it did in the win over Ohio State two weeks ago, Texas' offensive line wore down the Vols in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns struggled to run the ball for much of the game with starting running back Hollywood Smothers sidelined by an injury, but they ground out the yards as well as the clock late in the game. Texas rushed for 37 yards through the first three quarters and finished with 70 – an average of only 1.7 yards per run.
Smothers was upgraded to probable Saturday and went through pregame warmups, but watched Brown rush for 67 yards – and two critical touchdowns – on 17 carries. His longest run went for 10 yards. He averaged 3.9 yards per run. Controlling the clock with the run and opening things up for Manning in the passing game will be critical to the Longhorns the rest of the way.
Colin Simmons leads a dominant day
Questionable celebrations aside, Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons showed why he's the most dangerous pass rusher in the college game. The junior from Duncanville racked up five sacks, which tied a single-season school record previously set by former Texas defensive end Shane Dronett against Texas Tech in 1990. Simmons spearheaded a unit that racked up 10 sacks Saturday while dominating a respected Tennessee front in a critical road win to open SEC play.
Rasheem Biles, Maraad Watson, Zina Umeozulu, Hero Kanu and Alex January also had sacks. In all, those 10 sacks came from two defensive ends, three defensive tackles and a linebacker.
Arch Manning still holding the ball too long
Maybe it's Arch Manning's faith in his pass protection or the trust in his legs, but Manning (14 of 19 for 201 yards, no TDs and one interception) often seems reluctant to get rid of the ball quickly. He took off on several ill-advised runs and took some big shots, much to the chagrin of Texas coach Steve Sarkisian. He twice was flagged for throwing past the line of scrimmage and he absorbed a season-high six sacks – several of which seemed unnecessary considering the time in the pocket.
Who's No. 1? How the top five teams fared Saturday
No. 1 Texas beat No. 14 Tennessee 20-17.
No. 2 Georgia is leading unranked Oklahoma 7-0 early (1st quarter).
No. 3 Notre Dame is shutting out Purdue 35-0 (second half) on the road.
No. 4 Ole Miss is trailing 7-0 at No. 21 Florida early (1st quarter).
No. 5 Indiana beat Northwestern 29-23 at home Friday night.
On deck: an off week
A week to heal, to start early game-planning for Oklahoma, get some recruiting time in for coaches and watch some Saturday football for a change. Texas' off week comes at a good time. The Longhorns play Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. It'll be either an ABC or ESPN game.
This article originally published at Defense saves the SEC opener for No. 1 Longhorns: 3 Texas vs Tennessee observations.