Tennessee football, Josh Heupel had no answer for Texas' defense in loss | Adams

A quarterback named Manning won for the first time in 29 years at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 26. But this 20-17 victory didn't trigger a Tennessee football celebration.

And No. 1 Texas ' victory had more to do with its defense than its quarterback.

Arch Manning , the nephew of former Vols All-American quarterback Peyton Manning, led Texas for a touchdown on its first possession. After that, the game was all about defense – on both sides.

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Tennessee shut down Texas' running game. But a Tennessee offense that was averaging almost 300 yards rushing per game in three consecutive victories struggled terribly to make headway against Texas. The Vols finished with only 70 yards rushing.

Passing was as problematic as running for the Vols.

Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who missed two first-half series with a right-shoulder injury, was pressured repeatedly and had trouble finding open receivers against Texas' talented secondary. When Brandon did have time on short routes, he too often threw low.

Tennessee's biggest offensive dilemma: It couldn't block the No. 1 player on the nation's No. 1 team. All-American pass rusher Colin Simmons had five of the Longhorns' 10 sacks.

The Vols stayed within striking distance due to a stout defense and a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown by Qua Moss. They sacked Manning six times and held the Longhorns to 61 yards rushing.

But their offense was practically non-existent until the Vols unleashed an 80-yard touchdown drive on their next-to-last possession – after Texas opted for a prevent defense with a 10-point lead. Brandon scrambled for a first down before capping the drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews .

Suddenly, the Vols had hope. They also had the ball after Ryan Wingo couldn't handle their onside kick.

But once the Vols recovered on their own 49, Texas' defense returned to its aggressive ways, and the Vols' offense looked as futile as ever.

Tennessee's offense was without offensive guard Wendell Moe most of the game after he suffered a first-quarter injury. But losing one guard couldn't account for the failures of Tennessee's offensive line, which was overwhelmed by Texas' elite defensive front except for the late touchdown drive.

The Longhorns repeatedly sabotaged themselves in the first half with seven penalties for 70 yards.

Texas penalties figured prominently in Tennessee's only first-half score. The Longhorns were flagged for roughing the passer on the Vols' first play. They handed the Vols another 15 yards when they interfered with wide receiver Radarious Jackson on a deep throw from Brandon.

Those mistakes were crucial in Tennessee's nine-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Cooper Ranvier's 33-yard field goal.

Texas' star pass rusher went out of his way to commit another first-half penalty, which looked premediated. After sacking Brandon, Simmons celebrated by simulating an act best executed in a restroom.

If not for the unsportsmanlike penalty, Texas could have pinned the Vols close to their goal line. Given a second chance, Tennessee drove all the way to the Texas 34-yard line before missing on a fourth-down pass.

Texas' defense didn't have a monopoly on penalties. As effective as Manning was throwing in the first half, he was penalized twice for advancing beyond the line of scrimmage before releasing a pass.

The Longhorns' errant play continued in the third quarter. Safety Bo Mascoe was called for his second pass interference on Tennessee's first possession of the half.

Minutes later, Texas was forced to settle for a field goal after a delay-of-game penalty on third down stalled its drive. Another penalty negated a long punt return.

The Longhorns finished with 11 penalties for 115 yards.

Will Muschamp still a huge Tennessee nemesis

One of the last guys Tennessee fans want to see on an opponent's sideline is Will Muschamp, Texas' defensive coordinator.

The Vols have a long history with him, and most of it has been bad. In his long SEC career, he has been a head coach at Florida and South Carolina . He also has been an assistant coach at Florida, LSU , and Georgia.

The common theme to all his job-hopping: He seldomy loses to Tennessee. In the past 20 games against the Vols, including Texas' victory, Muschamp is 18-2.

Vols keep coming up short against ranked teams

A bigger concern for the Vols than Muschamp: They can't beat the better teams on their schedule.

Tennessee has lost seven consecutive games against nationally ranked opponents. Its last victory came against Alabama in October of 2024.

Every time the Vols threatened to end that streak, Texas' defense was too much to overcome.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.