Five things we learned from Texas after 20-17 win over Tennessee

Texas was able to reel in a narrow win over Tennessee, winning 20-17 in Knoxville . The game was defined by a dominant defensive performance, but a poor display from the Longhorns offense.

A late TD drive from Manning and the offense put Texas in a lead they wouldn't give up. Despite the questions coming out, there are a number of great positives to pull as well.

Here are the five things I think we learned from today's win:

This has been an issue for Texas during the Sarkisian era. It seemed like it was on its way to being fixed after Ohio State, but it's returned. Texas finished the day with 11 penalties for 115 yards, including multiple PIs and a silly unsportsmanlike conduct on Colin Simmons. Texas left multiple chances on the table in the first half because they continued to make self-inflicted errors. That needs to be reeled in the rest of the way or Texas will fall short of goals.

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This was the worst performance from the offensive line thus far. The Tennessee defense finished with 6 sacks, 10 TFLs and allowed just 1.7 yards per rush. There were a number of communication issues that put Manning under immediate pressure. Considering the strong play early, I'd say it's fair to assume it will get stronger as they get more reps together. However, it has to be fixed against Oklahoma or that could turn into a loss quickly.

There is no question about this now. This defense is going to keep you in every single game because of how good they are. The defense finished with 10 sacks, with Colin Simmons reeling in 5 of them himself. They gave up just 70 yards on 44 carries(1.6 yards/carry). On the backend, the DBs had a few PIs that needed to be fixed but the coverage was overall very strong. Will Muschamp has a championship group that can win Texas multiple games.

Mental toughness is much higher than last season

This is a big takeaway for me. When Tennessee had the punt return to tie the game at 10, the Texas offense immediately made a big play to set up points. Then, early in the 4th quarter, Manning leads an 8 play, 60 yard TD drive, running the ball very well. Finally, when Tennessee scores and recovers the onside kick, your defense finds a way to get one last stop. It's a game that could've gotten away from them multiple times but the mental toughness and focus pulled the Longhorns through.

Texas is set up incredibly well for the rest of the season

Before the season started, it was said an undefeated September would do wonders for Texas. They've done that. This wasn't the prettiest way to get there, but you have two wins over Top 15 teams and a 4-0 record. The rest of the way, you have to face six currently ranked teams in eight games. Having as much wiggle room as possible is massive for this team.

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