No. 1 Texas survives penalties, special teams errors to stave off miraculous comeback bid from No. 14 Tennessee

That hardly tells the story of a near collapse that would have been bigger than the Lone Star State.

The top-ranked Longhorns had to sweat out a 20-17 victory in Knoxville after going up 10 points with 5:41 remaining. In the game's final act, No. 1 Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) allowed No. 14 Tennessee (3-1, 0-1) to go the length of the field for a touchdown and recover a subsequent onside kick.

That set up a potential game-tying or game-winning drive for the Volunteers in a vivacious Neyland Stadium that included U.S. president Donald Trump .

Texas held on and emerged from its first conference bout unscathed, albeit after 11 penalties, two turnovers and a collection of special teams miscues, one of which resulted in a Tennessee punt return touchdown.

Arch Manning, who hit on only half of his pass attempts last week in a win over UTSA, couldn't miss early this time around.

He completed his first seven passes for 120 yards against Tennessee, the alma mater of his uncle, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning .

Arch Manning, a Heisman Trophy hopeful and an intriguing NFL Draft prospect, attacked Jim Knowles' Volunteers defense from the get-go.

Even if it was underthrown, his deep ball for wide receiver Emmett Mosley V amounted to a 43-yard pickup on the game-opening drive . Running back Raleek Brown carried the momentum with a 9-yard rushing touchdown.

On Texas' third series, Manning found wideout Ryan Wingo twice, first over the middle for 15 yards and then on a dump-off that saw the elusive Wingo author a 14-yard gain. Two plays after that, Manning uncorked one of the prettier throws of his Longhorns career, a perfectly placed 29-yard strike to wide receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr. that soared outside the reach of over-pursuing Tennessee defensive back Qua Moss.

Although Steve Sarkisian's team couldn't tack on another touchdown in the red zone, Texas came away with a field goal to go up 10-3.

The score remained that way the rest of the first half.

Penalties and ball-security issues cost the Longhorns, whereas Josh Heupel's Volunteers were stifled by Texas' unrelenting pressure.

Tennessee freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon took a bevy of hits; however, the one that knocked him out of the game for a series and change wasn't sustained on a pass play.

On a quarterback power early in the second quarter, Brandon — a dual-threat QB who was the Rivals industry ranking's No. 10 overall prospect in the 2026 class — veered right.

In no time, though, he was swarmed by Texas linebackers Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer. There was no gain on the play, but what the Vols lost, at least temporarily, was their signal-caller.

In Brandon's absence, Manning tossed an interception and nearly committed an additional turnover. The pick stemmed from Manning taking a chance on a play-action fake that didn't really get the safety to bite. He rolled the dice anyway, firing downfield into double coverage. Cornerback Kayin Lee tracked the pass and pried it away from wide receiver Cam Coleman at the doorstep of the end zone.

Soon after the lone full series Tennessee backup George MacIntyre quarterbacked, a high snap flew through the hands of Manning. Somehow, he recovered the fumble, except the 12-yard loss ruined what turned out to be a three-and-out.

Once Simmons finished off a 16-yard sack that would have dropped Tennessee to a fourth-and-29 on its own 12-yard line, he received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty "for simulating using the restroom."

While Simmons pretending to urinate on Shields–Watkins Field didn't lead to Tennessee points, it did cost Texas great field position before intermission.

Simmons redeemed himself with his sack-filled performance, during which he chased down Brandon for three second-half sacks. Texas' defense, as a whole, clocked out with 10 sacks.

Manning, who was 14 of 19 with 201 passing yards and the aforementioned pick, was sacked six times.

The third phase of the game made things interesting.

Vols punter Jackson Ross pinned Texas at its 6-yard line in the infancy of the third quarter. Four snaps later, Moss returned a Longhorns punt 57 yards to the house to knot things up 10-10.

Texas had a response, and it came from Manning and one of his most heralded receivers, Coleman, who laid out to make a highlight-reel 30-yard grab . Manning lofted the pass while weathering a hit that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty.

That sequence put the Longhorns in position for a 44-yard field goal that made it a 13-10 game.

Texas briefly seized command of the game midway through the fourth quarter. A third-and-8 hookup between Manning and Wingo slingshotted the Longhorns. Those two connected again before Texas turned to the ground game.

Just like he did in the opening frame, Brown found pay dirt.

Tennessee turned the ball over on downs its next drive, then used all three of its timeouts to pave the way for a last-ditch effort.

After struggling offensively all afternoon, Brandon orchestrated a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. A 16-yard run from Brandon on third-and-12 was critical. It was the catalyst for a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews .

Suddenly, Tennessee had a bit more than a minute to tie or take the lead.

Yet a sloppy final drive concluded with a heave to the end zone that Texas' Jelani McDonald broke up to seal the road win and prevent a Vols miracle.