Texas sacks Faizon Brandon 10 times as No. 1 Longhorns edge Tennessee 20-17
The short version
- No. 1 Texas beat No. 13 Tennessee 20-17 on Sept. 26 at Neyland Stadium.
- Texas sacked Faizon Brandon 10 times; Colin Simmons set a school record with five sacks.
- Brandon was 17-of-29 for 145 yards, one TD and no INT; he briefly left with a shoulder injury.
- Left guard Wendell Moe exited in the first quarter and did not return.
- Tennessee hosts Auburn on Oct. 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC or ESPN.
Top-ranked Texas dropped Tennessee's freshman quarterback 10 times at Neyland Stadium, the second-most sacks in Longhorns history, in a 20-17 SEC win.
No. 1 Texas defeated No. 13 Tennessee 20-17 on Sept. 26 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, handing the Volunteers their first loss of the season. Tennessee fell to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in SEC play, while Texas improved to 4-0 and 1-0 in conference.
The story of the game was Texas' pass rush. The Longhorns sacked freshman Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon 10 times, the second-most in a single game in school history. Edge rusher Colin Simmons recorded five sacks, a Texas school record for one game.
Brandon finished 17-of-29 passing for 145 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He did not complete a downfield pass until a 30-yard touchdown throw to receiver Mike Matthews inside the final two minutes. Brandon also briefly left the game in the second quarter with an apparent shoulder injury and missed two possessions before returning.
Coach Josh Heupel said Brandon was cleared to come back. He was healthy, otherwise we would not have put him back in, Heupel said, adding that the medical staff checked him and that Brandon took additional hits late in the game. Brandon was unavailable for postgame interviews because he was receiving medical treatment, as were defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and punt returner Qua Moss.
Responsibility for the protection breakdowns was spread across the offense. Heupel said the offensive line and quarterback play were not good enough and that everyone had a hand in it. He noted missed chip blocks from running backs and tight ends and pointed to times when Brandon held the ball instead of getting rid of it.
Tennessee was also shorthanded up front. Left guard Wendell Moe, a 2025 All-SEC selection, left in the first quarter and did not return. Heupel did not give an update on Moe's condition. The ground game struggled as well, with running backs managing only 67 yards on 20 carries.
Teammates and coaches did not place the loss solely on Brandon, a freshman making his first SEC start against one of the best defenses to visit Neyland Stadium in recent years. Receiver Braylon Staley noted the combination of a young quarterback, a hostile environment and a great opponent. Receiver Mike Matthews said he asked Brandon once during the game what happened but did not want to keep pressing him.
Xavier Gilliam recorded two tackles for loss for the Tennessee defense, and Qua Moss returned a punt for a touchdown. Tennessee continues a nine-game conference schedule when it hosts Auburn on Oct. 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC or ESPN.
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