KNOXVILLE, TN – Cigar smoke was coming from the Texas locker room following their win over Tennessee on Saturday afternoon that came down to the final play.
The only offense that we really got on a consistent basis Saturday between Tennessee and Texas came when the Secret Service was clearing an area for President Trump to walk through while the national anthem was being played.
A slugfest of wacky proportions played out inside Neyland Stadium, with Arch Manning doing just enough to get his Longhorns out of Knoxville with the win.
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The entire morning was filled with anticipation, as the President would finally make his way from the airport to Tennessee’s campus for what would turn out to be a first half appearance.
But, it was the Texas defense that showed up for the party with a reckoning on its mind, finishing with ten total sacks, which Steve Sarkisian said led to eight Tennessee players being helped out of the field in what turned out to be another physical SEC game.
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What’s the biggest takeaway?
Texas QB Arch Manning talks about the Longhorns win over Tennessee (Via: Trey Wallace. OutKick)
The Longhorns have now been battle-tested, twice
The Longhorns have the two-best wins in college football this season, after defeating Ohio State just fourteen days ago.
Steve Sarkisian, will not apologize for how his team wins, nor should he.
“For us, we’ve got more of these to go..We have 7 ranked opponents we have still yet to play..That’s why I’m not gonna apologize for how we beat a top-15 team on the road, when others don’t even play them,” Sarkisian said postgame.
Head Coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns looks on during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 26, 2026. (Getty Images)
We wondered how the Longhorns would react to a hostile environment, with over 100,000 fans starting to enter the gates in hopes of taking advantage of alcoholic beverages that were 50% off , thanks to the Tennessee athletic department enticing fans to enter the stadium before traffic got out of hand due to Trump’s arrival.
That answer was provided on the defensive side of the ball for Texas throughout the entire game, as Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon scrambled for his life on what felt like every other play for the Vols.
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Heck, Texas’ Colin Simmons had five sacks on the day, making life extremely difficult for the Vols freshman QB.
If you were under the impression that this Steve Sarkisian led football team wasn’t prepared for their first road trip of the season, you were sorely mistaken. There were some that wrote about how this physical test on the road would be to their detriment.
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I guess they aren’t watching the same Texas team. This group continues to find ways to win, in the most difficult era of college football. Whether it was on the final play of the game, or holding off an offense on the last series, the Longhorns have figured it out early this season.
Arch Manning might be more chill, but he is continuing to find success
Sure, he might have only thrown for 127 yards in the first half, taking a 10-3 lead into halftime. But, that didn’t stop him from finding pockets of success in the second half, which kept his team ahead when the final whistle blew.
And yes, Manning only finished the game with 201 yards passing with zero touchdowns, but he put Texas in a position to win once again.
Whether it was Cam Coleman or Ryan Wingo, Tennessee did not seem to have an answer for the talented pair on a consistent basis, which came back to bite the Vols during the second half.
Seven total sacks for the Texas defense also kept the Vols offense in check for a majority of the game.
What a monster win for the Longhorns, while Tennessee looks like they have problems.
This was the first road test, and they passed. At the end of the day, when Texas boards the plane home for Austin, that’s all that matters for this team.
We can talk about some of the sloppy offensive line play, or the weird unsportsmanlike penalty on Colin Simmons, but that’s just noise right now.
What we witnessed on Saturday afternoon was two teams who are still working out the glitches. The problem for Tennessee is that they do not have a veteran starter, while Arch Manning is finding different ways to get his squad into the end zone.
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 26: Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns carries the ball during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas Longhorns at Neyland Stadium on September 26, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) ( )
All the while, Texas once again proved they might be the best overall team in college football in one of the hardest places to play in this sport.
As the equipment staff began loading the truck for its ride back to Texas, you can hear the noise coming from inside the Longhorns locker room.
“We’re the real UT, so they can stop talking,” one player said aloud.
On Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, this Texas team once again proved it could find another way to win.
But, in the end, it still came down to their defense. Just as it did against Ohio State.
You don’t rack up 12 sacks on an SEC opponent without having a stellar group on that side of the ball. Maybe we should be talking more about the unit who has provided four wins on the season, with two against Top-15 teams.
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It’s easy to get lost in Arch. We might wanna get used to this defense.
