No. 1 Texas beat No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, surviving a late rally in its SEC opener.
Raleek Brown ran for two touchdowns, including a 4-yard score with 5:41 left that made it 20-10, according to the University of Texas athletics box score. Texas is 4-0 and 1-0 in the SEC. Tennessee fell to 3-1 and 0-1. A crowd of 101,915 included President Donald Trump.
Defensive end Colin Simmons tied the Texas single-game record with five sacks. He also drew the penalty that dominated highlight shows. After a second-quarter sack of quarterback Faizon Brandon, Simmons was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Referee Kyle Olson announced the call as “simulating using the restroom.” The 15-yard penalty extended a Tennessee drive.
Lived in the backfield, 5 sacks for Simmons🤘 pic.twitter.com/nXsMQxQeWD
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 26, 2026
Simmons later apologized, saying he got caught up in the moment. Coach Steve Sarkisian said the staff pulled him, talked to him, and put him back in. Sarkisian said he would not “give the guy a death penalty” over one unsportsmanlike conduct flag but added that it cannot continue.
Tennessee tied the game at 10 on Qua Moss’s 57-yard punt return in the third quarter. Texas answered with a Gianni Spetic field goal, then Brown’s second touchdown. Brandon hit Mike Matthews for a 30-yard score with 1:22 left to make it 20-17. The Volunteers recovered an onside kick. On the final play, Texas knocked away a deep pass in the end zone.
Arch Manning completed 14 of 19 passes for 201 yards with an interception. Brown rushed for 67 yards. Texas managed only 61 rushing yards as a team and was flagged 11 times for 115 yards. Brandon threw for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Texas is off until Oklahoma on Oct. 10 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
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