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Soon as Tennessee fixed its defense, Josh Heupel's offense looks like a problem | Estes

Tennessee dropped a hard-fought 20-17 decision to Texas on September 26, despite a strong defensive performance that limited the Longhorns to just 61 rushing yards and forced six sacks from Arch Manning and his offense. While new coordinator Jim Knowles has the Volunteers playing stout defense, Josh Heupel's offensive unit struggled immensely against a fierce Texas pass rush led by Colin Simmons and Maraad Watson, managing only 221 total yards and giving up 10 sacks.

Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon endured a punishing SEC debut, taking a heavy beating and exiting briefly in the first half due to an injury before returning to finish the game. Although Heupel praised his team's effort and special teams play, he conceded that the offensive output fell far short of what is required to defeat top-tier competition, leaving the program searching for a complete, balanced performance.

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