No. 1 Texas beat No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. University of Tennessee Athletics posted that final in its game notes from Knoxville: No. 14/13 Tennessee 17, No. 1/1 Texas 20.
It was the fourth meeting between the programs and the first on a campus. The other three were Cotton Bowls, in 1969, 1953 and 1951, and Texas had won the two most recent of those. Texas came to Knoxville at 3-0, the record in the Longhorns’ game notes before the trip. Tennessee’s Saturday notes do not list how Texas scored its 20 points.
Those notes do list two Tennessee touchdowns. Junior receiver Mike Matthews caught a 30-yard pass from freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon for the Volunteers’ first offensive score. Matthews finished with four catches for 72 yards and that touchdown, his third scoring catch of the season. In the third quarter, defensive back Qua Moss returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown with 11:14 left. The return was the longest of his college career and his first touchdown.
Tennessee won the toss and deferred. Texas received, and Tennessee defended the south end zone. The Volunteers have scored on their opening drive in all four games this season, at an average of 3 minutes, 6 seconds. With 1:22 left, punter Jackson Ross kicked an onside kick that linebacker Arion Carter recovered at the Tennessee 49.
A sellout, and a first campus loss for the Vols in the series
Attendance was 101,915, a sellout, the 30th in a row at Neyland dating to Sept. 17, 2022. Tennessee’s all-time on-field record fell to 897-423-53. The same notes list a separate NCAA record of 886-423-53. Against Associated Press No. 1 teams, Tennessee is now 2-18. Against a No. 1 team in any poll, the notes put the record at 3-19.
Saturday was Tennessee’s first noon kickoff on ABC inside Neyland since Sept. 19, 1992, against Florida. In orange jerseys and white pants, the Volunteers are 22-4 in the Josh Heupel era. The captains were running back DeSean Bishop, long snapper Bennett Brady, and linebackers Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander.
The notes do not say whether Hollywood Smothers played. He was questionable on the Thursday availability report. The defensive numbers from the same Tennessee document are in a separate stat note.
Photo: Neyland Stadium by Ecansler, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Tennessee postgame notes, Sept. 26, 2026; Texas at Tennessee preview.
