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247Sports · David Eckert

4d ago
Texas football report card: How we graded the Longhorns in their win over Tennessee
Summary
Injury: The Texas Longhorns oh-so-nearly kept the opposing offense out of the end zone for the second consecutive game.
The Texas Longhorns oh-so-nearly kept the opposing offense out of the end zone for the second consecutive game.  Only a Mike Matthews touchdown with 1:22 remaining stained what was otherwise a sparkling defensive performance by the Longhorns in a 20-17 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers.  After holding the Volunteers after they recovered an onisde kick in the game's final moments, the Texas defense is at the top of the class as we dish out our game grades.  (Photo: Getty) OFFENSE: C- Texas' first scripted drive of the game looked really good, and that's about where the list of nice things you can say about this Texas offense ends.  Arch Manning's pocket presence looked shaky at best. Texas' offensive line, dominant through three weeks, failed to cope with the exotic pressure packages thrown its way by Jim Knowles as Tennessee accumulated six sacks.  The Texas running game spent most of the game doing a whole lot of nothing, too. The Longhorns averaged 1.7 yards per rush with Hollywood Smothers sidelined despite being listed as available on the injury report Texas filed before the game.  Give the Longhorns credit; they muscled up and played big-boy football between the tackles as they ripped off an eight-play, 60-yard drive to seal the win. But the overall effort by this unit was ugly.  DEFENSE: A+ When Colin Simmons wasn't pretending to urinate on the opposing quarterback, he was dominating this football game.  The Texas edge rusher came through with five sacks, tying the Texas single-game record. And, one could argue that he should have been awarded partial credit for another one that was awarded to Hero Kanu. As a team, Texas finished with 10 sacks on the day, including a vital one by Rasheem Biles as Tennessee looked to tie the game in the final minute.  The only criticism you'd levy against this Texas defense is that they didn't generate a turnover, but that becomes less important when you dominate a game the way the Longhorns did Saturday. They made Tennessee look like UTSA.  SPECIAL TEAMS: F- The Longhorns gave Tennessee a route back into this game when they surrendered a 57-yard punt return touchdown to Qua Moss, rejuvenating Neyland Stadium after the Vols' offense spent the first half moving with the speed and efficiency of an overweight snail.  Add in not one, not two, but three penalties — including two that negated nice returns by Ryan Niblett and Jermaine Bishop Jr., respectively — and you get one of the worst special teams performances imaginable.  Then, of course, Texas failed to recover Tennessee's onside kick at the end of the game, giving the Volunteers a chance to tie the game.  The Longhorns are lucky they didn't lose this game because of their special teams failures.  COACHING: C The plan Will Muschamp and the Longhorns executed on the defensive side of the ball was nothing short of perfect. They did not give freshman Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon a second to breathe. And they achieved that without exposing themselves to the interior run game, where the Vols had excelled for most of the season, or allowing Brandon to use his legs outside of the pocket with too much frequency.  On offense, the Longhorns again didn't live up to their stated mission of playing explosive football. It was good enough to win, but it won't be on a weekly basis.  You've got to ding the coaching staff for its inability to get the penalties under control, too. Texas took 11 penalties for 115 yards. On a different day against a more competent offense, that costs the Longhorns.  OVERALL: C+ The Longhorns went on the road and got a win over a top-15 team. You can argue that they did so without playing particularly well.  That's what's scary about this Texas team. The Longhorns are going into their bye week at 4-0 with wins over Ohio State and Tennessee, and you still feel like they haven't scratched the surface of what they can be.

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Teams: Texas

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