No. 1 Texas vs. No. 14 Tennessee final score: Longhorns narrowly avoid meltdown in 20-17 win

It's a big test for Texas senior quarterback Arch Manning , who was not able to win a true road game in regulation in 2025, his first season as the starter, and for a Longhorns team trying to maintain its hold on the top ranking as it embarks on a nine-game SEC schedule full of ranked opponents.

Texas senior running back Hollywood Smothers went through warmups for the Horns after his removal from the injury report, but came up gimpy at the end in the wake of suffering a lower-body injury. Also available is junior edge Colin Simmons , who suffered a toe injury last week before going through warmups with a large brace on his elbow.

After winning the toss and deferring to the second half, Tennessee kicked off to Texas, which started with an eight-yard completion to junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo on a comeback before runs by fifth-year Raleek Brown and freshman Derrek Cooper secured the first down after the spot on Cooper's effort was overturned in favor of the Longhorns.