Top-ranked Longhorns, ESPN's College GameDay headed to Knoxville Saturday.
Ready or not, here we come.
It’s Texas Week, baby.
ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Knoxville for the 12th time to see the No. 1 Longhorns visit the No. 14 Volunteers.
It’s gonna be wild. High Noon showdown.
But, after both teams’ games Saturday night, the respective fan bases will be coming in with a great deal of trepidation. Texas was quite unimpressive in its 30-6 win over UTSA, while Tennessee was equally “meh” while posting a 42-9 win over Kennesaw State.
Neither team allowed a touchdown. Both quarterbacks — Arch Manning and Faizon Brandon — didn’t necessarily light up the skies above.
When you look at the body of work, though, what the Vols have done pales in comparison.
The last two weeks, Tennessee has beaten teams — Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State — that won 10 games last year. Neither will come close to that this season.
The Longhorns, on the other hand, earned their letdown Saturday night by knocking Ohio State off of its perch above all the others. However, it wasn’t easy. Texas had to mount the largest fourth quarter comeback — 20 points — ever against a top-ranked team to pull out the win.
Advantage Texas.
Tennessee had two mandates to tackle against Kennesaw State: Clean up the penalties and find a tight end.
Mission accomplished.
The Vols were flagged 14 times for 142 yards against Georgia Tech. The refs had to ice down their arms after throwing so many hankies in that game. Saturday night, Tennessee was recognized for just three infractions for 20 yards.
Without veteran tight end Ethan Davis, who was lost for the season in the Georgia Tech game with an ACL injury, it was time to get less experienced tight ends a bigger workload. DaSaahn Brame didn’t catch a pass, but if you watch closely, he was the lead blocker on DeSean Bishop’s three-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Trent Thomas, a junior transfer from South Alabama, caught a pass for 17 yards. Luca Wolf, a freshman from Austria who was discovered at the NFL UK Academy, caught a pass for nine yards. He also ran for a two-point conversion out of the wildcat formation.
The tight end position appears to be in better shape now than it was after the Georgia Tech game.
Can’t say that for running back, at least now.
Hunter Barnes, No. 5 on Tennessee’s running back depth chart, got seven carries for 63 yards and a touchdown against Kennesaw State.
And those weren’t all garbage-time totes.
Backups Javin Gordon and Justin Baker were already unavailable with injuries. Starter Bishop went down midway through the second quarter with what looked like a hip or lower body injury. He came back for a series in the third quarter, but didn’t seem to have that extra gear.
Daune Morris carried the load with 116 yards and a TD.
Leaving Neyland Stadium well after midnight, I saw Bishop mugging for photos with fans, so he looked OK. We’ll see how he feels over the next few days.
No time for feeling sore or achy. The No. 1 team is coming to town.
It’s Texas Week, baby.
