Arch Manning leads the top-ranked Longhorns into Neyland Stadium, aiming to sharpen a struggling offense against a high-powered, undefeated Volunteers squad in a high-stakes SEC showdown.
The No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns will travel to the 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday as Arch Manning and Company look to put on a better product than they did last week.
In what was a rather ugly 30-6 win over UTSA, the Longhorns now face a Tennessee team that is also 3-0 and fresh off a 45-9 win over Kennesaw State.
In all three games, the Volunteers have scored at least 42 points on offense, led by quarterback Faizon Brandon and running backs DeSean Bishop and Duane Morris, so the Vols have all the tools needed to make life tough for the Longhorns.
Oh, and Brandon hasn't thrown an interception yet either, so the Longhorns' defense, led by Colin Simmons, needs to create turnovers for Steve Sarkisian.
Still, all of the attention will be on Arch and the offense, as despite scoring 30 points last week, they didn't look good at all.
Manning was 17 of 33 passing, and the offense was 7/17 on third down, as it was a tough watch.
But the hope is that the Longhorns got that out of their system, as a repeat performance will almost certainly mean they will be handed their first loss of the new season.
Receiver Cam Coleman is emerging as Arch's go-to guy, while running back Hollywood Smothers is beginning to get rolling in the run game, and both are expected to be key reasons the Longhorns walk into Neyland Stadium and walk out with a win.
Of course, the Vols have been superb to start the season, putting up points for fun while also limiting the damage on the other end, with 24 points the most the defense has allowed in a game this season.
So, the Longhorns better be ready for a fight as this is the first SEC matchup of the season, and it's one that the Longhorns need to be winning.
- WHO: No. 1 Texas Longhorns 3-0 vs. No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers 3-0
- WHEN: Saturday, September 26, at 11:00 a.m. CT
- WHERE: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee)
- TV/Steaming: ABC
- RADIO: Longhorns Radio Network
- RADIO ANNOUNCERS: Craig Way (play-by-play), Roger Wallace (color), Will Matthews (sideline reporter)
ODDS via DRAFTKINGS:
- SPRED: Texas -5.5 (-110), Tennessee +4 (-110)
- OVER/UNDER: 54.5 (O -105, U -115)
- MONEYLINE: Texas Longhorns (-198), Tennessee Vols (+164)
