Texas escaped Tennessee with a 20-17 win, but six sacks and a stagnant rushing attack have Steve Sarkisian demanding more from his offensive line.
Texas walked out of Knoxville with a 20-17 win over Tennessee and its unbeaten record intact. But the Longhorns also left Neyland Stadium with a familiar problem that Steve Sarkisian can't ignore anymore.
The Texas offensive line struggled badly against Tennessee, leaving quarterback Arch Manning under constant pressure and giving the running game almost nowhere to go.
Tennessee sacked Manning six times and repeatedly disrupted Texas behind the line of scrimmage. The Longhorns averaged just 1.7 yards per rushing attempt, while Manning spent much of the afternoon dealing with pressure, hurried throws and long-yardage situations.
Sarkisian didn't attempt to dress it up afterward.
"Clearly, it wasn't good enough Saturday, right?" Sarkisian said. "It's a combination of things."
That combination matters. Sarkisian noted some protection problems fall on Manning, some on the center and others on blockers failing to execute their assignments.
But whatever the breakdown, Texas has seen this movie before.
Offensive-line play was one of the Longhorns' biggest problems in 2025. Manning frequently operated under pressure, the rushing attack struggled to establish itself and penalties repeatedly put the offense behind schedule.
Texas attempted to upgrade the unit during the offseason, adding Western Kentucky transfer Laurence Seymore and Wake Forest transfer Melvin Siani.
The Longhorns also returned Trevor Goosby, one of college football's highest-rated offensive tackle prospects and a potential first-round selection in the 2027 NFL Draft.
The results still haven't been consistent.
Against Tennessee, even running back Raleek Brown's two touchdowns couldn't disguise the trouble up front. Brown found little consistent space, and Tennessee's pressure packages repeatedly created confusion in pass protection.
"Some of them are the quarterback. Some of them the center. Some of it is the other guys executing what they're told to do," Sarkisian said. "Clearly, it wasn't good enough Saturday."
Now Texas gets a bye week before facing Oklahoma on Oct. 10.
That's valuable repair time.
Because Texas may be undefeated, but if the Longhorns can't protect Manning and create running lanes, their offensive line remains a potentially serious problem as the SEC schedule gets tougher.
