Texas 20-17 Tennessee (Sep 26, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: Texas · Tennessee

No. 1 Texas4-020

No. 14 Tennessee3-117Final

Sat, Sep 26 · Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn. · Crowd 101,915

No. 1 Texas beat No. 14 Tennessee 20-17.

We had Texas favored. It won.

Next: Texas lost to Oklahoma 27-24, Sat Oct 10

Next: Tennessee beat Auburn 24-14, Sat Oct 3

Top comment in the game thread

What an awesome time for audio issues lol

Q1 9:58 · r/CFB game thread · Sat, Sep 26

How it swung

The turning point: Moss 57-yd punt return TD, ties it 10-10 (Q3, 11:14). Texas went from 80% to 57% to win.

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Texas a 62% chance, and the closing betting line (Texas was a 5.5-point favorite) put it at 67%.

Favored the whole way: Texas never fell below 55%.

Tennessee never had better than a 44% chance.

Punt return TD

Tennessee · Q3 11:14

FinalTexas 20-17 TennesseeTexas wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

The two plays that swung it

1Q3 11:14Special teamsMoss 57-yd punt return TD, ties it 10-10Texas 80% → 57% (−23)
2Q4 5:41Brown 4-yd TD run, Texas leads 20-10Texas 85% → 99% (+14)

The two plays that swung it

1Q3 11:14Special teamsMoss 57-yd punt return TD, ties it 10-10Tennessee 20% → 43% (+23)
2Q4 5:41Brown 4-yd TD run, Texas leads 20-10Tennessee 15% → 1% (−14)

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q1 10:58ESPN pumping in crowd noise to make sure we can't hear the boosr/CFB game threadEvery single person who clapped for that asshole should get drafted and sent to Iran if they like his decisions so muchr/CFB game thread
Q1 9:58Broadcast audio fails immediately after commentators discuss communication issuesQuoted at the top of the page."the secret service has assured us audio won't be an issue thdironfnjmrkjjsixj"r/CFB game thread
Q1 0:43Fans demand ESPN mute Kirk Herbstreit due to terrible audio qualityHey Kirk can you shut the hell up until they fix your mic?r/CFB game thread
Q2 5:11Fans mock Simmons for simulating urination on Brandon after a sackSimmons completly changed the momentum of the game what an elite playerr/CFB game thread
Q2 1:48Fans argue Tennessee defense committed pass interference on Brandon's incomplete passYes grabbing his chest pads and pulling isn’t PI surer/CFB game threadI've never seen a QB get that flag twice in the same game.r/CFB game thread
Q4 0:51Fans condemn Tennessee's chaotic final drive and Arch Manning's postgame interviewSomeone tell Arch to not look at the camera when doing an interviewr/CFB game threadArch is very humble lolr/CFB game thread

Texas’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Texas -5.5), at 59% for Texas (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Tennessee or Texas flair (2,106 and 4,798); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Texas’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Texas scored on 4 of its 12 drives; Tennessee on 2 of its 13.

Texas’s drives are teal, Tennessee’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

From Tennessee’s side

Tennessee’s best moment: Moss 57-yd punt return TD, ties it 10-10 (Q3 11:14). It lifted Tennessee’s win chance by 23 points.

How Tennessee fans took it: “It was a hard fought game lots to improve on but im not upset battling it out to the end with number 1 team” r/CFB game thread

“Is the block in the back in the room with us now?”

A Tennessee fan

When fans got loud

Busy

The biggest reaction came in the first quarter.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was busy; the crowd was roaring.

Two crowds, one game

The words each side’s fans used far more than the other side, from the game thread.

Texas fans

simmons“You see there Simmons, you don’t have to mimic taking your dong out to pee. You are metaphorically doing that all over the QB”

penalty“[SERIOUS] Would you accept a game wrecking DE if he got a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for every 5 sacks he got?”

finally“Texas realized it was the 4th quarter so they can finally play some ball”

spots“The fat line judge is the one that gives the awful spots. The other one is ok. I should not know which line judge is which.”

Tennessee fans

heupel“Does heupel get paid for the timeouts saves? Many people are asking. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

freshman“freshman QB looks like a freshman but my god we can’t get anyone open for him to target, yikes”

troll“#this user is not a Tennessee fan. They are an intentional troll with a private profile. Just block them.”

private“#this user is not a Tennessee fan. They are an intentional troll with a private profile. Just block them.”

Both sets of fans kept coming back to: ball, call, back, now.

What it cost

Tennessee’s chance to make the playoff fell from 42% to 32%.

Make the playoff

Texas · won77% → ▲84%

Tennessee · lost42% → ▼32%

Win the conference

Texas · won13% → ▲18%

Tennessee · lost7% → ▼3%

Win the title

Texas · won9% → 9%

Tennessee · lost3% → ▼2%

Before the game (September 25, 2026) → after this result, in our model.

Box score

Texas 20, Tennessee 17

Tennessee covered +5.5 by 2.5. The total, 37, stayed under 54.5.

Team totals	Texas	Tennessee
Total yards	262	221
Passing	14 of 19, 201 yds	18 of 32, 151 yds
Rushing	36 for 61 yds	44 for 70 yds
First downs	14	22
Third down	3 of 12	4 of 16
Fourth down	0 of 0	2 of 4
Turnovers	2	0
Penalties	11 for 115 yds	7 for 55 yds
Time of possession	28:37	31:23

Texas leaders

Passing Arch Manning 14 of 19, 201 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Raleek Brown 17 for 67 yds, 2 TD; Derrek Cooper 7 for 7 yds
Receiving Ryan Wingo 6 for 74 yds; Emmett Mosley V 1 for 43 yds

Tennessee leaders

Passing Faizon Brandon 17 of 29, 145 yds, 1 TD
Rushing DeSean Bishop 11 for 34 yds; Daune Morris 9 for 33 yds
Receiving Mike Matthews 4 for 72 yds, 1 TD; Braylon Staley 7 for 45 yds

No rain through the game

72° at kickoff · no rain recorded

September game-day temperatures at Neyland Stadium

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

Third quarter, 11:14 left2:11 p.m.

Texas 10, Tennessee 10 · Tennessee 43% to win

no rain · 77°

Moss 57-yd punt return TD, ties it 10-10

Measured at Knoxville Downtown airport, 2.9 miles away, and Knoxville Municipal airport, 10 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games

Texas · 3-0

Rated 5th in our preseason ratings, 4th now.

Three straight wins, 3 over ranked or top-40 competition.

W 30-6 vs UTSA #11 of 668

won by 24 as a 29.5-point favorite

W 24-23 vs Ohio StateTop 25 #1 of 668

won by 1 as a 2.5-point favorite

W 59-7 vs Texas State #31 of 668

won by 52 as a 29.5-point favorite

Last three games

Tennessee · 3-0

Rated 30th in our preseason ratings, 24th now.

Three straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.

W 42-9 vs Kennesaw State #153 of 668

won by 33 as a 35.5-point favorite

W 45-24 @ Georgia Tech #84 of 668

won by 21 as a 12.5-point favorite

W 56-9 vs Furman #166 of 668

won by 47 as a 49.5-point favorite

Week by week

Tennessee

Wk 1Wvs Furman56-9
Wk 2Wat Georgia Tech45-24
Wk 3Wvs Kennesaw State42-9

Texas

Wk 1Wvs Texas State59-7
Wk 2Wvs Ohio State24-23
Wk 3Wvs UTSA30-6

Power rating by week

Texas is rated 6.8 points ahead as of week 3. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Texas’s EPA/play against Tennessee, 76 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Texas’s EPA/play against Tennessee’s defense
Texas offense, 20th percentile · Tennessee defense, 96th
Tennessee’s explosive plays against Texas’s defense
Tennessee offense, 24th percentile · Texas defense, 98th
Texas’s rushing EPA against Tennessee’s defense
Texas offense, 10th percentile · Tennessee defense, 67th

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

TexasTennessee

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Texas leads the series 2-1

3 meetings since 1950 · Texas has won the last 2

1968 · neutral siteTexas 36-13
1952 · neutral siteTexas 16-0
1950 · neutral siteTennessee 20-14

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Tennessee fans are in a better mood than Texas fans (44th vs 30th among FBS fanbases), even with Texas favored.

Texas favored by 5.5 · Total 54.5

How games like this usually go

Texas by 5.5, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 377 games since 2025 with a favorite of 3.5 to 7.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 1 point toward Tennessee.

The total fell 2 points.

The books’ cut: 4.3%, the margin built into the odds

Weather at kickoff

Warm and dry. Feels like 75° at kickoff.

Texas at Tennessee · Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 · Neyland Stadium, Knoxville

75°feels like at kickoff
Dryno rain at kickoff
94weather score, Comfortable

At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.

Kickoff times that Saturday

Games in this time zone used 8 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game is ringed. At Neyland Stadium that day, a 6 pm or 7 pm kickoff would have scored 100, against 94 at noon.

noon: 94, Comfortable (this game)
12:45 pm: 92, Comfortable
2 pm: 89, Mixed
3:30 pm: 90, Comfortable
4 pm: 93, Comfortable
5 pm: 99, Comfortable
6 pm: 100, Ideal
7 pm: 100, Ideal

Weather score at each kickoff time.

Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.

At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.

Home field

Tennessee is worth +6.6 points (±4.8) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 90th percentile.

66% at home, 49% on the road against FBS opponents (35-18 home, 18-19 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +1.6 at home vs. away over 98 games — inside the ±6.7 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

The visitors travel about 889 miles to get here.

Where next

Conference standings

Place in the conference, then conference record.

Tennessee10th0-0
Texas11th0-0

Full SEC standings

No. 1 Texas beats No. 14 Tennessee 20-17