LEFT - Prince Oluokon kicked off the scoring with this leaping grab that was originally ruled incomplete before Coach Savage tossed the challenge flag, reversing the call into a 15 yard touchdown pass.
CENTER - Bob Mosley took his first carry 83 yards to the house, but after consecutive turnovers put the Volunteers into an early 30-7 hole the Vols had to abandon the run game, although Mosley did add 83 receiving yards as well.
RIGHT - Juan Ventura jumping the out route to make it back to back turnovers for the Longhorns defense after allowing the long rushing touchdown.
Austin, TX. - ESPN’s Game of the Week between #21 Tennessee and #1 Texas delivered early fireworks—but only one team brought the explosives.
The Longhorns exploded out of the gate, putting up 30 first-quarter points on their way to a dominant 51-28 victory over the Volunteers at DKR Memorial Stadium. Tennessee managed just 7 of the 37 combined points in the opening quarter, as Texas flexed its muscle in all three phases early and often.
Texas set the tone immediately with a punishing ground game, as Earl Petty and Alex McDonald combined for 60 yards on just four carries to open the drive. Quarterback Maurice “Mo” Uwazurike capped the possession by finding Prince Oluokon on a 15-yard fade route—a play that was initially ruled incomplete but overturned after review.
Tennessee responded quickly with its lone flash of early brilliance. Star running back Bob Mosley slashed through the Texas defense for an electrifying 83-yard touchdown run, briefly silencing the home crowd.
But what followed was a Longhorn avalanche.
Facing 4th and 2 near midfield, Texas head coach Nash Savage dialed up a tight end wheel route that left Tyler Biggs wide open for a 37-yard touchdown. One play later, Tennessee QB Charles Landers spun out of a would-be sack by Sateki Cummings—only to be blasted by DE Diego Battles at the 1-yard line. The fumble was recovered in the end zone by the Volunteers… but for a Texas safety.
Texas wasn’t done. Uwazurike found Miguel Jerman in stride on a 38-yard crossing route touchdown, and after Landers threw an interception on the ensuing drive, Earl Petty took a short swing pass 14 yards to the house. The quarter ended 30-7 in favor of the Longhorns, and the game was effectively over before it had truly begun.
“That’s something we harped on all week,” said Tennessee head coach Freddie Banks postgame. “Don’t compound a mistake by trying to get it all back at once. But they capitalized on every slip.”
To their credit, Tennessee battled through the remainder of the contest, trading touchdowns with Texas over the final three quarters. The Volunteers opened the second frame with a scoring drive to cut into the deficit, and appeared poised to flip the momentum after forcing Texas into a long third down. But Uwazurike struck again, this time connecting with Biggs for an 88-yard touchdown over the middle after MLB Imani Betiku was left in the dust.
Despite the offensive explosion, the running back situation in Austin is becoming a growing concern. With Lee Vela and Terry Olson out for the remainder of the regular season, Texas leaned heavily on redshirt freshmen Earl Petty and Alex McDonald. Both backs showed promise—Petty again led the team in rushing—but were limited in the second half with nagging shoulder and knee issues.
That forced Coach Savage to turn to true freshmen Max Melvin and Ted Amerson, potentially starting the clock on what Savage had hoped would be redshirt seasons for both.
“Obviously, when you’ve got a couple of 4-star guys sitting behind depth, you want to preserve that redshirt year,” Savage said. “But when you need them, you need them. I wouldn’t expect them to see significant time going forward, but tonight showed they’ll be ready if called.”
With the win, Texas caps a perfect 4-0 home stand and extends its win streak to five games. The Longhorns now hit the road for a high-stakes showdown in Gainesville next week against the 2-1 Florida Gators.
Elsewhere in the college football world, Ball State continues to ride the rocket arm of redshirt junior quarterback Manny Livings, who tossed five more touchdowns in a commanding 45-7 win over Big Ten opponent Northwestern.
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