Texas vs. Tennessee Recap: Texas Defense Holds On, 20-17

Texas beat Tennessee 20-17 in a game where both defenses ran the show. The teams combined for 483 yards, and the pass rushes piled up 16 sacks: 10 by Texas, with Colin Simmons getting 5, and 6 by Tennessee. Texas scored on its first drive and led 10-3 at the half. Tennessee tied it on Qua Moss's 57-yard punt return touchdown in the third quarter. Texas answered with a 44-yard Gianni Spetic field goal and Raleek Brown's 4-yard run with 5:41 left. Tennessee scored with 1:22 left and recovered a short kickoff that Texas fumbled, but its last drive went 4 plays for 5 yards. Two DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game, both pregame calls by Darius.

What cashed

Texas ML (-194 at FanDuel): CASHED

• Our read: Texas was 3-0 with a 24-23 win over Ohio State, scoring 37.7 and allowing 12.0 a game. Tennessee started a true freshman QB and was missing two safeties, a starting corner, a linebacker and its red-zone TE. The line moved from -3.5 to -5 toward Texas.
• What happened: Texas won by 3, and its defense did the work. Tennessee's Faizon Brandon completed 17 of 29 passes, 145 yards, and ran 23 times for 2 yards, and Tennessee finished with 221 total yards and 70 rushing on 44 carries. Texas made it hard on itself with 11 penalties for 115 yards, 2 turnovers and a 3-for-12 day on third down.
• Worth watching: The defensive edge we expected showed up. The margin was thin, which is why the moneyline was the right way to play it. Texas moneylines stay worth a look while this defense plays at this level.

ALT: Arch Manning 175+ passing yards (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED

• Our read: Manning was averaging 220 passing yards and had not thrown for fewer than 161 in a game. Tennessee was down S Dylan Lewis, S Edrees Farooq and CB Jadais Richard, so the back end was thin.
• What happened: He completed 14 of 19 passes for 201 yards, clearing 174.5 by 26.5, with no touchdowns and 1 interception. That is 10.6 yards per attempt. Ryan Wingo led Texas with 6 catches for 74 yards, and Emmett Mosley V had a 43-yard catch. Tennessee sacked Manning 6 times, and he still got there.
• Worth watching: It cleared on only 19 throws, so efficiency carried it more than volume. Against a pass rush that can get home, a lower alt or a look at his attempts line first makes sense.

How the game played out

Brandon's 23 carries for 2 yards include sacks, and Texas had 10 of them in all. Tennessee's only offensive touchdown was a 10-play, 80-yard drive late in the fourth, capped by a 30-yard pass to Mike Matthews, who led Tennessee with 72 receiving yards. Tennessee went 4-for-16 on third down. Its other touchdown came on special teams. For Texas, Brown ran 17 times for 67 yards and both touchdowns.

Trends to watch

• Colin Simmons had 5 sacks. Texas sack props are worth checking, especially against a young QB.
• Texas ran 36 times for 61 yards and threw only 19 passes. Its passing props need alts well under a 220-yard season average, and Texas spreads need care.
• The Texas defense covered for 11 penalties and 2 turnovers. That is the reason to keep Texas moneylines in play.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. New to these terms? Read up on the moneyline, the alt line, implied probability and more college football recaps.