Steve Sarkisian’s Texas passed its first SEC test with a 20-17 win over No. 14 Tennessee. Ahead of the game, all eyes were on Arch Manning, but another Longhorn became the story of the Week 4 win. Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons had a record-tying game. However, it was also overshadowed by a controversial moment that could have cost his team.
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With just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Simmons sacked Tennessee QB on third down at the Vols’ 12-yard line. The play should have forced Josh Heupel’s team to punt, handing the Longhorns a favorable field position. However, after the sack, Simmons’ celebration crossed a line the officials were never going to overlook.
He simulated urinating toward the field, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The 15-yard flag wiped out the sack and turned what should have been a defensive win into a costly mistake for the Longhorns. The television reaction was just as direct.
“Just an absolute idiotic move,” the announcer said.
At the time, Texas was leading 10-3. Tennessee had 3rd-and-13 at its 28-yard line, and Texas could have easily ended the drive. On top of that, Colin Simmons sacked Brandon for a loss of 16 yards. But that effort was a waste.
Fortunately, Tennessee couldn’t take advantage of the penalty. The Vols ultimately turned the ball over on downs. Another drive towards the end of the first half also didn’t result in any points. Texas went into halftime keeping its 10-3 lead intact.
Such a play could have led the coaching staff to take the player out. However, Simmons is not some rotational player trying to make his name. He is one of the most important pieces of Steve Sarkisian’s defense. Before the penalty, he was dominating Tennessee’s offensive line. And that didn’t change for the rest of the game.
In the first half, Simmons recorded two sacks. The second half was even better. The edge rusher sacked Brandon on back-to-back plays during a third-quarter drive. It forced Tennessee into a 44-yard punt.
In the fourth quarter, Simmons registered another sack and a forced fumble on the same play, as Brandon was trying to use his legs. That sack took his total to five, which tied Simmons with Texas’s single-game sack record.
Simmons entered the season after leading the SEC with 12 sacks in 2025. He also recorded a sack and two TFLs against Ohio State earlier this season.
He was also coming into Tennessee after dealing with a foot issue against UTSA. Simmons left that game in the second half wearing a boot, but was later listed as probable for the Tennessee matchup.
Colin Simmons had a track record of playing dominantly against major opponents, as he did against OSU. He had 9.5 career sacks against AP top-10 opponents before the Longhorns entered the season. That is why the penalty looked even more unnecessary.
Texas had already dealt with its share of discipline issues this season. The Longhorns had the same problem a week earlier against UTSA. They were penalized eight times for 88 yards, including an unsportsmanlike conduct call after Rasheem Biles picked off a pass.
Sarkisian must be elated with the win. It’s hard to win a road game in the SEC. However, the lack of discipline will be a major point in the aftermath of the game. The Longhorns were penalized 11 times for 115 yards against Tennessee.
Some of the offensive penalties killed the momentum. That included false starts and holding flags. As a result, the Texas offense didn’t look in any rhythm for the entirety of the game. Without the penalties, the game could have easily been a blowout for Texas.
The issue started on Tennessee’s first offensive drive. Texas had back-to-back 15-yard penalties. The Vols got into field range and put their first points on the board. Those were the only points Tennessee scored in the first half. Even late in the game, with Texas looking poised to stop the Vols from getting into field game range, they had a 15-yard penalty. Fortunately, Brandon’s Hail Mary was intercepted, and Texas walked out of Knoxville with a win.
That has been a problem Texas needed to fix since the start of 2026. The Longhorns had the second-most penalties in the FBS in 2025, with 118 calls against them. More than a third came before the snap, with false starts and offsides making up much of the total.
Another 10% came from personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct after the play. So, before Texas opened SEC play at Tennessee in September, Sarkisian said he believed his team had moved past the “football IQ immaturity” that hurt it the year before.