Special teams let Texas down against Tennessee
A punt return touchdown allowed by the Longhorns was the lowlight in Knoxville.
The Texas Longhorns' 20-17 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers saw the special teams unit improve its ranking from No. 25 to No. 22 in ESPN SP+ rankings. However, issues with the punt unit, which gave up a 57-yard punt return touchdown to Qua Moss, affected the game. Kickoff specialist Gianni Spetic experienced a significant error and dropped to a 20 percent touchback rate, compared to his usual 77.2 percent.
Despite this, Spetic's kickoff earlier in the second quarter contributed to a 20-10 lead for Texas. The punt game was also problematic, with Tennessee capitalizing on a 57-yard punt return touchdown. Head coach Steve Sarkisian emphasized the need for improved depth in the special teams unit, noting that starters like Rasheem Biles and Jelani McDonald were logging significant snaps on punt coverage.
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