Texas20
Tennessee17
Brown scored twice, but Tennessee’s six sacks and Qua Moss’s punt return kept the upset alive until the final throw.
GridScape GameSuite
SEC Review Week 4
September 26, 2026
No. 1 escaped Knoxville. Florida announced itself. Mississippi State kept rising.
Texas left Neyland 20–17, still on top of the AP poll, but Tennessee’s defense made the top-ranked team work for it. The Vols sacked Arch Manning six times, held the Longhorns to 61 rushing yards and got the ball back on Arion Carter’s recovered onside kick. The offense managed 221 yards, and the final pass fell incomplete.
The rest of the league did not stay quiet. Florida rushed through No. 4 Ole Miss, Mississippi State beat Missouri to reach 2–0 in SEC play, and LSU made a convincing recovery from its Oxford loss. After one conference Saturday, Tennessee is 0–1. That is a hole, but this defense gives the Vols a way forward if the offense can meet it.
Every SEC Result
Florida52
Ole Miss28
The Gators rushed for 302 yards and handed the previously unbeaten Rebels a 24-point loss.
Georgia41
Oklahoma13
Georgia forced four turnovers and made the Sooners’ first SEC game of the season a long afternoon.
Mississippi State31
Missouri24
The Bulldogs moved to 4–0 and 2–0 in the league with another fourth-quarter finish.
LSU35
Texas A&M6
LSU answered last week’s loss at Ole Miss with a one-sided SEC victory.
Alabama49
South Carolina18
Alabama improved to 2–0 in conference play; the Gamecocks dropped their second league game.
Auburn21
Vanderbilt15
Auburn won the state-line meeting and moved to 1–1 in SEC play.
Kentucky45
South Alabama21
Kentucky ran for 390 yards and pulled away after a difficult first half.
Arkansas34
Tulsa6
The Razorbacks gained 491 yards and limited Tulsa to six points.
| AP | Team | Overall | SEC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 4–0 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Georgia | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| 7 | Alabama | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| 8 | Florida | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| 11 | LSU | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| 17 | Tennessee | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| 24 | Kentucky | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| 25 | Missouri | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| — | Auburn | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| — | Vanderbilt | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| — | Arkansas | 2–2 | 0–1 |
| — | Oklahoma | 2–2 | 0–1 |
| — | Texas A&M | 2–2 | 0–2 |
| — | South Carolina | 2–2 | 0–2 |
All 16 teams shown. AP rank is from the September 27 poll; records are through September 26. Ranked teams appear by AP rank, then unranked teams by overall record and conference record. This is a snapshot, not the SEC’s official tiebreaker order.
What It Means for Tennessee
The Vols fell from No. 14 to No. 17 in Sunday’s AP poll after a three-point loss to No. 1. Defense gave Tennessee its chance; the offense’s 221 yards kept it from taking it. Auburn comes to Neyland next Saturday carrying a 3–1 record and a win over Vanderbilt. If Tennessee gets anything close to this defensive effort again, it needs more than one offensive touchdown to make it count.
Results and game context: SEC football, Kentucky postgame notes, Tennessee recap. AP ranks: September 27 poll.