No. 14 Tennessee's miracle comeback against No. 1 Texas fell just short, as Faizon Brandon's Hail Mary heave to Travis Smith, Jr., was broken up in the end zone, giving the Longhorns a 20-17 victory.
But according to an officiating expert, Tennessee never should have had the ball in the first place.
The Volunteers recovered an unorthodox onside kick, in which Volunteers punter Jackson Ross drop kicked the ball rather than booting it from the tee. Ross faked to his right before kicking left. Texas wide receiver Ryan Wingo failed to collect the kick, and Tennessee's Arion Carter recovered it.
This Tennessee onside kick was FILTHY: 😳 pic.twitter.com/ezJJHG177a
— College Sports Only (@CSOonX) September 26, 2026
According to NBC rules analyst Terry McAuley, Ross executed an illegal move by not kicking the ball from the 35-yard line. Had Texas recovered, the Longhorns would have kneeled the clock out; the Volunteers were out of timeouts after Brandon's 30-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews cut their deficit from 10 points to three.
This is illegal on a kickoff. The ball must be kicked on the restraining line, the 35 yard line here.
— Terry McAulay (@tjmcaulay) September 26, 2026
There is an exception for safety kicks, but not a kickoff. https://t.co/uIgR9jrYVL pic.twitter.com/wMyPQjLNK5
That was actually Tennessee's second attempt at the onside kick. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian called timeout just before Ross's first attempt, which skittered out of bounds untouched. Cameras showed the SEC officiating crew huddling, and the ABC television crew speculated whether it was legal for Ross to move from his first established spot.
Legal or not, Tennessee pulled the kick off after the timeout and recovered the second one. Needing a field goal to tie the game and a touchdown to win it, Tennessee moved as close as the Texas 45 and launched the ball from the 46.
FootballScoop has reached out to the SEC for clarification and will update when we hear back.