Colin Simmons' performance against Tennessee football on Sept. 26 was already historic, but after a stat correction the star Texas edge rusher's showing put him alone atop the Longhorns' record book.
Simmons walked off the field at Neyland Stadium with five sacks to his name, which had already tied the Texas record for a single game set in 1990. Tennessee and Texas later agreed to award Simmons another half-sack, putting him in sole possession of the school record with 5.5 sacks.
Simmons led a pass rush that overwhelmed the Vols and sacked quarterback Faizon Brandon 10 times. Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) lost 20-17 to the No. 1 Longhorns (4-0, 1-0).
The extra half-sack came in the fourth quarter when Simmons got a hand on Brandon before defensive lineman
Hero Kanu brought him down. It put Simmons in the national lead for sacks this season with 7.5, pushing him past LSU's Princewill Umanmielen, who has seven sacks through four games.
Simmons is one of the nation's premier edge rushers and a potential top-10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He was easily the top pass rusher Tennessee had faced to this point of the 2026 season and looked like it against an offense that only allowed three sacks in its first three games. Brandon was limited to just 17-of-29 passing for 145 yards and one late touchdown.
In the second quarter, after sacking Brandon on third down, Simmons was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for what the official aptly described as "simulating using the restroom." It bailed the offense out and led to a postgame apology from Simmons.
Colin Simmons was called for an unsportsmanslike conduct penalty after a sack on 3rd down. pic.twitter.com/JO0CH6aeOf
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 26, 2026
But the Vols couldn't take advantage of the extra opportunity, which was a theme all game. The Texas defense stymied Tennessee's offense at every turn, and Simmons was a primary reason why.
The Vols are back in action against Auburn (3-1, 1-1) on Oct. 3 (3:30 p.m., ESPN).
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Colin Simmons now has Texas record after 5.5 sacks in game vs Tennessee football
