The upset-ranked 25th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores have mastered the art of defeating more favored opponents so well that they made the AP Top 25 in the regular season for the first time since 2008, while the 5th-ranked Texas Longhorns showed up at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.

The Longhorns are looking to bounce back from last week’s disappointing home loss to the then-Bulldogs, 30-15, while fourth-grader Clark Lea has his program on pace with a 5-2 record, which is also Vanderbilt’s best start since with surprising wins 2008 is over Alabama and Kentucky before a less impressive performance against Ball State last week.

Injury report

Texas enters the game without two key starters: junior wide receiver Isaiah Bond (ankle) and senior safety Andrew Mukuba (knee), both of whom were officially ruled out by the Longhorns with the release of the injury report on Friday.

As a result of this update, there is nothing new to report from the team on Saturday as kickoff approaches at 3:15 p.m. Central on SEC Network, other than the brief flare-up of drama during warmups when Texas welcomed freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo Will Long playing time without Bond, if not his first career start, collided with a Vanderbilt employee.

Phew.

First quarter

On the first possession, some familiar themes emerged for Texas after losing the throw and postponing Vanderbilt – a special teams penalty that affected field position as they attempted to return the opening kickoff and a major offensive error early on when a throw by the Redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers on a look route that drew a run-pass option was deflected at the line of scrimmage.

It was Texas’ seventh first-quarter turnover of the season, the most in the FBS, thanks to three interceptions on the Longhorns’ final five possessions to start.

With the Longhorns’ defense caught in a sudden switch situation while defending a short field, the Commodores quickly took advantage, scoring a first down after gaining nine yards on a run to open the drive before quarterback Diego Pavia unleashed some of his trademark magic on the 3rd and 8, scrambling to the right and blasting an angle from Texas junior nickel defender Jaylon Guilbeau, who eventually pushed Pavia into the end zone after an impressive balance down the sideline.

By utilizing the perimeter in the screen and perimeter passing game, the Horns were able to create some rhythm offensively and penetrate the Commodores’ red zone with the help of a 31-yard catch-and-run from sophomore wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. Ewers ended the drive with a well-placed throw to junior wide receiver Matthew Golden for a three-yard touchdown in the front corner of the end zone. The drive ultimately covered nine plays and 75 yards to tie the game with 6:09 remaining in the first quarter.

When Vanderbilt called a straight handoff on 3rd-and-3 and came up short, it remained an odd play call until Lea decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Commodores’ 34-yard line and ending up gaining nine yards, a conversion was negated by a procedural penalty against Vanderbilt.

And then Texas increased the momentum even further when senior wide receiver Silas Bolden found a seam on the punt return and gained 24 yards to the Vanderbilt 49-yard line.

The Horns solidified their position with a 20-yard gain on a deep over route by junior tight end Amari Niblack, who hadn’t played on offense since the win over UTSA six weeks ago, and finished with one 3rd-and-8 conversion by Ewers and Moore for a 27-yard touchdown.

Vanderbilt was able to use open running back Sedrick Alexander for a 15-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing kickoff, a play that ended with a tackle by Texas super-senior cornerback Jahdae Barron The two products from the Austin region came together in a good-natured manner.

Second quarter

After Alexander moved the chains with a six-yard run early in the second quarter, Pavia hit a run-pass option for a 15-yard gain. Then the Horns made another big play, stopping the Commodores’ promising push when junior jack end Ethan Burke deflected a pass from Pavia that was intercepted by redshirt junior safety Michael Taaffe.

Mistakes on the offensive line came to the surface as Texas tried to capitalize on the turnover, as junior right tackle Cam Williams was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a nine-yard run by junior running back Jaydon Blue and junior left tackle Kelvin Banks was called for a holding penalty. The penalty led to a well-timed blitz by Vanderbilt that resulted in a quick sack on Ewers.

With Michael Kern punter for the first time since the Mississippi State game, the freshman hit a ball wide to the 1-yard line, where it was caught by Moore.

Pavia gave Vanderbilt some space by keeping a read for four yards on first down on a drive that nearly ended in disaster when Texas junior Trey Moore sank a shovel pass to the tight end that he nearly intercepted.

After a strong start on third down, the Horns quickly faced a 3rd-and-7, with Ewers hitting senior tight end Gunnar Helm all the way to the rim for a 24-yard gain that could have led to more if Moores Block didn’t let the defender fall into Helm’s feet. One play later, Moore made up for it by getting open down the left sideline and making an arm tackle for a 25-yard touchdown reception, his fifth of the season.