Qua Moss takes punt 57 yards to the house, Tennessee pulls level with Texas
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Tennessee’s offense has been stuck in the mud against Texas at Neyland Stadium. The Volunteers managed just 73 yards of total offense in the first half and ended their first drive of the third quarter with their third punt of the game.
Leave it to the Vols’ special teams, then, to get them into the end zone for the first time.
After Tennessee‘s defense forced the Longhorns into a three-and-out, Mac Chiumento came in and punted it to near the Volunteers’ 44. That’s where Qua Moss was waiting. The senior found a seam and raced all the way to the end zone for the touchdown.
Here’s video of the play:
QUA MOSS PUNT RETURN TOUCHDOWN. GAME IS TIED! pic.twitter.com/vCluGMp5yg
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) September 26, 2026
While Tennessee’s offense has been sluggish, its defense has tightened up after giving up a touchdown to Texas on the Longhorns’ opening drive. The Longhorns have gone punt, field goal, interception, punt, punt, field goal since then.
Now, with Moss’s punt-return touchdown, the Vols briefly pulled level on the scoreboard before the Longhorns’ go-ahead field goal. They received a scare in the second quarter as Faizon Brandon was forced to exit with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury. But the true freshman ended up missing just one drive.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
