2025 Vanderbilt Football Opponent Preview, Game 9: Texas

Vanderbilt nearly pulled off another major upset at home last season.

In 2024, the Texas Longhorns went to FirstBank Stadium in Nashville and narrowly escaped an upset-minded Commodores team 27-24.

Texas went up 24-10 halfway through the third quarter, but Diego Pavia led a touchdown drive just five minutes later and took it to a one score game heading into the final quarter.

The two teams battled and fought hard in the fourth quarter until a Pavia interception led to a Texas field goal with just under two minutes left that put the Longhorns up multiple scores and effectively put the game out of reach for Vanderbilt. While the Commodores scored a touchdown with under a minute in the game, they could not overcome the turnover earlier in the quarter.

Pavia completed 16 of his 29 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. But Pavia threw two interceptions in the game that proved costly. Pavia was the leading rusher for Vanderbilt in the game as he rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Texas’ escape against Vanderbilt springboarded into a season where it reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

This season, Texas has a National Championship on its mind. The Longhorns enter the 2025-2026 season with the second best odds to win the National Championship at +550. They have the team to do it, too. Texas comes in with an experienced coaching staff and a new quarterback in Arch Manning.

But Vanderbilt is looking to play spoiler to Texas’ SEC Championship odds as well as its playoff odds. The Commodores will travel to Texas for the first time since 1928, where they beat the Longhorns 13-12.The two teams will face on November 1, 2025 at 11 a.m. CT on a channel to be determined later.

Offense

The biggest change to the Texas offense will be Arch Manning becoming the starting quarterback after Quinn Ewers was drafted 231st overall to the Miami Dolphins.

The Longhorns will also need to replace pass catchers Matthew Golden and Gunnar Helm, who were both drafted. In the portal, they picked up Emmett Mosley V, a wide receiver from Stanford, and tight end Jack Endries.

Defense

Texas lost tons of its third-ranked defense to the NFL Draft in April, including defensive back Jahdae Barron and defensive tackle Alfred Collins.

In the transfer portal, the Longhorns did pick up Syracuse defensive lineman Maarad Watson and Maryland defensive lineman Lavon Johnson.

Schedule

Texas was not shy with their nonconference schedule out of the gate. The Longhorns will travel to Columbus, Ohio for a rematch at Ohio State. Texas will certainly be out for blood against the Buckeyes before finishing the rest of its out-of-conference portion at home against San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston State.

In SEC play, Texas will have to travel to “The Swamp” in Florida in early October and will go to Georgia in mid-November. The Longhorns will have their annual neutral site rivalry game against Oklahoma before hosting Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Texas A&M in the rest of their home slate.

Outlook

Texas is coming off its second consecutive season where it made it to the playoffs. The Longhorns got through Clemson in the first round of last season’s College Playoff where they then took down Arizona State in the Peach Bowl to advance to the semifinal round against Ohio State. While Texas fell to the Buckeyes, its season was still a success in its first year in the SEC, making an appearance in the SEC Championship Game.

This season, Texas not only has playoff aspirations, but National Championship aspirations. Texas rolls into 2025 with Arch Manning at the head of the offense with the same coaching staff as the past four seasons. With Quinn Ewers moving to the NFL, Manning is now in command and will hope to lead Texas to a title. If the Longhorns were the last ones standing in late January, it would not be a surprise.

The Game

Date: November 1, 2025

Time: 11 a.m. CT

TV: TBA

Location: Darrell K Royal- Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas

The Team

Head coach: Steve Sarkesian(Fifth season)

Offensive coordinator: Kyle Flood (Fifth season)

Defensive coordinator: Pete Kwiatkowski (Fifth season)

2024-2025 record: 13-3

2024 rankings: 21st in total offense, 3rd in total defense

The School

Location: Austin, Texas

Founded: 1883

Enrollment: 53,082 (Spring 2023)

Nickname: Longhorns

School colors: Burnt orange and white

Mascot: Bevo the Longhorn steer

The Program

Series history: Vanderbilt leads 8-4-1

Last playoff appearance: 2024

Playoff Appearances: 2

National Championships: 4

The Schedule

August 30: at Ohio State

September 6: vs San Jose State

September 13: vs UTEP

September 20: vs Sam Houston State

October 4: at Florida

October 11: vs Oklahoma

October 18: at Kentucky

October 25: at Mississippi State

November 1: vs Vanderbilt

November 15: at Georgia

November 22: vs Arkansas

November 28: vs Texas A&M