5 big takeaways as Texas carried Nashville to a 3-point victory over Vanderbilt

Did Vanderbilt keep the game close or did the Texas Longhorns keep the Commodores in the game? It felt like later. Whatever the case, UT's coaching staff still has a lot of work to do in the upcoming bye week.

Texas held off Vanderbilt 27-24 in a game where Quinn Ewers returned to form…for the most part. Ewers had two tip passes intercepted that led to 14 of Vandy's 24 points. But his numbers were solid and overall he looked much more confident in the pocket.

The offensive line had another tough day. The group allowed four sacks and handed out seven penalties in its second error-prone game in a row.

Texas looked much better defensively, but there were still mistakes, including a major pass interference penalty and poor passer/targeting that negated a game-winning interception.

In the end, an away win against a ranked team is a positive. Texas showed courage several times after its own mistakes put it in a bad spot.

Penalties, penalties, penalties

Things got weird. The Longhorns committed an incredible 10 penalties for 108 yards. The offense committed five fouls and two false starts. Seven sentences for homicide. The defense contributed three more.

It was a sloppy day with costly mental errors that kept Vandy in the game. If UT doesn't clean this up, no game is easy and no lead is safe.

The problems with the offensive line continue

As mentioned above, the line issued seven penalties. But that wasn't her only problem. The line also gave up four sacks and several hurries. Only 11 of 71 offensive plays had a demonstrable negative impact, or about 16%.

It's an extremely concerning trend considering the offensive line's performance last week against Georgia, where they were soundly beaten to the point of embarrassment. The staff and players must figure out how to right the ship or the goals for this season will disappear.

Ewers roller coaster

For the most part, Quinn Ewers looked like Quinn Ewers. He was 27 of 37 for 288 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. At one point he had 17 consecutive completions. But the Commodores turned both interceptions into touchdowns.

Ewers has always been vulnerable to the tipped ball. His throws at short and medium distances are comparatively low. The line's problems didn't help either. Ewers had guys in his face all day. Sometimes it brought back flashbacks to last week.

But Ewers' performance was encouraging rather than worrying. Without five penalties, his good stats would have been even better.

Vandy comeback

Vanderbilt is no longer the Vandy it once was. Since the Commodores' terrible loss to Georgia State and a loss to Mizzou, Vandy has rattled off three straight wins, including the shock win over Alabama and a quality win over Kentucky. Vandy is ranked.

But it was Texas' many mistakes that kept the Dores in the game. Offensive drives are killed by penalties. Vandy scored three touchdowns on the day, two of which came after interceptions at Texas.

On defense, two crucial penalties in the second half extended Vandy's attacks, which ended in goals. The rough passing/targeting penalty led directly to Vanderbilt's final touchdown. This prevented an interception and the Commodores scored their final touchdown of the day on the drive. Malik Muhammad's pass interference also led to a touchdown. The PI was in fourth place, which kept the ride alive. Vandy's touchdown would also come on fourth down.

In the end, Vanderbilt pulled within three points, but had to recover an onside kick to have a real chance of scoring its second upset of the year. The UT coaching staff didn't like the direction, called a timeout and Texas recovered the kick without any problem.

What's next?

Next up is a much-needed bye week. Texas could use a refresher and some groundwork in a training camp-like atmosphere. Whether it's poor player play or coverage issues that other teams have analyzed on film, the staff needs to figure out what's wrong and correct for it.

Ewers could need another week to get back to 100% health. Coaches can focus on building on what's working, fixing what's not and getting an accurate look at Texas' last four opponents. Away games at Arkansas and A&M look difficult to say the least. Both are rivalry extensions that will have fans excited and waiting.

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: 5 big takeaways as Texas carried Nashville to a 3-point victory over Vanderbilt