No. 5 Texas 27, No. 25 Vanderbilt 24: Three things we learned

The No. 5 Texas Longhorns went on the road for the first time in SEC play and although it turned into an unnecessary nail-biter, they managed to escape with a win over the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores. Many of Texas' problems were self-inflicted: Penalties, missed opportunities and a lack of free football were an ugly theme for the second week in a row.

The line problems have not been resolved

From Ewers playing in his face because of miscommunications with defenders to key plays being negated by penalties, the offensive line wasn't up to the standard the team needed and fans expected a few weeks ago. Texas had two first downs and 33 total yards of plays wiped out on hold calls, as well as a false start and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that put Texas offside on first downs.

One of Ewers' interceptions, which came on the game's first drive, came courtesy of a defender who should have been held accountable for putting his hand on the ball and causing a devastating play. While some of the sacks were due to the quarterback's indecision with the ball, Ewers was brought down four times and fumbled another two times, stalling the offense.

The defense cannot continue to play with its back against the wall

When the defense first took the field, it was already in the shadow of its own end zone thanks to an interception returned to the Texas 31-yard line. They lost control on a third-and-long, allowing Pavia to take the lead with an 18-yard touchdown. Vandy's next points came after a three-pointer by the offense and a questionable punt by Michael Kern. The Commodores then managed just 29 more yards and kicked a field goal as time expired in the first half to cut the lead to 11.

Vanderbilt's first 17 points of the game covered just 98 yards of the field, only one of which started on their side of the 50-yard line. It wasn't until their final touchdown drive of the game that they had to start deep in their own territory and turn it into points – one of only two drives over 40 yards that day for the Commodores.

Free football still has a long way to go

The Longhorns defense did its best to keep the team in this game, despite the struggles on the other side of the ball. Texas turned the Commodores over twice and forced four three-pointers in the game, two of them on Vanderbilt's first two drives of the second half. In response, Texas had a drive sputter that ended in a field goal and saw Ewers get a naked bootleg that Vanderbilt sensed off the snap and made two incredible individual plays.

Perhaps even more frustrating for the defense is the fact that it has turned the opponent over twice two weeks in a row, but the offense has not found a way to score points. Things will look very different for Texas heading into the bye week if they manage to convert those turnovers into points.