This is the last thing the Vols and head man Josh Heupel need to be dealing with right now in the middle of taking on No. 1 Texas. On Tennessee's first offensive drive of the game, veteran guard Wendell Moe Jr. went down with a lower-leg injury and he was down on the turf for an extended period of time.
Moe was finally able to sit up, which was great to see. However, what wasn't great to see was that he had to be helped off the field with trainers and it looked like he could barely put any weight on his left leg. With Moe out of action, Sham Umarov jumped into the left guard spot, and Donovan Haslam took over at right guard.
Tennessee OG Wendell Moe Jr. is down. Being helped off field.
— Chris Low (@Clowfb) September 26, 2026
Not putting a lot of pressure on left leg.
Wendell Moe Jr. injuring his leg early vs. Texas was not what Tennessee needed
On that first drive, Tennessee and Faizon Brandon were able to drive down the field, but the Vols were not able to find the end zone. Instead, a field goal was kicked, but right now the main focus is on Moe and if he'll be able to return to the game or not.
In order for Tennessee to potentially take down the top-ranked team in the country, it was obvious that the Vols needed some luck on their side in addition to playing perfect football. Dealing with injury adversity like this feels a bit deflating, but Heupel always has a 'next man up' mentality. We'll see if Moe will be able to get back on the gridiron or not, but we'll have running updates for you in this piece.
12:40 p.m. update: Moe just left the field to head back to the locker room.
12:58 update: On the ESPN broadcast, it has been reported that Moe is dealing with a left ankle injury. He remains in the locker room.
This article will be updated as more information comes in.
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