Like the Tennessee Volunteers, the Fearless Prediction is 2-0. Last week saw an impressive Vols victory in Atlanta. Now, we wait to see how they fare on the friendly Shields Watkins Field against Kennesaw State.
One of the misconceptions about Tennessee’s hurry-up offense is that head coach Josh Heupel has his QB throwing the ball constantly, Hal Mumme air-raid style. Instead, this is a team that loves to run the football. In the Vols’ first 2 games, they gained a total of 628 rushing yards (6th-best in the FBS), with their RBs averaging 6.8 yards per carry. They’ve also picked up 7 TDs. It’s no surprise to see senior DeSean Bishop leading the team with 244 yards on the ground. But backups Duane Morris, Justin Baker and Javin Gordon have been solid themselves, combining for 286 rushing yards.
Throw in an experienced offensive line, and the Vols’ rushing attack is reason for opposing defenses to stress.
True freshman QB Faizon Brandon has looked good in his first 2 career starts. He’s won the SEC Freshman of the Week award twice and should take that honor a few more times as the season progresses. Against Georgia Tech, he threw for 148 yards and 2 TDs, while also rushing for 22 yards. He used his legs to keep drives alive as the Vols were looking to close out the game. Most importantly, he didn’t turn the football over once in that 45-24 victory.
Brandon likely isn’t going to be asked to throw for 300 yards a game in this offense, but if opponents are able to contain the run, he has access to weapons like Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley and Radarious Jackson. Those 3 wide receivers could each lead the way in the passing game. The Vols did get some bad news this week, as it was announced that tight end Ethan Davis is out for the season due to an ACL injury he suffered in the win over the Yellow Jackets. Davis had scored a TD in each of the Vols games this season. Look for DaSaahn Brame to get more opportunities in place of Davis at tight end. The sophomore has 7 career catches, including one grab against Furman this season.
Defensively, the Vols came up with some huge plays against Georgia Tech. In the second quarter, a 41-yard Pick-6 by Dejuan Lane gave Tennessee a lead it would never relinquish, and an interception by Jeremiah Nelander kept the Yellow Jackets from getting much-needed points before halftime. In the fourth quarter, the Vols forced Georgia Tech to turn the football over twice on downs.
So far, this looks like a more complete group under new DC Jim Knowles. He came to the Vols from Penn State, and 2 guys that followed him to Knoxville are already paying major dividends. LB Amare Campbell leads the Vols in tackles with 14. Defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam leads the Vols in tackles for loss with 5.5 and is tied for the lead in sacks with 3.
Prediction Markets How many regular-season games will Tennessee win? Learn more about Prediction Markets Kalshi 4+ wins 97% 5+ wins 95% 6+ wins 90% 7+ wins 89% 8+ wins 68% 9+ wins 48% 10+ wins 17% 11+ wins 4% 12 wins 0% PredictMaybe the best news from last weekend was the return of LB Arion Carter from NCAA suspension. He looked sharp as ever, collecting a team-high 8 tackles against GT.
If there is a reason for concern right now for Tennessee, it is the special teams. Jackson Ross was mainly responsible for having his punt blocked against the Yellow Jackets, resulting in a recovery and TD. When the schedule picks up, the Vols can’t afford to give up possessions.
As for Kennesaw State, this game marks the return of Jerry Mack to Knoxville. Mack is the Owls’ head coach, but from 2021-2023, he was Tennessee’s RB coach under Heupel. On offense, redshirt junior QB Ricky Collins has completed 69% of his passes, throwing for 431 yards and a couple of scores this season. Collins came to Kennesaw State via LSU and Syracuse. Senior Zion Booker is his go-to guy in the passing game. He already has 10 catches this season. As for the run game, the Owls only rushed for 72 yards in last week’s loss to Georgia State. Defensively, graduate student Baron Hopson leads Kennesaw State with 12 tackles this season. This will be the Owls’ first road game of the season, and the first time in program history that they’ll play an SEC team.
Everyone in Knoxville knows what’s coming the following weekend. But before Peyton Manning’s nephew leads top-ranked Texas into Neyland Stadium, the Vols have to get past Kennesaw State.
A stress-free game with a lot of second-half rest for the starters would be ideal for the Vols. They should be able to accomplish those goals.
Fearless Prediction: Tennessee 49, Kennesaw State 13
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Fearless Prediction: Tennessee vs. Kennesaw State Saturday Down South.
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