Tennessee is a massive 35.5-point favorite heading into their third and final non-conference game Saturday night at Neyland Stadium against Kennesaw State. That’s a huge spread, but don’t let it fool you into thinking it’s a walk in the park; even with Kennesaw State ranking 111th in FBS according to ESPN’s SP+ rankings, the Volunteers’ coach has some serious respect for the Owls’ offense.
Mack’s Owls Bring a Punch
Kennesaw State, led by former Tennessee running backs coach Jerry Mack, rolls into town after a 31-17 loss to Georgia State last weekend. But let’s not forget, Mack’s Owls snagged the C-USA title last season with a 10-4 overall record, beating Jacksonville State 19-15 for the championship. They did lose the Myrtle Beach Bowl to Western Michigan, but this team has seen success.
Mack went to the portal to grab quarterback Rickie Collins, formerly of LSU and Syracuse. And this guy is showing out early, tossing for 431 yards and scrambling for another 97 yards through just two games. Coach Josh Heupel isn’t sleeping on him either, stating this week, “Yeah, their wide receivers are electric. They can push the ball vertically down the field. Their quarterback (Rickie Collins) is truly a dual threat. He’s growing in the understanding of their pass game here the first couple of weeks. But when he tucks the football on design quarterback runs or scrambles, he’s dangerous out on the perimeter.” That’s a high compliment for a signal-caller on a team ranked so low!
One More Tune-Up Before the Big One
The Volunteers, fresh off a dominant performance against Georgia Tech last Saturday where their run game, specifically DeSean Bishop, derailed the Ramblin’ Wreck, passed their first true test of the season with flying colors. This Kennesaw State game is huge for quarterback Faizon Brandon to get even more comfortable on the college scene. He needs to work out any remaining kinks because things are about to get very real.
Why so real? Because next week, the new No. 1 team in the land, Texas, heads to Knoxville for an early season showdown that everyone will be watching. So, while Saturday’s game against Kennesaw State kicks off at 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network, every play is a chance for Tennessee to sharpen up before the biggest test of their young season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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