Tennessee wrapped up its pre-conference slate with a 42-9 victory over Kennesaw State on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium, a win that felt pretty comfortable, even with some bumps in the road. The Vols absolutely took care of business, but it wasn’t without some serious grit, especially after a particularly dirty play.
First Half Rollercoaster, Kennesaw State Tried to Get Nasty
The Vols absolutely stormed out of the gate with an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive that felt like a statement, capped off by DeSean Bishop plunging in from three yards out for the early 7-0 lead. You’d think it’d be smooth sailing from there, but the first half got a bit uneven offensively. Kennesaw State answered back with their own methodical drive, dinking and dunking their way 59 yards on 13 plays, eating up half the quarter, but thankfully only settled for a 35-yard field goal. That made it 7-3. But then, things got ugly. Braylon Staley, blocking near the sideline, took a totally uncalled-for cheap shot block from behind by a KSU lineman, away from the play! He was down for a bit, and honestly, the whole stadium held its breath.
But Staley, a true warrior, came back into the game on that very same drive. What happened next? Pure, unadulterated revenge. Faizon Brandon hit Staley crossing the field, and he caught it, turned upfield, and strolled in for an easy score. Luca Wolf even ran in a two-point conversion to push the lead to 15-3. After that, the defense just locked in. They forced three punts, including two brutal three-and-outs, showing Kennesaw State who was boss. Cooper Ranvier tacked on a field goal to make it 18-3, but Brandon got hit as he threw, fumbling the ball in field goal range. Still, the Vols managed another field goal, heading into halftime with a solid 21-3 lead.
Second Half: Morris Explodes, Vols Put It Away
Arion Carter set the tone to start the second half in a way that just fires you up! He immediately delivered a tackle for loss and a sack on consecutive plays, forcing a quick three-and-out. That’s how you come out of the locker room! Just four plays later, Daune Morris absolutely squelched any remaining drama in this game. He took an off-tackle run to the right, accelerated up the field, and absolutely exploded through the Owls’ defense for a spectacular 42-yard touchdown! That pushed the lead to 28-3, and you just knew it was over. Brandon added his own score late in the third quarter with an easy scramble to his left for a jog-in touchdown, making it 35-3. The Vols closed out the pre-conference schedule with a big 42-9 victory, a solid performance heading into the real tests.
Next up, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Tennessee is set for a massive showdown against No. 1 Texas on September 26th at noon ET, right there in Knoxville. It’s time to see what this team is really made of. Bring on the Longhorns!
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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