Kennesaw State coach Jerry Mack walked back into Neyland Stadium on Saturday night and left with a 42-9 loss, but he still found plenty to point to when he spoke afterward.
Mack said his team competed against a Tennessee group that, in his words, was “a little bit faster, bigger and stronger.” Even so, he said Kennesaw State tried to play its own style and came away with things it can build on. “But it was positive to take away from that field, but we’re gonna continue to grow from that field this week.”
The Owls’ opening stretch on offense gave Mack some encouragement before the game settled into Tennessee’s control. He said the unit moved with urgency early and tried to “matriculate the ball down the field,” but too many mistakes piled up after that. Mack pointed to “some self-inflicted wounds” through the first half and called them “extremely fixable.”
Defensively, he liked what he saw in the first half, especially on third down. Tennessee converted only one third down in the opening half, and Mack said that kind of response was exactly what Kennesaw State needed after some issues the week before. He said the goal is for the team to keep showing improvement as the season goes on.
Quarterback Rickie Collins drew a steady review from his coach. Mack said Collins did a good job “just managing the game,” taking what Tennessee gave him and avoiding unnecessary risks. He added that Collins is still developing as a passer, but he liked how the quarterback handled the tags and contributed as a runner.
Mack also had a moment for Hunter Barnes, a player he coached at Tennessee. Barnes scored a touchdown against Kennesaw State, and Mack said, “I hate that Hunter scored a touchdown on us, but super proud of him.
The man he has become. What a great family, heck of a story.
He’s stayed through the journey here in Tennessee his entire time. In this day and age, a lot of guys transfer.
He’s a true Vol for life, and I’m just happy for him and his family.”
He also came away impressed with Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon. Mack said his staff did not realize how strong Brandon’s body type was, and he praised the freshman for escaping pressure, avoiding tackles for loss and creating extra yards with his movement in the pocket. Mack said those traits will serve Brandon well in the SEC and called him “a really, really good player.”
Mack also noted that Josh Heupel’s offense looks different now than it did when Mack coached for him. He pointed to more 12 personnel, bigger and better tight ends, and more variety overall. Tennessee, he said, can still throw the deep ball and run it effectively, but the added diversity makes the offense even more dangerous.
Three games into the season, Mack said Kennesaw State is still searching for a complete performance. He described the team as “spotty,” though he said the kicking game is coming along and both the offense and defense have room to keep growing. For now, the focus is on putting every phase together in one game.
“We’re still hunting that complete game,” Mack said, “but we can put all phases of the game together and lead that field, feeling not only with a win, but also feeling like we’ve accomplished something in all phases of the game.”
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Josh Heupel said the decision was tied to the defensive look Tennessee saw, not anything personal, and he was quick to push back on any suggestion it had to do with Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack. Heupel praised Mack in his postgame comments, making clear the move was about the situation on the field rather than any sideline storyline. [Read more 🡒]