Tennessee heads back to Neyland Stadium on Saturday for its final nonconference game of the 2026 regular season, and the opponent brings a familiar face with it. Kennesaw State arrives with Jerry Mack and other former UT coaches in the building, but for the Vols, the bigger issue is making sure the night looks cleaner than the one they just put together against Georgia Tech.
A win alone won’t feel like enough. Tennessee needs a sharper performance, and that starts with the details that got messy last time out.
The biggest fix has to be the penalty count. Against Georgia Tech, the Vols were flagged 14 times for 142 yards, and the damage came in all sorts of ways.
Some of that comes with the territory - holding calls, pass interference and the other live-action mistakes that happen once the game speeds up. But the pre-snap and post-snap flags were the real problem, and those are the ones Tennessee has to erase.
If the Vols can clean that up against Kennesaw State, it would be a meaningful step toward restoring confidence before SEC play.
Another area worth watching is how much freedom Faizon Brandon gets. Through his first two college games, the freshman quarterback has looked comfortable. He opened with a strong debut against Furman and followed that with a poised road performance at Georgia Tech.
Even so, Tennessee appeared to keep things fairly controlled in Atlanta, especially after halftime. The staff is still protecting him in some ways, and this matchup feels like a chance to loosen the reins a little.
Nobody is asking Brandon to force throws into crowded windows or chase deep shots just to chase them. But it would be a good sign if he can work the ball around the field when the opportunities are there.
That matters because the Vols may need Brandon to be a difference-maker as soon as next week against No. 1 Texas.
The other thing Tennessee has to sort out is what happens when the reserves come in. In both of the first two games, the defense dipped once the backups got extended run. That drop-off was too noticeable, even if the second and third units are naturally not going to match the starters.
The secondary stood out most in that regard. Against Georgia Tech, cornerback Tim Merritt was picked on and drew multiple penalties on the final drive.
Tennessee is set with Ty Redmond and Kayin Lee as its top corners, but Merritt remains a player the staff could lean on down the road. A cleaner outing from him would help.
The coaches also weren’t satisfied with the tackling from the backups in the win over Furman. Tennessee needs better fundamentals from those second- and third-string defenders at every level, especially in a game like this where those reps matter.
In Other News...
Tennessee's Loaded Offense Could Have One More Freshman Problem Soon
Tennessees offense already has the look of a unit built to stay dangerous for a while, but ESPN thinks the Vols may not be done adding playmakers to the picture. The latest name to watch is five-star running back recruit David Gabriel-Georges, who checks in at No. 13 overall in the SC Next ESPN 300 and arrives with the kind of power, balance and explosiveness that can make a freshman hard to keep off the field.
For Tennessee, the appeal goes beyond simply landing another elite recruit. Gabriel-Georges has the traits to contribute early and eventually grow into a featured role, which matters for an offense that could be looking ahead to a post-2026 backfield if DeSean Bishop moves on to the NFL. Even in a loaded room, the Vols have a chance to turn a highly rated newcomer into the next major piece of the attack. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee-Texas Just Added More Intrigue For Frustrated Vols Fans
Kenny Chesney helped put Tennessees Sept. 26 matchup with Texas back in the spotlight during an appearance on ESPNs First Take, where the Knoxville native was on hand to promote his new tour and ended up talking football instead. The Volunteers are set to host the Longhorns at Neyland Stadium in the annual Checker Neyland game, with ABC carrying the broadcast and a Noon ET kickoff currently on the books.
For fans already frustrated by the timing, the attention only added another layer to a game that already carries plenty of weight on the schedule. Stephen A. Smith raised the possibility the kickoff could still be changed, leaving Tennessee supporters with one more wrinkle to monitor as the date draws closer and the buildup to one of the seasons biggest home games keeps growing. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Have One Reason To Expect A Stress-Free Saturday
Knox News took a different route in previewing Tennessees upcoming game against Kennesaw State, running 100 simulations of the matchup on EA Sports College Football 27. The results pointed to what Vols fans probably hope to see on a fall Saturday: Tennessee controlling the game early and often, with the model projecting an average score around 51-17 and plenty of room for the offense to settle in.
The simulations leaned heavily toward a comfortable finish for Tennessee, which fits the broader sense that this is a game the Vols should handle without much drama. There were statistical trends worth watching in the breakdown, along with reporter notes on how the matchup could play out, but the larger takeaway was hard to miss: if the real game follows the video-game script, Tennessee should spend most of the afternoon in command. [Read more 🡒]