KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –– On Saturday night, No. 15 Tennessee football defeated Kennesaw State 42-9. All week the Vols focused on cleaning up things this week and taking care of the Owls. This was a game that the Vols should have won big, and they did that. How they accomplished that looked better overall in regards to discipline.
Coming off a Georgia Tech game that saw 14 penalties, Tennessee addressed that issue and finished Saturday night with only three for 20 yards. If the Vols want to be successful in Southeastern Conference play, they will need to keep that effort. The fact that Tennessee came out focused and didn’t let Kennesaw State hang around is encouraging mindset wise.
“Wanted to see us play smarter,” Heupel said. “The penalties last week were egregious. We did play smarter tonight. There’s some things in our communication defensively early that we can be better in, offensively a few things. So we’re going to have to get better from this tape to understand who we’re playing next week.”
That cleanup carried over to the defense, which struggled for mainly one drive to start the game. Rickie Collins did what they knew he was capable of early. Then, Jim Knowles dialed up more pressure and tightened things up, especially on third downs. The Owls finished the game 5-for-13 on third downs, with three of those taking place in the fourth quarter.
Faizon Brandon turned in another solid performance. He did have a fumble lost, but there’s not a quarterback on the face of the Earth who hasn’t been stripped. What he continued to do was be as composed as you’d want him to be. He scanned his progressions, used his legs when he needed to and used the short to medium game well. He hit nine different receivers in the game and finished with an efficiency rating of 139.4.
Brandon put it plainly when asked how he stays clean with the football, saying he is “just not trying to force anything and just take what they give me, not trying to do anything extra.”
The way he reads his progressions is part of what makes him look smooth as a quarterback. When asked about Brandon throwing down field more, Heupel explained it as such.
“Some of it is going to be based off of coverages have weaknesses, structures have weaknesses,” Heupel said. “There was a way that they wanted to play tonight defensively. I thought Faizon did a good job working windows and taking what was there.”
There were a couple of throws that were off the mark, but for a true freshman, his demeanor on the field is literally unfazed. Now, the heaviness of the SEC begins as No. 1 Texas comes into Neyland next Saturday. I can’t wait to see his composure and play against the Longhorns.
The running back room showed once again how deep it is. De’Sean Bishop carried the ball nine times for 42 yards and a touchdown, but didn’t see a ton of time. Bishop was a little shaken up and that set Daune Morris up for most of the carries, as he finished with 14 for 116 yards and a touchdown. Brandon added 11 carries, and Hunter Barnes made the most of his opportunities with 63 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
That depth only works because everyone in the room prepares like a starter, and with Bishop banged up Morris said nothing changed for him. “No, sir, it wasn’t different,” Morris said. “Everybody is just doing their job and going into the week with high intensity, focusing on our details and our alignment. Just when your number’s called, be ready.” Heupel has that same trust top to bottom.
“Fully confident in him. Fully confident in Baker,” Heupel said. “Hunter Barnes goes in there and plays extremely well tonight. Those guys are smart. They care. They’re selfless. Coach Sims does a great job leading those guys.”
Barnes was the best example of that mindset paying off, and Heupel used him as a lesson for the rest of the roster. “Great to see Hunter, a guy that was playing a lot of football early last year on special teams for us, had an injury, cares about this program,” Heupel said. “Is prepared for his opportunity when it comes. I think it’s a great lesson for everybody. Not just wanting something, but preparing for when your opportunity comes.”
Saturday was the first game since Ethan Davis went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Trent Thomas got the start, with DaSaahn Brame and Luca Wolf playing a great amount. Thomas caught one ball for 17 yards, and Wolf caught one for nine yards.
“I feel like the tight ends were really good, stepping up,” Brandon said. “They had a great week of preparation. I feel like we really didn’t miss a beat at the tight end position.”
Three games into the season, Tennessee made a great effort to clean up the thing that hurt it a week ago. Heupel nor the team will stay on this one for more than a few hours. This team still has a lot to work on.
“I like the results. I like that we’ve gotten better every week,” he said. “This football team, they should enjoy it briefly tonight and start getting prepared tomorrow.”
Texas is next.
