EDITOR”S NOTE: Each week, we grade Tennessee’s performance as it relates to General Neyland’s famous seven maxims of football. Welcome to the Rocky Top Report Card.
By SCOTT FELTS
Tennessee kept its undefeated record, posting a balanced 42-9 victory over Kennesaw State on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium in front of a 29th-straight sellout crowd of 101,915.
The Volunteers, who climbed to 14th in The Associated Press rankings and 13th in the coaches poll ahead of Saturday’s game with No. 1 Texas, piled up 446 total yards (268 rushing, 178 passing), scored on seven of nine drives, and limited the Owls to three field goals while forcing a key turnover.
Now let’s see how Tennessee stacked up against each of General Robert Neyland’s game maxims.
1) The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. (Grade: A-)
Tennessee largely lived this maxim. The Vols committed just three penalties for 20 yards (compared to Kennesaw’s nine for 90) and threw zero interceptions. Tennessee’s mistakes were minimal and never derailed drives in a meaningful way. Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon was efficient (18-for-26, 178 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) and the offense converted red zone chances into touchdowns on all four opportunities. The only blemish was the pair of fumbles (one lost), but the overall lack of self-inflicted wounds helped the Vols control the game.
2) Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way… SCORE. (Grade: A)
Tennessee created and capitalized on the key break of the night. Senior DE Tyree Weathersby recovered a Rickie Collins fumble at the KSU 45 with 1:10 left in the second quarter, setting up Cooper Ranvier’s 43-yard field goal that stretched the lead to 21-3 at halftime. Earlier, the Vols scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and responded immediately after the Owls’ first field goal. Daune Morris’ 42-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and fifth-year senior Hunter Barnes’ first career TD in the fourth showed the offense’s readiness to finish whenever a door opened.
3) If at first the game or the breaks go against you, don’t let up … put on more steam. (Grade: A)
Kennesaw State answered Tennessee’s opening touchdown with a 35-yard field goal to make it 7-3. The Vols did not blink. Brandon immediately directed a 75-yard scoring drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Staley (plus a Luca Wolf two-point conversion) for a 15-3 lead. Even when the Owls managed two late field goals in the fourth quarter, Tennessee answered the first with Barnes’ 3-yard run to restore a 36-point margin. The offense scored touchdowns on its last three possessions of the second half. No let-up was evident.
4) Protect our kickers, our QB, our lead and our ball game. (Grade: A-)
Protection was solid. Brandon was sacked only once. Ranvier went 2-for-2 on field goals (40 and 43 yards) and 4-for-4 on PATs. No blocked punt this week and the punt and kickoff units mostly kept returns in check, allowing one 24-yard punt return. The lead was never seriously threatened after the first quarter. The defense allowed zero touchdowns and just 291 total yards.
5) Ball, oskie, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle … for this is the WINNING EDGE. (Grade: B+)
The defense brought the “winning edge” energy. Senior linebacker Arion Carter led the way with eight tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hurry. Edwin Spillman had five stops, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. The unit limited Kennesaw State to 102 rushing yards and forced the fumble recovery by Weathersby. Pursuit and gang tackling were evident in holding the Owls without a touchdown. The grade is not higher only because there were no interceptions and the defense allowed a couple of sustained drives that resulted in field goals late.
6) Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made. (Grade: B)
Tennessee’s kicking game was reliable rather than dominant in creating extra breaks. Ranvier was perfect on his attempts. Punter Jackson Ross averaged 46.0 yards with one downed inside the 20. The Vols forced five punts from Kennesaw State and limited return damage. However, they did not generate blocked kicks, huge returns, or multiple short fields via special teams pressure. The recovered fumble that set up a field goal was the clearest “break”.
7) Carry the fight to our opponent and keep it there for 60 minutes. (Grade: A)
From the opening drive which was an eight-play, 75-yard march ending in DeSean Bishop’s 3-yard touchdown, Tennessee imposed its will. The offense scored on the first two possessions and the last three of the second half. Morris had a career night with 116 yards on 14 carries, including the 42-yard TD. Brandon remains a dual threat with 47 rushing yards and a TD plus the passing numbers), and four different players found the end zone on the ground, showing relentless pressure. The defense never let the Owls in the end zone kept the fight squarely in Kennesaw State’s face for the full 60 minutes in a statement win that closed out non-conference play.
Overall: A-
Tennessee checked nearly every box on General Neyland’s list. Balanced offense, disciplined play, opportunistic defense, and sustained intensity produced a convincing victory. The Vols made few mistakes, scored when breaks appeared, refused to let up, protected their lead, and carried the fight for the entire game.