Tennessee football is back in Neyland Stadium to face-off with Kennesaw State in one final matchup before SEC play.
Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel made it clear on Monday he's not treating Kennesaw State as a "tune-up."
The Vols (2-0) are facing off with the Owls (1-1) on Saturday (7:45 p.m., SECN) in one final game before beginning SEC play. Heupel bucked a question that the game is a final "tune-up" ahead of conference play, though
“It’s not a tune-up," Heupel said Monday. "You better show up every Saturday. You look at the scores, media, your family, your girlfriend, whoever, they might wanna pigeonhole you as this, but you decide who you are collectively as a team and as a program.”
The Owls have racked up 11 wins in their last 14 games and a Conference USA title last year. They're led by former Tennessee running backs coach Jerry Mack, who is in his second season leading the program.
Tennessee opens as a -35.5 on DraftKings, and Heupel will put his 23-4 record against non-conference opponents, including a 21-1 mark in the regular season to the test on Saturday in the non-tune-up game.
Somehow, Heupel has to get his team to figure out why it was flagged 14 times for 142 yards against Georgia Tech last week. This is a game in which the solution can be worked out so such an overwhelming number is obliterated.
Also, the Vols need to find a rotation at tight end. Once Ethan Davis was lost for the season with a knee injury against the Yellow Jackets, Tennessee has been left with very little experience at a pivotal position. Sophomore DaSaahn Brame and South Alabama senior transfer Trent Thomas appear to be the next men up.
Getting them involved in a regular rotation is essential to the development.
"Very excited for our opportunity for our team to go to Tennessee and get a chance to play in that type of atmosphere," Mack said. "It’s the first time in the history of the program that they’ll face an SEC opponent. And I think those guys will remember that forever. But we’re still going up there to take care of business."
Tennessee is looking to move to 3-0 on the season, setting up for a matchup with No. 1 Texas on Sept. 26.
- Tennessee wins if it keeps it simple. Kennesaw State will be better than Furman, but the Vols shouldn't need to break out anything special to come away with a win. Heupel should be able to keep the offense vanilla and simply beat Kennesaw State in a game of wills.
- Kennesaw State pulls off the upset over Tennessee if the Vols fall completely flat. The ground game makes an upset even more unlikely — UT has been effective running the ball with 652 yards across two games — and Tennessee would have to fall completely flat for an upset loss.
