University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
#15/14 Vols Preparing to Kick Off Three-Game Homestand vs. Kennesaw State
September 14, 2026 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15/14 Tennessee returns home this weekend for the first of three straight games at Neyland Stadium when it hosts Kennesaw State this Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. on the SEC Network.
The Owls are led by head coach Jerry Mack, who served as UT's running backs coach from 2021-23. Mack led Kennesaw State to the Conference USA title in his first year at the helm in 2025.
"He's a great leader of men. He's authentic. He's a really good recruiter, and he's able to hire a really good staff, and you put all those pieces of the puzzle together," head coach Josh Heupel said about his former assistant. "He's smart. He's organized. That's how you have consistency in your program. That's how you build a program.
"And you can look at what he's done at Kennesaw State, what he did as a head coach before that. He's a really good coach."
Saturday's contest will be Tennessee's "Salute to Service" game presented by Standard Nuclear, as the Volunteers will honor our nation's service members, veterans and their families throughout the night.
"Looking forward to getting back this week inside our stadium and seeing our fans. Thank you to all the fans that showed up in Atlanta for the game last Saturday," Heupel said. "This will be our Salute to Service game as well, so I want to thank all the men and women that have served and are currently serving to protect and give us the opportunity and the freedom that we certainly enjoy. We are welcoming some of the families of the men and women that we're recognizing this weekend as well."
While the offense ran wild down in Atlanta last Saturday to the tune of 299 yards on the ground, UT's defense also continued to show how much it has improved in the win over the Yellow Jackets.
For the second straight week, the Vols were especially effective at creating negative plays, racking up seven tackles for loss and four sacks on the night. Entering this week's slate of games, Tennessee is tied for third nationally with 11 sacks and ranks seventh in the country with 20 TFLs.
Sophomore defensive lineman Mariyon Dye had a breakout performance against Georgia Tech with a pair of sacks, while seniors Jordan Norman and Jeremiah Telander added a sack apiece, as well.
"Jordan Norman's done a really good job too, and the group collectively is playing with really good fundamentals," Heupel said. "You know, that's in the run game. There's a lot of different things that go into that, but they're playing physical and they've done a good job applying pressure to the quarterback."
Video and a transcript of Heupel's Monday press conference can be seen below.
"Looking forward to getting back this week inside our stadium and seeing our fans. Thank you to all the fans that showed up in Atlanta for the game last Saturday. This will be our Salute to Service game as well, so I want to thank all the men and women that have served and are currently serving to protect and give us the opportunity and the freedom that we certainly enjoy. We are welcoming some of the families of the men and women that we're recognizing this weekend as well. Saturday, we got an opportunity to play a good Kennesaw State football team. We have a lot of familiarity with a lot of their staff. Jerry Mack and his staff have done a really good job. I think they've won 12 of the last 14 ball games they've played, so this is an opportunity for us this week to continue to grow and get better as a football team."
On the health of his team following last week's game…
"There were a few guys during the course of play that may have been out for a little bit or didn't finish, but we're hopeful for most of those guys. Ethan Davis has an ACL injury and will be gone for the remainder of the year."
On who will be filling tight end Ethan Davis' position…
"This game requires the next guy up. You've heard me talk about that, and the team has heard that too. You have to be prepared for when your opportunity arises, multiple guys have to step up into that role. I hate it for Ethan. The work that he put into it, the growth of the person and the player, that the season is cut short, but the next guy has to be prepared and take advantage of the opportunity. You've seen a lot of those guys play already this year. They need to continue to grow and step into that role."
On how indicative the beginning of the season is to the rest of the year…
"Well, you can look at scores from week to week, and tell that it is a week-by-week test. Good teams continue to get better. So, this game in a global view you look at scores, but games are won and lost at the very smallest of details. Fundamentals and technique, is what you're constantly striving for. That's part of what the emphasis was today with our team. How do we get better and take ownership of the things we're in control of."
On DaSaahn Brame's ability to slide into Ethan Davis' role…
"DaSaahn has the ability to play out in space and play in the core, which is very similar to Ethan. Some of our other guys do too. DaSaahn's really grown in his ability to play in the core. If you look at the last run by Daune (Morris), DaSaahn's doing a great job inside the core on the second level. We got a ton of trust in him, and that's a credit to his development over the last year."
On his frustration surrounding the penalties and how he addresses them from week to week…
"I addressed it today. We went through all of them. Our football team has the ability to grow into a good football team if we make the choices, do the right things, and presented the video of it today. Our players got to make the choice to not hurt the football team."
On quarterback Faizon Brandon's performance to start the season and what he needs to do against Kennesaw State…
"Continued growth and fundamentals. You know that one was an RPO play; continued growth in communication, understanding situational football. But I really like a lot of what he's done. I said it a week ago. I think he's going to get better every rep, every series, every game. He's continuing to grow and catalog information, and he's getting better from it."
On wide receiver Radarious Jackson's performance early in the season…
"I thought he did a really good job the other night. Very consistent, good decision-making. Had a really good feel for man-zone principles, and I thought he played his best football, at least the most consistent, throughout the 60 minutes of play. Really good night for him."
On Mariyon Dye and the defensive line unit as a group last game…
"Jordan Norman's done a really good job too, and the group collectively is playing with really good fundamentals. You know, that's in the run game. There's a lot of different things that go into that, but they're playing physical and they've done a good job applying pressure to the quarterback. You know, Mariyon Dye the last couple of weeks has played his best football, and a young guy that we still see a lot of growth left in him, too, and that's a compliment to him."
On defensive lineman Carson Gentle and why he had an increase in playing time…
"Tough, smart, relentless competitor, knows his job, does his job. Selfless, tough kid. He went through a little bit of injury during the summer, and so it was kind of a slow trickle in his growth over the course of training camp, and so he's as healthy as he's been and ready to handle more volume. That's why he got more play the other week."
On preparing to play for every game during the course of a season…
"It's not a tune-up. You better show up every Saturday. You look at the scores, media, your family, your girlfriend, whoever. They might want to pigeonhole you as this, but you decide who you are collectively as a team and as a program."
On playing with the same intensity each week…
"You can look at the scores every week. You better get ready to go play when the ball is teed up. You better be playing at your best. Game unfolds, it unfolds, but you better be prepared to go play for 60 minutes."
On facing former Tennessee running back coach Jerry Mack…
"He's a great leader of men. He's authentic. He's a really good recruiter, and he's able to hire a really good staff, and you put all those pieces of the puzzle together. He's smart. He's organized. That's how you have consistency in your program. That's how you build a program. And you can look at what he's done at Kennesaw State, what he did as a head coach before that. He's a really good coach."
The Owls are led by head coach Jerry Mack, who served as UT's running backs coach from 2021-23. Mack led Kennesaw State to the Conference USA title in his first year at the helm in 2025.
"He's a great leader of men. He's authentic. He's a really good recruiter, and he's able to hire a really good staff, and you put all those pieces of the puzzle together," head coach Josh Heupel said about his former assistant. "He's smart. He's organized. That's how you have consistency in your program. That's how you build a program.
"And you can look at what he's done at Kennesaw State, what he did as a head coach before that. He's a really good coach."
Saturday's contest will be Tennessee's "Salute to Service" game presented by Standard Nuclear, as the Volunteers will honor our nation's service members, veterans and their families throughout the night.
"Looking forward to getting back this week inside our stadium and seeing our fans. Thank you to all the fans that showed up in Atlanta for the game last Saturday," Heupel said. "This will be our Salute to Service game as well, so I want to thank all the men and women that have served and are currently serving to protect and give us the opportunity and the freedom that we certainly enjoy. We are welcoming some of the families of the men and women that we're recognizing this weekend as well."
While the offense ran wild down in Atlanta last Saturday to the tune of 299 yards on the ground, UT's defense also continued to show how much it has improved in the win over the Yellow Jackets.
For the second straight week, the Vols were especially effective at creating negative plays, racking up seven tackles for loss and four sacks on the night. Entering this week's slate of games, Tennessee is tied for third nationally with 11 sacks and ranks seventh in the country with 20 TFLs.
Sophomore defensive lineman Mariyon Dye had a breakout performance against Georgia Tech with a pair of sacks, while seniors Jordan Norman and Jeremiah Telander added a sack apiece, as well.
"Jordan Norman's done a really good job too, and the group collectively is playing with really good fundamentals," Heupel said. "You know, that's in the run game. There's a lot of different things that go into that, but they're playing physical and they've done a good job applying pressure to the quarterback."
Video and a transcript of Heupel's Monday press conference can be seen below.
Head Coach Josh Heupel Transcript (Sept. 14, 2026)
Opening statement…"Looking forward to getting back this week inside our stadium and seeing our fans. Thank you to all the fans that showed up in Atlanta for the game last Saturday. This will be our Salute to Service game as well, so I want to thank all the men and women that have served and are currently serving to protect and give us the opportunity and the freedom that we certainly enjoy. We are welcoming some of the families of the men and women that we're recognizing this weekend as well. Saturday, we got an opportunity to play a good Kennesaw State football team. We have a lot of familiarity with a lot of their staff. Jerry Mack and his staff have done a really good job. I think they've won 12 of the last 14 ball games they've played, so this is an opportunity for us this week to continue to grow and get better as a football team."
On the health of his team following last week's game…
"There were a few guys during the course of play that may have been out for a little bit or didn't finish, but we're hopeful for most of those guys. Ethan Davis has an ACL injury and will be gone for the remainder of the year."
On who will be filling tight end Ethan Davis' position…
"This game requires the next guy up. You've heard me talk about that, and the team has heard that too. You have to be prepared for when your opportunity arises, multiple guys have to step up into that role. I hate it for Ethan. The work that he put into it, the growth of the person and the player, that the season is cut short, but the next guy has to be prepared and take advantage of the opportunity. You've seen a lot of those guys play already this year. They need to continue to grow and step into that role."
On how indicative the beginning of the season is to the rest of the year…
"Well, you can look at scores from week to week, and tell that it is a week-by-week test. Good teams continue to get better. So, this game in a global view you look at scores, but games are won and lost at the very smallest of details. Fundamentals and technique, is what you're constantly striving for. That's part of what the emphasis was today with our team. How do we get better and take ownership of the things we're in control of."
On DaSaahn Brame's ability to slide into Ethan Davis' role…
"DaSaahn has the ability to play out in space and play in the core, which is very similar to Ethan. Some of our other guys do too. DaSaahn's really grown in his ability to play in the core. If you look at the last run by Daune (Morris), DaSaahn's doing a great job inside the core on the second level. We got a ton of trust in him, and that's a credit to his development over the last year."
On his frustration surrounding the penalties and how he addresses them from week to week…
"I addressed it today. We went through all of them. Our football team has the ability to grow into a good football team if we make the choices, do the right things, and presented the video of it today. Our players got to make the choice to not hurt the football team."
On quarterback Faizon Brandon's performance to start the season and what he needs to do against Kennesaw State…
"Continued growth and fundamentals. You know that one was an RPO play; continued growth in communication, understanding situational football. But I really like a lot of what he's done. I said it a week ago. I think he's going to get better every rep, every series, every game. He's continuing to grow and catalog information, and he's getting better from it."
On wide receiver Radarious Jackson's performance early in the season…
"I thought he did a really good job the other night. Very consistent, good decision-making. Had a really good feel for man-zone principles, and I thought he played his best football, at least the most consistent, throughout the 60 minutes of play. Really good night for him."
On Mariyon Dye and the defensive line unit as a group last game…
"Jordan Norman's done a really good job too, and the group collectively is playing with really good fundamentals. You know, that's in the run game. There's a lot of different things that go into that, but they're playing physical and they've done a good job applying pressure to the quarterback. You know, Mariyon Dye the last couple of weeks has played his best football, and a young guy that we still see a lot of growth left in him, too, and that's a compliment to him."
On defensive lineman Carson Gentle and why he had an increase in playing time…
"Tough, smart, relentless competitor, knows his job, does his job. Selfless, tough kid. He went through a little bit of injury during the summer, and so it was kind of a slow trickle in his growth over the course of training camp, and so he's as healthy as he's been and ready to handle more volume. That's why he got more play the other week."
On preparing to play for every game during the course of a season…
"It's not a tune-up. You better show up every Saturday. You look at the scores, media, your family, your girlfriend, whoever. They might want to pigeonhole you as this, but you decide who you are collectively as a team and as a program."
On playing with the same intensity each week…
"You can look at the scores every week. You better get ready to go play when the ball is teed up. You better be playing at your best. Game unfolds, it unfolds, but you better be prepared to go play for 60 minutes."
On facing former Tennessee running back coach Jerry Mack…
"He's a great leader of men. He's authentic. He's a really good recruiter, and he's able to hire a really good staff, and you put all those pieces of the puzzle together. He's smart. He's organized. That's how you have consistency in your program. That's how you build a program. And you can look at what he's done at Kennesaw State, what he did as a head coach before that. He's a really good coach."
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Monday, September 14
Monday, September 14
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