Tennessee won comfortably last Saturday night at Georgia Tech, but the 45-24 triumph was not without stressful moments.
The Yellow Jackets took their lone lead at 10-7 midway through the first quarter by blocking a Jackson Ross punt and returning it for a touchdown. When the Volunteers returned to the field on offense, they faced a third-and-12 at their 23-yard line amid a noisy Bobby Dodd Stadium.
That’s when Vols freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon dropped back and lofted a deep fade down the left sideline that sophomore receiver Radarious Jackson was able to run under for a 45-yard completion to the Georgia Tech 32. The connection set up Cooper Ranvier’s 32-yard field goal within the first minute of the second quarter and ignited Tennessee’s decisive 24-0 run.
“You love to have the quarterback’s trust,” Jackson said Monday in a news conference. “I’m just running the routes the best way I can to get open as quickly as possible.”
The No. 15 Vols will be seeking a 3-0 start this Saturday night (7:45 on the SEC Network), when they welcome Kennesaw State to Neyland Stadium.
Jackson led the run-heavy Vols with three catches for 64 yards in Atlanta, with his total and the 45-yard reception serving as career bests. The Vols entered this season seeking a third reliable receiver to accompany juniors Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley, and the 6-foot-2, 208-pounder out of Sheffield High in Memphis is stating his case.
“I thought he did a really good job the other night,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Monday. “He was very consistent and showed good decision-making. He 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.
“It was a really good night for him.”
Jackson, who had three catches for 38 yards in the opening 56-9 trouncing of Furman, was asked Monday whether Heupel’s assessment was accurate.
“It was my best game I’ve had,” Jackson said smiling. “It was just taking the little details from the offseason and cleaning them up to where I’m adding the most value that I can to the team.”
Jackson was a consensus four-star prospect in the 2025 signing class and played in nine games last season, amassing nine receptions for 90 yards. He racked up more than 3,000 combined yards of total offense during his junior and senior seasons at Sheffield while also tallying 140 tackles.
His adjustment to college was significant as it is for most freshmen, but Jackson is enjoying the comfort and knowledge that comes with experience.
“You’ve got to be a team player,” Jackson said. “You can’t just be great when you get the ball. You’ve got to be great on every play for your teammates.”
C-plus cornerbacks
Tennessee first-year cornerbacks coach Derek Jones gave his players a C-plus for their performance at Georgia Tech during a news conference Tuesday.
“The most critical thing that stands out is that we missed four tackles,” Jones said. “At our position, when you miss tackles, they turn into explosive plays and they turn into touchdowns. In the landscape of football now, we don’t get to tackle a lot, and we don’t get to work those drills.
“I was talking to Ty Redmond, and he said the last time he made a tackle before the Furman game was the last game of the season last year, because he missed some time in training camp.”
The other side of it
Vols senior edge rusher Jordan Norman spent his first two seasons at South Alabama, which included a 42-10 loss at LSU in 2024.
Norman was asked Tuesday how Kennesaw State players must be feeling this week given that he has lived the life of an underdog.
“Honestly, my mindset when I was playing in games like that was that everybody is human,” Norman said. “Just because you’re in a higher league than me doesn’t mean that I can’t play better than you.”
Assessing Gordon
Tennessee rushed for 299 yards against the Yellow Jackson, with DeSean Bishop gaining 147 on 20 carries and Daune Morris adding 98 on 10. Those two combined for three touchdowns, but Tulane transfer Javin Gordon only netted 32 yards on his 10 rushes.
“His improvement from game one to game two was good,” Vols running backs coach De’Rail Sims said Tuesday. “He did a really good job of being physical in the run game. There were some muddy pictures, and he did a good job of banging in there and driving for extra yardage. There were a couple of runs in there that could have spit and been better, but he stepped on somebody’s foot and tripped inside the hole.
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“He’s doing a good job. His eyes are in the right spot, and his pad level is good. It’s going to happen. He’ll have explosive runs as the season goes along.”
1998 Vols recognized
The SEC Network’s latest “SEC Storied” series will focus on Tennessee’s 1998 national championship season and quarterback Tee Martin, who had the challenge of replacing 1997 Heisman Trophy runner-up Peyton Manning.
Spencer Barry is directing the film titled “Seventeen” in recognition of Martin’s jersey number, and the film will debut Thursday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m.
“The seed for ‘Seventeen’ was planted while I was producing another SEC Storied film, ‘True Character,’ about Brandon Burlsworth and his time at Arkansas,” Barry said in a release. “In that story, you feel the heartbreak of the Arkansas loss to Tennessee after the famous ‘Stoernover’ fumble.
“But that’s the beauty of sports – the same moment can be heartbreaking from one perspective and the beginning of something remarkable from another.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.