Live Updates: Tennessee Football vs. Kennesaw State

Note: Please refresh the article to receive updates all game long, as coverage is set to begin the moment that kickoff starts and will carry over until the final of the game. When the game concludes, any other articles after the game can be found on Vols On SI.

Final Score: Tennessee Wins 42-9

mike matthew — Sep 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back TJ Metcalf (1) and defensive back Kayin Lee (14) and wide receiver Mike Matthews (4) and linebacker Jadon Perlotte (27) celebrates after a victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First Quarter

15:00: Tennessee will receive to begin the game. Here comes Faizon Brandon. Brandon's pass is complete to Braylon Staley for 35 yards. Tennessee is at the 40-yard line. DeSean Bishop's rush is a gain of three. 2nd and 7 at the 37. Brandon on the scramble goes for 13 yards. He gets the Vols to the 24. Brandon's pass to Mike Matthews is caught. Gain of 12 on that play. Brandon takes a shot to the end zone for Staley, but it's incomplete. Bishop's rush is a gain of four to the eight-yard line. Tennessee faces 3rd and 6. The first 3rd down of the game for the Vols. Brandon's pass is complete to Matthews for a gain of three, but it is now 4th and 3 at the five. Tennessee's offense stays on the field. Brandon was sacked on the play back to the 13. There is a holding on the defense, so automatic first down. 1st and goal at the 3. Bishop scores on a three-yard rush.

11:32: Tennessee will kick for the first time in this contest. Here come the Jim Knowles-led defenders. A quick first down for Rickie Collins gets the Owls going. Murrell gets a gain of two on the ground. We are looking at a 2nd and 9 here. Collins boots it out to his right, but it's not enough for a first down. It is now 3rd and 2. Collins rushes for 13 yards, and flips the field. The Owls are now at the 41. Tennessee is bending a bit here, as they are in cushion. A handoff to Murrell is blew up for a gain of nothing. 2nd and 10 at the 41. Kennesaw State's pass is complete for a gain of 13. They are now at the Vols 28. Gain of six on that play. 2nd and 4 after the rush. There is a flag on the play. False start on the offense. Kennesaw State moves the chains. 1st and 10 is wrapped up at the line of scrimmage. Holding on the offense. It is now 2nd and 20. Zion Booker has been dominating on this drive. He gets the Owls back to 3rd and somewhat reasonable. 3rd and 8 here. Collins pass is dropped and here comes the special teams unit. The kick is up and is good.

3:51: Tennessee will be the receiving team. Morris receives the ball and gets it to the 25. It was a 25-yard return. Bishop begins the drive with a gain of 0 on the play. Brandon on the scramble. He gets the Vols a first down on the play. Tennessee is now at their own 35. Bishop on the reception for 15 yards. Bishop is leveled after a gain of two on the play. The Vols are at the Owls' 48 now. Brandon is nearly sacked, but as expected, he finds his way out of it. It is now 3rd and 1 at the 41. Tennessee will huddle up here. Heavy set in the backfield. Morris rushes up the middle for a gain of eight. Tennessee at the 33. A seven-yard gain to TK Keys, and there is a penalty, which will bring the Vols up even closer. it will be a first down for the Vols. Staley is back up on the field, and is jogging off. Brandon's pass to Staley is caught for a touchdown. The two point conversion is good on a rush by Cole Harrison on the fake.

0:26: Kennesaw State will likely get a play or two to end the quarter. Tyree Weathersby on the tackle at the line of scrimmage. That's the end of the first quarter.

Second Quarter

15:00: Kennesaw State will begin the quarter on offense with a 2nd and 10 play. A tacke for a loss gets it to 3rd and 14. A quick pass to the inside will gain seven, but the Owls will need to punt.

13:43: Tennessee will open up shop at their 28. Brandon's pass is to Morris, and it is a gain of five. Morris rushes on that play for a first down. 1st and 10 at the 41. Morris catches the ball on a swing route. His pass is good enough for a gain of four. Morris is the primary back again, as he nearly moves the chains. There is a flag on the defense. Automatic first down on the hands to the face. The Vols are at the Owls' 36 now. Morris gets another first down with a gain of 11. Brandon's pass is batted down. This would be the third game that his ball has been batted down at the line. Nothing to be overly concerned with, though. Brandon's pass to Staley is nearly complete in the end zone, but it goes through his hands. 3rd and 10. Brandon gets to the 21, and now the Vols will kick the ball it appears. Cooper Ranvier is the kicker at the moment. The 39-yard kick is good.

10:34: Tennessee will kick to Kennesaw State. The Owls with a gain of three. 2nd and 7 here. Collins is in the backfield and he is met at the line. 3rd down and 7 at the Owls' 28. Jeremiah Telander bats the pass down, and the Owls will punt, Back deep is Qua Moss. The fair catch downs the Vols at the 20. 51-yard punt.

9:14: Tennessee will now come back to the field at the 20. Tennessee rushes for 10 yards to the 30. Trent Thomas gets a reception, and he is up tp the 47 after a 17 yard gain. Heavy set in the backfield. Bishop on the rush, and he gained a ton, but a flag will move him back, as it is now a five yard loss. The Vols will be back to their own 42. Morris on the rush. 2nd and 14. Brandon's pass to Travis Smith Jr. is caught for a gain of five. It is now 3rd and 9 here. False start on the Vols. Morris is in the backfield. Brandon's pass down field is to Radarious Jackson, but it is incomplete. Jackson Ross is in to punt. Fair caught at the 10.

6:26: Kennesaw State is at their own 10 here. No huddle here for Kennesaw State on second down. Pass to Booker is down at the 18. It is now 3rd and 2. Collins is on a gain of nine to the 27. First down Owls. Collins pass is intended for nobody. It is now 2nd and 10. The Owls get to the 30. 3rd and 7. Collins pass is intended for a down-field receiver. Not complet, but there is a flag. The flag is on the offense for a chop block. Mariyon Dye is down on the field.

4:08: Moss returns the punt for 24 yards. Brandon and the Vols are at the 50. Morris is the rusher. He gets the ball to the 43-yard-line. It was a gain of seven. Matthews moves the chains. It was an eight yard reception. Brandon in the backfield at the 35. Morris runs through a defender to move the chains again. Brandon's pass to Jackson is incomplete, but Heupel wanted a defensive pass interference. Gain of three on that play. It is 3rd and 7. Two-minute timeout. Brandon fumbles, and the Owls have recovered.

1:51: Kennesaw State will take charge at their own 30. Kennesaw State flips the field. They are now at the Vols' 43. It is 2nd and 10 now. There is a flag on the play, but there is a rush up the middle for a first down. That will come back because of a holding call. 10-yard penalty right there. It is now 2nd and 16 at the 49. There's a fumble on the play, and Weathersby recovers it.

1:10: Tennessee begins the drive with a false start. Morris on the rush gets him to the 43. Tennessee will burn a timeout. It is now at 1:05. Brandon gets the ball to the 33 and it is first down. Tennessee calls a timeout. Brandon's pass is complete to Jackson, who gets to the 25, and then runs out of bounds. 3rd and 2 at the Owls' 25. Brandon's pass is nearly picked off. This was teh first time he put the ball in harm's way all season. 4th and 2 here. Tennessee calls a timeout. This was the third and final. 4th and 2 at the 25. Ranvier drains a 43-yard field goal to extend the lead.

0:23: Kennesaw State will bleed this clock. Halftime.

Third Quarter

15:00: Kennesaw State begins the drive on offense at the 20. It is quickly 3rd down and 14. Sack by Arion Carter. The Owls punt, and the ball is now at the 47.

12:59: Tennessee will begin at their own 47. Morris at running back again. The Vols have a gain of five, and flip the field. They are working the quick game to the outside. The pass to Jackson gains three, and it is now 3rd and 2 at the 45 of the Owls side of the field. Rush middle for 17. Gain of three to the 42 picks up a first down. Brandon in shotgun again. Morris breaks a 42-yard rush for six.

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11:20: His pass to the right is broken up, as the Vols had great defense on that play. 2nd and 10. The Owls move the chains on a screen pass to the outside. Moss makes a great tackle, and Tennessee needed him to, or that was green grass for the Owls. It is 2nd and 8. The pass was batted by Ethan Utley on the play. There is a huddle on 3rd and 8, mainly due to the noise in this big house of football. A huge play by the defense forces a punt. Moss is the returner again.

9:23: Tennessee will begin their drive at their own 31. Bishop is back in the game. The first play of the drive is a pass for five yards. The second play is a rush for a first down. That running back being Bishop. Brandon and the offense is moving a tad bit slower here. Bishop is on the rushing again, and he is now coming out of the game again. It appears that Hunter Barnes is at running back. Barnes moves the chains big time there, He flipped the field. Brandon's pass to Mike Matthews gets the ball down to the 21. Brandon is forced out of bounds on a rush that gets him to the 17. 2nd and 6. Brandon and the Vols are now facing a 3rd and 6 after he was met at the line. Morris rushes up the middle, and guess what, first down Tennessee. No shock there. He has been a beast all night. 1st and goal at the five. Morris is met at the line. Touchdown Faizon Brandon on the rush to the left.

4:26: Kennesaw State begins at the 25. The first play is a massive gain. 1st and 10 from the 43. 2nd and 8 here. Tennessee is mass subbing on defense. Collins pass is a first down. Kennesaw State is moving the chains well, and they are now in the Vols' red zone. 2nd and 2 here after a massive passing strike. There is a flag on the play.

Fourth Quarter

15:00: It is now 3rd and 12 for the Owls. A 14-yard strike moves the chains. It is now 1st and goal for the Owls. Collins is hammered near the line. He may have gained a yard, if that. The Owls use a timeout before they get to snap the ball on 3rd and 7 here. The Owls throw the ball away, and they will now attempt a field goal. The kick is up and good.

12:49: Tennessee will get the ball back here with 12:49 on the clock. Staley on the reception. Tennessee moves up six yards. 2nd and 4 here. Brandon is hit late, but it appears he is okay. Brandon throws a beauty of a deep ball, but it slips through the hands of a diving Matthews. Barnes moves the Vols up 38 yards on a massive rush. Brandon fumbles, but the ball is recovered by Tennessee. It is now 2nd and 8. Barnes on the carry, and he moves Tennessee up to the 12. It is now 3rd and 12 here. Shotgun with Barnes in the backfield. Tennessee calls a timeout. The pass is to Luca Wolf, and he moves the chains. Barnes is in the end zone.

8:50: The Owls will have another offensive drive. Kennesaw State is now up to the Vols' 48. The Owls pass to the right is stopped following a gain of two. It's now 3rd and 8, but not before the Owls call a timeout. There is an injury on the field after a first down play. It is now 2nd and 4. The injured player appears to be Dylan Lewis. Kennesaw State will move the chains again. The Owls are knocking on the door here. It is now third down. Collins rushes, and is met by a band of Vols at the goal line. It is 4th and 2 here. They will kick a field goal. Timeout by the Owls. The kick is up and good.

2:45: Tennessee will likely finish the game on offense. Obviously, that is a prediction, but it seems reasonable. Here comes George MacIntyre. Two-minute timeout for the Vols here. Barnes on the rush to the right for a gain of a few. 3rd and 5 here. They only have to run a couple more plays. The Vols face a 4th and 3, and they will punt. Tennessee takes their final timeout. The punt is away.

0:17: This game is over.

Pre-Game Information

Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter (7) high fives Tennessee wide receiver Deon Hardin (88) before a college football game between Tennessee and Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Sept. 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Tennessee Volunteers are set for the third game of their season, as they are set to take on the Kennesaw State Owls in what is their final game against a non-conference opponent before they take on an intense SEC conference schedule.

The Vols game against Kennesaw State is one that many will want to tune into, and many will do just that. Luckily for the fans, these live updates will provide everything that fans need to know during the game, before the game, and, of course, after the game, with coverage throughout the site.

Prior to the game, Josh Heupel was one of the many coaches who spoke to the media ahead of the game. He opened the week with a statement that many fans will want to see, including information on the game tribute and theme.

“Good start today. There's a bunch that we are going to need to clean up here in all three phases of the game, but overall pleased with the performance. Defensively, we played extremely well. We don't turn it over, it’s probably a shutout. Those guys have grown, worked and competed extremely hard to go play and start the season that way. Proud of the effort there from our staff and our players. Offensively, the penalties early in the football game slowed a couple of drives down. After that, I thought we executed at a high level. Quarterbacks played smart and efficient today. All of them did. So, good start. A lot to learn from and move on to a big one next week,” Josh Heupel said.

The Vols enter this game with an undefeated 2-0 record, while the Owls are entering this contest with a 1-1 record, as they were defeated by Georgia State. While anything can happen in college sports, it seems reasonable to state that the Vols have a great chance of winning this game and entering SEC play with a 3-0 record if things go as planned tonight.

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