The Good, Bad, and Ugly From Tennessee Football's Win vs. Georgia Tech

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, Georgia, which is one of the many areas where the Tennessee Vols have plenty of fans to show up and watch them.

The Vols' win was via a 45-24 victory, and they are by far one of the teams with the most confidence entering Week 3.

While there was plenty of good to talk about, there were also some bad and ugly things to talk about. Here is the good, bad, and ugly from the victory.

Good - Tennessee's Rushing Attack

DeSean Bishopp — Sep 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back DeSean Bishop (18) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tennessee Volunteers finished the game with nearly 300 rushing yards, as they finished with 299 against a sound Georgia Tech team. In fact, the Tennessee Vols rushing attack has been viewed as one of the better rushing attacks among teams playing Power 4 games. It all starts with DeSean Bishop, who finished with 147 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 20 carries. Behind him was Daune Morris, who was the only other rushing attack, as Morris finished with 98 yards and only one touchdown. Javin Gordon is the No. 3 running back on the list, as he finished with 32 yards on 10 carries, and was the least dominant back. Faizon Brandon also finished with 22 rushing yards.

Bad - Tennessee's Special Teams Performance

Everyone knows about the blocked punt, which can be pinned on plenty of things, however, I feel it is fair to pin this on the punter, Jackson Ross, who i believe held the ball too long. This wasn't the only mistake made by the Vols on special teams, as Qua Moss muffed a punt, but the Vols did recover a fumble, and Tennessee also finished the game with some penalties on special teams, but they usually wasn't accepted due to a made PAT. This wasn't the best performance by the Vols on special teams, in my opinion.

Ugly - Tennessee's Penalties

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel during a Tennessee football game against Furman at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 5, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Before I started this article, I knew what the ugly was going to be. Tennessee finished the game with a total of 142 yards in penalties that was accepted, along with 14 penalties that were accepted. This doesn't include the penalties that the Vols had but were declined by the Yellow Jackets. This is undisciplined football, and something that will need to be fixed heading into a game against the Kennesaw State Owls, and, of course, a game that many have been keeping their eyes on, the Texas Longhorns game the following week.

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