Tennessee is officially 3-0 on the season and to be honest no one should be surprised by that. The three-game winning streak now includes a 42-9 win over Kennesaw State, as this one was never close. Faizon Brandon made plays needed again, while the ground game was once again electric for Josh Heupel.
With Texas heading to Knoxville next, this team has plenty of confidence moving forward. With that said, there are still some worries for the Vols, which we cover with our winners and losers from this most-recent win below.
DeSean Bishop (loser) is dealing with a hip injury that has us nervous
Stud running back DeSean Bishop carried the ball nine times for 42 yards and a touchdown, but countless fans are now worried sick due to his hip injury. Bishop went down in the first half after landing awkwardly. He returned in the third quarter for two more carries, but then was subbed out due to clearly still being in a ton of pain. The Vols need him as close to 100 percent as possible to take on the Longhorns.
Daune Morris (winner) took full advantage of his extra work in Week 3
With Bishop banged up, it opened the door for Daune Morris to get more work. He showed people what he can do in a big way, carrying the ball 14 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. This came after him scoring against Georgia Tech in Week 2 as well. If Bishop is limited against the Longhorns, Morris will continue to get more carries - Vols fans can trust him to keep playing at a high level too.
David Sanders Jr. (winner) keeps living up to his 5-star hype
It's time for us all to give the Vols offensive line some love. They collectively did tremendous work in opening up holes for all the running backs and protecting Brandon. With that, tackle David Sanders Jr. continues to get better each week. Sanders, a former 5-star signee, was a force in the trenches moving Kennesaw State d-linemen with ease. More of the same come next weekend against Texas please, David.
Will the real Mike Matthews (loser) please stand up?
We might be hard on Mike Matthews, but it's because he's got so much dang potential to be a total superstar for this offense. After a quiet showing against the Yellow Jackets, Matthews followed that up with another disappointing performance. He caught four balls for 41 yards, but couldn't reel in a deep bomb from Brandon which would have led to a nifty score in the second half. Will the Matthews breakout game of 2026 come soon? Maybe he's saving it to take on Texas...
Faizon Brandon (winner) is doing what it takes to keep on growing
Brandon isn't playing perfect football right now and that's what the non-conference schedule is for. Brandon had two more touchdowns on the night, throwing for one and adding another on the ground. He did lose a fumble, but we'll let it slide.
The true freshman QB's confidence continues to grow. That's going to be key with the No. 1 team in the nation up next. The Texas defense won't let Brandon get away with sloppy play, but his start to his Tennessee career should give people some hope that the Vols can pull off a stunner at Neyland Stadium against Steve Sarkisian's group.
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