No. 15 Tennessee routs Kennesaw State 42-9
Team pages: Kennesaw State · Tennessee
No. 15 Tennessee routed Kennesaw State 42-9. Share this game
We had Tennessee favored. It won.
How it swung
Before kickoff, our ratings gave Tennessee a 95% chance, and the closing betting line (Tennessee was a 35.5-point favorite) put it above 99%.
Tennessee led by 12 after the first quarter and by 18 at the half.
Tennessee 42-9 Kennesaw State
Tennessee wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.Kennesaw State 9-42 TennesseeKennesaw State lostMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Tennessee -35.5), at 99% for Tennessee (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores.Watch the plays
The bar and the arrow show Tennessee’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.
- Q1, 11:32Bishop 3-yd TD runTennessee goes ahead 7-0Q1, 11:32 · Tennessee 7, Kennesaw State 07-0score after the play7-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q1, 0:26Brandon 13-yd TD pass to StaleyTennessee leads 15-3Q1, 0:26 · Tennessee 15, Kennesaw State 315-3score after the play15-3score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q2, 1:51Brandon sacked for a 8-yd lossfumblesQ2, 1:51 · Tennessee 18, Kennesaw State 318-3score after the play18-3score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q3, 4:25Brandon 5-yd TD runTennessee leads 35-3Q3, 4:25 · Tennessee 35, Kennesaw State 335-3score after the play35-3score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q4, 8:49Barnes 3-yd TD runTennessee leads 42-6Q4, 8:49 · Tennessee 42, Kennesaw State 642-6score after the play42-6score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
Every drive
Tennessee scored on 7 of its 10 drives; Kennesaw State on 3 of its 11.
Tennessee’s drives are teal, Kennesaw State’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.
“Always fall on it Dont be a hero and try to pick it up on the run”
When fans got loud
Roaring
Fans peaked in the second quarter.
The jump was roaring; the crowd was quiet.
What it cost
Tennessee’s chance to make the playoff rose from 43% to 46%.
Make the playoff
Win the conference
Before the game (September 18, 2026) → after this result, in our model.
Box score
Tennessee 42, Kennesaw State 9
Kennesaw State covered +35.5 by 2.5. The total, 51, stayed under 60.5.
| Team totals | Kennesaw State | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 291 | 446 |
| Passing | 22 of 34, 189 yds | 18 of 26, 178 yds |
| Rushing | 30 for 102 yds | 41 for 268 yds |
| First downs | 18 | 26 |
| Third down | 5 of 13 | 4 of 10 |
| Fourth down | 0 of 0 | 0 of 0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 9 for 90 yds | 3 for 20 yds |
| Time of possession | 30:57 | 29:03 |
Kennesaw State leaders
- Passing Rickie Collins 22 of 34, 189 yds
- Rushing Rickie Collins 14 for 36 yds; Latrelle Murrell 6 for 31 yds
- Receiving Zion Booker 10 for 78 yds; Brayden Munroe 2 for 34 yds
Tennessee leaders
- Passing Faizon Brandon 18 of 26, 178 yds, 1 TD
- Rushing Daune Morris 14 for 116 yds, 1 TD; Hunter Barnes 7 for 63 yds, 1 TD
- Receiving Braylon Staley 4 for 59 yds, 1 TD; Mike Matthews 4 for 41 yds
No rain through the game
77° at kickoff · no rain recorded
September game-day temperatures at Neyland Stadium
Drag along the chart, or step through the game.
Where this weather comes from
Measured at Knoxville Downtown airport, 2.9 miles away, and Knoxville Municipal airport, 10 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.Before kickoff
Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.
Recent games
Last two games
Kennesaw State · 1-1
Rated 158th in our preseason ratings, 149th now.
1-1 in its last two — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.
Last two games
Tennessee · 2-0
Rated 30th in our preseason ratings, 30th now.
Two straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.
Week by week
Tennessee
- Wk 1Wvs Furman56-9
- Wk 2Wat Georgia Tech45-24
Kennesaw State
- Wk 1Wvs West Georgia47-0
- Wk 2Lvs Georgia State17-31
Power rating by week
Tennessee is rated 11.7 points ahead as of week 2. Our power rating by week; higher is better.
Matchups
Biggest mismatch: Kennesaw State’s explosive plays against Tennessee, 89 points
Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.
Kennesaw State’s explosive plays against Tennessee’s defense
Kennesaw State offense, 6th percentile · Tennessee defense, 95th
Kennesaw State’s EPA/play against Tennessee’s defense
Kennesaw State offense, 37th percentile · Tennessee defense, 96th
Kennesaw State’s passing EPA against Tennessee’s defense
Kennesaw State offense, 31st percentile · Tennessee defense, 95th
Season profile, all the rows
Season profile
Line, fans and home field
The betting line, and the fans
Kennesaw State fans are in a better mood than Tennessee fans (93rd vs 21st among FBS fanbases), even with Tennessee favored.
Tennessee favored by 35.5 · Total 60.5
How games like this usually go
Tennessee by 35.5, and it went to form
Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game
The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.
The market
The spread moved 1 point toward Tennessee.
The total rose 1 point.
Spread: −34.5 → −35.5 · Total: 59.5 → 60.5
The books’ cut: 3.1%, the margin built into the odds
Weather at kickoff
Warm and dry. Feels like 80° at kickoff.
Kennesaw State at Tennessee · Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 · Neyland Stadium, Knoxville
- 80°feels like at kickoff
- Dryno rain at kickoff
- 97weather score, Comfortable
- Tiedfor the best of the day's 8 kickoff times
At kickoff, Sept. 19, 2026.
Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.
Later kickoff times scored higher that Saturday
Games in this time zone used 8 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was tied for the best of the day's eight kickoff times. At Neyland Stadium that day, a 2 pm kickoff would have scored 43, against 97 at 7:45 pm.
- noon: 48, Harsh
- 1 pm: 45, Harsh
- 2 pm: 43, Harsh
- 3:30 pm: 47, Harsh
- 4 pm: 49, Harsh
- 6 pm: 78, Mixed
- 7:30 pm: 97, Comfortable
- 7:45 pm: 97, Comfortable (this game)
Weather score at each kickoff time.
Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.
At kickoff, Sept. 19, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.
Home field
Tennessee is worth +6.6 points (±4.8) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 90th percentile.
66% at home, 49% on the road against FBS opponents (35-18 home, 18-19 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +1.6 at home vs. away over 98 games — inside the ±6.7 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 138 miles to get here.