Looking forward …
Kennesaw State, no doubt mesmerized by the forthcoming big game, managed to lose to Georgia State, at home, 31-17, on Saturday past.
Kennesaw State? Who, what, when, where and why?
A spokesman says it is an innovative research university with momentum – driven by world-class academics, athletic championships and economic impact – pushing progress forward at every level.
The website says it has a great location, just 20 or 25 minutes north of Atlanta, depending on traffic congestion. It says it has 51,000 students, some of whom play football.
This Kennesaw State is next in line for the also charging-ahead Tennessee Volunteers, Neyland Stadium, 7:45 or whenever the SEC Network says to start, on this coming Saturday.
Why, you ask?
Jerry Mack, coach of the Owls, and Josh Heupel are friends. As a favor, Mack was invited to bring his boys for this friendly event. Jerry was Josh’s running backs coach for the first three seasons in Knoxville.
Mack was a miracle worker last season. He transformed the remnants of a 1-10 inherited team into a 9-3 surprise and Conference USA champion. It earned the school’s first bowl bid, the Myrtle Beach Bowl, played in Conway instead of on the sand. Attendance was 9,139. Western Michigan won, 41-6.
Cheers, nevertheless, for Jerry Mack. See you Saturday.
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Looking back …
I tried to tell you a week ago that Georgia Tech would play better against Tennessee than it did against Colorado. And it did – but that wasn’t nearly good enough to offset the Volunteers’ head-strong running attack and big-play defense.
Think what the winning numbers might have been without all those penalties. Yards erased were a record for the Heupel era. His teams have had 10 or more violations in 20 games. Some might see that as a shortage of discipline.
Think how much faster the game would have been without all those delays and the unfortunate injuries.
One fan provided insight: Our strengths are promising. Our weaknesses may get us killed.
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In answer to another reader’s question, unsportsmanlike flags were against wide receiver Mike Matthews, safety Dejuan Lane and defensive tackle Ethan Utley. Such penalty decisions are usually based on how much yapping officials will tolerate.
I thought pass interference calls were correct and additional fouls were not flagged.
Final answer: Yes, the officials were from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
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Bits ‘n pieces …
Jim Knowles’ defense is much better than was last year’s at this point.
For now, Faizon Brandon isn’t sure about all those road-game difficulties he’s heard about. Communications in Atlanta were OK. Tennessee fans made a difference.
“There was a lot of orange. I was very proud to see all that. It definitely made it easier. There wasn’t too much noise.”
The running attack is helping keep the heat off the young quarterback.
The still unsettled offensive line is cause for concern. It is not exactly knocking opponents off the scrimmage line. That big back named DeSean Bishop is making a lot of yards on his own.
If you are keeping count, you know there were five mistakes by special teams. Self-inflicted wounds are threats to long-team health and welfare.
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Marvin West welcomes comments and questions from readers at marvinwest75@gmail.com Read more westwords. Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our free newsletter.
