Kent State HC makes extremely strong statement about Tennessee Vols after 71-0 loss in Knoxville
Kent State head coach Kenni Burns unsurprisingly left Neyland Stadium on Saturday night extremely impressed by the Tennessee Vols. Tennessee was incredibly dominant in a 71-0 win against the Golden Flashes, allowing just 112 yards of total offense. The Vols still haven't allowed an offensive touchdown since the regular season finale against Vanderbilt in 2023. […]
Kent State head coach Kenni Burns unsurprisingly left Neyland Stadium on Saturday night extremely impressed by the Tennessee Vols.
Tennessee was incredibly dominant in a 71-0 win against the Golden Flashes, allowing just 112 yards of total offense.
The Vols still haven't allowed an offensive touchdown since the regular season finale against Vanderbilt in 2023.
After the game, Burns told reporters that he thinks Tennessee is a national championship contender not just because of their offense, but because of how good their defense is.
"Everybody talks about the Tennessee offense, which is really good, but the biggest jump to me and why they are a national championship contender is how good their defense is," said Burns. "We knew that coming in. And we had some uphill battles up front. We did the best we could to try and manage those. But I thought our offensive line, they went out and they fought. That is all they could do. They went out and fought."
Tennessee hasn't faced an elite opponent yet this season, so it still remains to be seen just how elite the Vols' defense truly is, but through three games this season, they've been extremely dominant.
If Tennessee's defense can continue to play at this level, and if the offense continues be explosive in the running game and in the passing game, then the Vols will undoubtedly be a factor in the College Football Playoff later this year.
The Vols are good. Real good. But they've gotta find a way to sustain it for nine more regular season games in order to have a chance to bring a national championship back to Rocky Top.
