A Tennessee Vols offensive player who has played just 7 snaps this season could see quite a bit of action against Kennesaw State
The Tennessee Vols could be short at a key position against Kennesaw State on Saturday night.
The Tennessee Vols’ running back room could be a little thin on Saturday against Kennesaw State.
And with a big matchup looming against Texas on September 26, there’s no reason to push the top options in that room.
Tulane transfer Javin Gordon and sophomore Justin Baker both got banged up in Tennessee’s win against Georgia Tech last weekend.
Gordon went down at one point during the game with a knee injury.
Baker, meanwhile, appeared to hurt his hand on a blocked punt.
According to VolQuest’s Austin Price, Baker has a “club” on his hand this week and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to carry the ball against Kennesaw State.
As a result, fifth-year senior Hunter Barnes, a walk-on from Memphis, could see more action on Saturday — specifically in mop-up duty (if the Vols take care of business).
“If he (Gordon) is not good to go, I’m holding him — I’m not gonna put him out there,” said Price on WNML’s Josh and Swain. “I think they can get things done with Barnes as the number three. Because Justin Baker’s got a club on his hand. He’s basically special teams only because I don’t think he can hold the ball well enough in his hand.”
DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris will be the guys to start the game, but if the Vols are able to put Kennesaw State away early, it would be wise to send them both to the bench to preserve their health for Texas.
Barnes played seven snaps in the season opener against Furman. He didn’t receive any snaps against Georgia Tech.
The West Tennessee native has 16 carries for 69 yards in his career. If the Vols are up big in the second half, he could see a significant amount of action.
Tennessee also has true freshman running back Will Rajecki, a former three-star recruit, on the roster.
