Tennessee kicks off a make-or-break season with a brand new starting quarterback and a defense built by Jim Knowles — and Furman is the tune-up act standing in the way.
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FURTENN
FURTENN
OverUnder
Best BetTennessee
Tennessee's talent gap on Furman is massive even with a first-time starter at quarterback, and there's no realistic path to an FCS upset here. Back the Vols on the moneyline and treat the price as the cost of admission for a game that's really about evaluating the new pieces.
Furman
+Stoneking led nation in sacks, TFLs last year
+11 starters return off a 6-6 season
−Massive roster and depth gap vs SEC team
−Toughest test on their non-conference slate
Tennessee
+8 returning offensive starters, deep skill talent
+Jim Knowles defense reportedly ahead of schedule
−First-time starting quarterback, unproven under pressure
−New defensive scheme still installing under Knowles
This one's less about Furman and more about what Tennessee looks like once the lights come on. The Vols enter Saturday, September 5 with a first-time starter under center, either five-star freshman Faizon Brandon or redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, after Brandon reportedly pushed the QB battle into overtime with a strong spring camp. Whoever wins the job inherits one of the SEC's more loaded rosters, with 8 returning offensive starters including running back DeSean Bishop and receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley.
The bigger storyline in Knoxville might actually be on the other side of the ball. Tennessee fired Tim Banks and brought in Jim Knowles, fresh off stints at Ohio State and Penn State, to rebuild a defense that needed an overhaul. Josh Heupel has already said the unit looked ahead of schedule this spring, and a handful of Penn State transfers who know Knowles' scheme give this group a head start most new coordinators don't get. A game like this against an FCS opponent is exactly the low-stakes proving ground a new-look defense wants before SEC play gets real.
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2:30 PM CT
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FUR Furman
TENN Tennessee
Furman isn't just a body, either. The Paladins bring back 11 starters off a 6-6 season, headlined by defensive end Joshua Stoneking, the reigning FCS Defensive Player of the Year who led the nation with 14.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss. That's a legitimate problem for a Tennessee offensive line breaking in a new quarterback, and it's the one matchup wrinkle that keeps this from being a total formality.
Furman Paladins
Tennessee Volunteers
Recent form.
Still, the gap in overall talent and depth here is enormous, and Furman knows it — this is the toughest stretch of their non-conference slate before conference play against Mercer and South Carolina State. For Tennessee, the value of this game isn't the final score, it's game reps: getting a first-time starter comfortable, feeding Bishop early, and seeing how Knowles' defense holds up against live bullets before the SEC schedule, now a 9-game gauntlet, kicks in.
Furman Paladins
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Tennessee Volunteers
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Expect Heupel to keep this one simple schematically and let his skill talent do the work. If the new quarterback settles in quickly and the defense flashes the aggression Knowles is known for, Tennessee walks away with exactly the kind of season-opening confidence boost it needs heading into a brutal SEC slate.
