3 Things That Worry Me About Tennessee State

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First, here’s why I’m NOT worried about the Fightin’ (/checks ChatGPT, can’t remember if this is Tennessee Tech or Tennessee State/finds answer/) TSU Tigers:

1.   You’re not…. You’re not, uh,… you’re not good. TSU finished bottom 10% in most offensive categories in FCS last season and there’s frankly not much reason to expect a turnaround. 251 yards total offense per game was good for 125th out of 126 teams in FCS in 2025.

The Tigers seemed to have improved this season, as they contested Week 0 and busted out for 354 yards, with 265 through the air. And this was against powerhouse…. checks notes… Jackson State. Nevermind.

2.  The entire student enrollment of Tennessee State could fit in the North end zone of Sanford Stadium. Plus the band. Plus the faculty. So it’s not a big program, but they do have a proud history. Unfortunately they could use the talents of famous alumni such as Wilma Rudolph, Richard Dent, and Anthony Mason. And Oprah Winfrey’s NIL Collective.

3.  Tennessee State doesn’t have a rich history against the SEC. They’ve lost all four contests against our conference brethren including a loss to Mike Leach’s 2021 Bizzaro Bulldogs, and 3 losses to Vanderbilt. Not the currently competitive Clark Lea/Diego Pavia Commodores, but Bobby Johnson and Derek Mason coached Vandy teams.  But at least they are assured of covering the 36 or whatever huge point spread Vegas lays out – Kirby don’t care about your parlay.

Now forgive me, as I was weaned at the nipple of Larry Munson’s scratch so here’s what does worry me about playing the 2026 Georgia Bulldog season opener:

1.  Put dents in the defense. The UGA run game simply has to improve, especially in explosiveness. While the 2025 Bulldog rushing attack was fairly efficient at 4.4 yards per attempt, the 79 rushing yards against Auburn, and less than 4 yards a carry the last 2 games starts to rankle one’s mind. Bear in mind we had a quarterback who could run, and who led the team in rushing touchdowns.

There were only 3 running plays more than 30 yards in length last season, and only 2 of the top 4 longest runs made the endzone.

2 .  Getting home. Causing havoc in the opposing offensive backfield is step 1, as that can lead to incompletions or picks, and not allowing backs to hit gaps at speed. A great defense will get home, will make the one-on-one tackle, get the ballcarrier to the ground, and record a negative play. Too many times last season did the UGA front get into the backfield only to lose contain, or not make the initial contact result in a tackle for loss.

Coach Smart alluded to the solid run-stopping ability of recent D-lines, but he also said they’ve been lacking in that “twitch, athleticism, and energy needed to make us better pass rushers”.

 3 . It’s gonna be hot. The forecast is for high 90’s with feels-like into triple digits. And UGA is starting 7 straight weeks of games including hosting Oklahoma and trips to Fayetteville and Bryant-Denny before the first off-week. That’s a pretty tough ask on its own – we don’t need guys suffering cramps and overheating before the meat of the schedule really starts. So stay in the misters, use the cooling benches and shade, and keep the Water Distribution Engineers on their toes.

Call me crazy, just don’t call me late fordinner. Let us know in the comments what you’re feeling about a football team from Tennessee that we really harbor no ill feelings towards. And as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!

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