Daune Morris rushed for a career-high 116 yards and scored one touchdown to help No. 15 Tennessee cruise to a 42-9 victory over Kennesaw State on Saturday night at Knoxville, Tenn.
Faizon Brandon completed 18 of 26 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown for the Volunteers (3-0). Brandon also rushed for 47 yards and one score.
DeSean Bishop and Hunter Barnes also rushed for scores and Braylon Staley had a touchdown reception for Tennessee, which had 268 rushing yards and outgained the Owls 446-291.
Daniel Kinney kicked three field goals for Kennesaw State (1-2). Rickie Collins was 22-of-34 passing for 189 yards and Zion Booker had 10 catches for 78 yards.
The Owls are coached by former Tennessee running backs coach Jerry Mack. He is in his second season at Kennesaw State.
The Volunteers have won their first three games by an average of 33.7 points. Tennessee opens Southeastern Conference play with next Saturday’s home showdown against top-ranked Texas.
Tennessee scored on the game’s first drive as Bishop took it in from the 3.
Kinney kicked a 35-yard field goal with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter. The Volunteers answered as Brandon hit Staley on a 13-yard scoring pass and Luca Wolf ran in the two-point conversion for a 15-3 lead with 26 seconds left in the first quarter.
Cooper Ranvier kicked field goals of 40 and 43 yards in the second quarter as Tennessee led 21-3 at the break.
The Volunteers tacked on early in the third quarter on a 42-yard scoring run by Morris to boost their lead to 25. Brandon later scrambled in from the 5 to make it 35-3 with 4:25 to go in the third.
Kinney booted a 25-yard field goal for Kennesaw State with 12:53 left in the contest. Barnes then scored a 3-yard run with 8:49 remaining for the Volunteers.
The Owls put together a late 14-play, 85-yard drive that reached the Tennessee 2-yard line. But Kennesaw State declined to go for it on fourth down and Kinney made the chip-shot 20-yard field goal with 2:45 remaining.
