COMMENTARY: Tennessee loses Dodson, shifts focus to Georgia Tech

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After defeating the Furman Paladins 56-9 on Saturday, the Tennessee Volunteers were met with the unfortunate news that wide receiver Joakim Dodson will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a right leg injury. "You just hate it for him," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "[We] saw great strides in him as a player." While Dodson was not one of the Volunteers' primary weapons on offense, his dynamic performance on special teams will be missed. In the 2025 Music City Bowl, Dodson returned a kickoff for a 94-yard touchdown in just his second career return. On Saturday, he returned his first kickoff of the season to the Volunteers' 45-yard line. While Tennessee undoubtedly has a plethora of talent on special teams, Heupel believes Dodson will be difficult to replace. "[Tyreek] King is the first guy that needs to continue to grow," Heupel said. "He's done a good job… we've got great trust in him." For now, though, Tennessee's focus shifts towards the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who they will face off against in Atlanta on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets came into the season with sky-high expectations following a 9-4 2025 campaign led by now-Carolina Panthers quarterback Haynes King. The 2026 season, however, did not start as planned for Georgia Tech. After acquiring Indiana quarterback Alberto Mendoza (the brother of the 2025 Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza) in the transfer portal, the Yellow Jackets dropped their first game of the season. The game ended in a 14-13 heartbreak for Georgia Tech, as the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes mounted an unlikely fourth quarter comeback in Atlanta. Perhaps most embarrassing for Georgia Tech, though, is the fact that Colorado totaled 183 rushing yards, and did not commit a single turnover. If Colorado can rush for nearly 200 yards against Georgia Tech, one can only wonder what damage the Tennessee backfield can do. Tennessee relying on the run is imperative on Saturday, especially considering the fact that the matchup marks Faizon Brandon's first career road start. "It'll be a physical football game on Saturday night," Heupel said. "We have to win with physicality." Perhaps even more important for Tennessee, however, is protecting the football. The Volunteers turned the ball over twice against Furman on Saturday, causing concern entering their matchup with Georgia Tech. And although Tennessee is a 13.5-point favorite this weekend, they can ill-afford to be flippant offensively. Since Josh Heupel took the reins of the Volunteers in 2021, the team is 24-6 when they win the turnover battle, and 7-10 when they lose it. While Tennessee fans eagerly await the team's first true test, they will have to wait until Saturday, September 12, at 7 PM to get another look at Heupel's new-look offense.