Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel told us weeks ago, after George MacIntyre replaced Faizon Brandon, that the Vols would need both quarterbacks at some point this season. People may have their thoughts on the way Heupel answers certain questions, but from what I’ve seen, he hasn’t lied to us or misled us about anything.
MacIntyre has done his job since stepping into the QB1 role. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but his value is more about bringing flow to the offense, and avoiding the mistakes that put the offense in harm’s way. Has he been perfect? Of course not, but nobody is.
During the Kentucky win, Brandon made his first appearance since the Auburn game. His three plays helped throw the Wildcats’ defense off. He rushed for 29 yards on one play and flipped the ball to Mike Matthews for a 24-yard touchdown on another.
Then, on Saturday in College Station, Brandon played a big part in the second half of No. 8 Tennessee’s 22-7 win over Texas A&M. MacIntyre had been efficient at getting the ball out quickly, going 13 of 17 for 109 yards, before he took a big hit from his blind side in the third quarter. He came up hobbling, visited the medical tent, and was later seen in a knee brace.
Heupel said after the game that MacIntyre tried to play through the injury before Tennessee went to Brandon. Tennessee was already without Matthews, who left in the second quarter with a right knee injury and did not return.
Brandon came in for good midway through the third quarter with Tennessee trailing 7-6. He handed the ball to Javin Gordon and DeSean Bishop on almost every snap, with a few runs of his own, and the 11-play, 66-yard drive took 6:18 off the clock before Cooper Ranvier hit a 32-yard field goal to put the Vols up 9-7.
Early in the fourth quarter, Brandon finished a nine-play, 55-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to DaSaahn Brame for a 16-7 lead. He went 1 for 1 passing and ran six times for 36 yards, with a long of 18. Ranvier added two more field goals and finished 5-for-5.
The point here is that both quarterbacks have served this team and will keep doing so. As mentioned in the beginning, Heupel told us that both would.
“Both of them played extremely well,” Heupel said. “Proud of both of those guys, big smiles on their faces, excited about the win. They care about the team and straining and competing.”
Brandon said the wait for his chance wasn’t really hard. For some 18-year olds, being mature about a situation is a bit challenging.
“First, I just want to give all glory to God,” Brandon said. “And I’ll say it wasn’t too tough. Really was just trying to get healthy first and then just stay prepared, wait my turn, keep on learning and preparing like I got to start.”
The package Tennessee used for Brandon against Kentucky and early Saturday gave him snaps before he took over the offense. That helped once he went in for good.
“Kind of got the jitters out early,” Brandon said. “So when I went in, it was kind of just getting with the flow of the game. So I feel like it did help me out early.”
Brandon and MacIntyre competed for the starting job through spring practice and fall camp. Brandon said the two are closer now than they were then.
“I think we have a way better relationship now than we did back then,” Brandon said. “We talk a lot more, feel like we’re more connected and know that we need each other.”
Brandon also handled the clock late as Tennessee closed out the win. The Vols had the ball for 11:33 of the fourth quarter and 42:11 for the game. A lot of that is due to the great job the defense did in getting A&M off the field quickly. The Aggies didn’t have a single drive in the second half that took more than 1:38 off the clock.
“It’s kind of second nature,” Brandon said on working the clock. “We work it a lot, do a lot of situational stuff. So we’re very prepared whenever it happens in a game.”
Tennessee’s defense has made life easier for two young quarterbacks. It has not allowed a second-half point in two straight weeks, and the Aggies finished with 179 total yards. It was Tennessee’s fewest yards allowed against an SEC opponent during the Josh Heupel era and the first time it had held an SEC opponent under 200 total yards since the Vols allowed 193 against Kentucky on Nov. 29, 2008.
With the defense playing like that, the Vols haven’t needed their quarterbacks to win games by themselves. They’ve needed them to take care of the football and keep the offense moving, along with the strong run game.
Tennessee is now 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the SEC. LSU (6-4) is up next for the last regular-season game in Neyland Stadium Saturday, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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