South Carolina’s defense is getting ready for a quarterback mystery.
As the Gamecocks prepare to host No. 11 Tennessee on Oct. 24 at 3:30 p.m.
ET on ESPN, Shane Beamer said he still doesn’t know whether his defense will see sophomore George MacIntyre or freshman Faizon Brandon. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel hasn’t named a starter, and Beamer made clear the Gamecocks are planning for both.
“Both really really good players,” Beamer said Oct. 20 during his weekly press conference. “Brandon was a high school teammate of (South Carolina freshman DB) Kosci Barnes, so I remember going to ... Grimsley High School to check in on Kosci and Josh Heupel literally arrived at the same moment I did, and we were there at the same time … got a ton of respect for his ability."
Brandon won the job out of camp and started five games before hurting his shoulder. He was available against Alabama but didn’t play.
On the season, Brandon is 61-of-101 for 697 passing yards, with seven touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked 10 times in Tennessee’s lone loss to Texas.
MacIntyre took over in last week’s 26-10 win over No. 13 Alabama and helped Tennessee stay on track.
He completed 21 of 31 passes for 197 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in that game. For the season, he’s 53-of-80 for 592 passing yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Beamer said MacIntyre has kept improving.
“MacIntyre ... you see him continuing to get better each and every week,” Beamer said. “With his ability to run the offense, get rid of the ball when it's not there in the passing game, sit in the pocket, throw the ball downfield, but make good decisions and continue to play winning football. And that's what I think both those guys are doing a great job of is playing winning football.”
South Carolina starting defensive lineman Tomiwa Durojaiye echoed the same message: don’t fixate on one name.
“You gotta be prepared for both quarterbacks. Both quarterbacks are hell of a player, I think there's a reason why both quarterbacks have played," Durojaiye said. "I see an offense that's running like a well-oiled machine right now."
The Gamecocks enter at 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the SEC after their upset win over Florida, while Tennessee comes in at 6-1 and 3-1. South Carolina will also be trying to summon the memory of its biggest recent win in the series, though Beamer was careful not to lean too hard into it.
Tennessee hasn’t played at Williams-Brice Stadium since Nov. 19, 2022, when South Carolina stunned the then-No. 5 Vols 63-38 and knocked them out of playoff contention. The Gamecocks scored so many touchdowns they ran out of fireworks, and it remains one of Beamer’s biggest wins.
“I think I touched on it this morning for maybe five seconds in the team meeting, but it was more that you know Tennessee hasn't been in Columbia since 2022,” Beamer said. “More important than reminiscing about that night is understanding how well we played that night in all three phases and preparing that way this week to go up against you know a completely different Tennessee team that was a great challenge back in 2022. It'll be a great challenge this Saturday also.”
Tennessee beat South Carolina 41-20 the following season in Knoxville, and the teams have not met since.
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