Faizon Brandon’s first road start came with plenty of attention, but Tennessee’s freshman quarterback looked steady enough in Atlanta to keep the Vols rolling.
Brandon helped lead Tennessee to a 45-24 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday night, finishing 10-of-21 for 148 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He added five carries for 22 yards, and the performance came in a setting that could have rattled an 18-year-old making his first road start. It didn’t.
Josh Heupel said the box score doesn’t fully capture what Brandon gave Tennessee.
“The stat sheet is not going to be elite,” Heupel said. “I actually really like the way he played the game.
I thought he was composed, he handled himself in situational football pretty well. First game on the road, 18 years old, handled himself well, took care of (the ball).
Scrambled, made some plays. There’s a couple things that he’s going to learn from and get better from, but all in all, really good.
He had a great look, demeanor. He’s been consistent in that way.”
Brandon’s outing followed his eye-opening debut against Furman, and Saturday gave him a different kind of test. Georgia Tech was a step up from an FCS opponent, and the road atmosphere could have been more difficult. Instead, Tennessee fans showed up in force and turned much of the stadium orange.
“Yeah, it was a lot of orange, very proud to see all that,” Brandon said. “It definitely made it easier.
No, it wasn’t too much noise, definitely got a little rowdy sometimes. But just seeing all the orange, it definitely made me proud to see that.”
Tennessee now brings Brandon back home for a stretch that starts Saturday against Kennesaw State. After that, the schedule turns to SEC play with Texas and then Auburn coming to Rocky Top.
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Josh Heupel Is Closing In On Another Tennessee Coaching Milestone
Josh Heupel keeps stacking up the kind of wins that matter in Knoxville history, and his latest milestone pushed him past Doug Dickey for sixth on Tennessees all-time coaching list. Since taking over in 2021, Heupel has built a 47-20 record and continued to give the Volunteers the kind of steady success that has made his tenure one of the more productive stretches in the programs modern era.
The next landmark is within reach, too, with Bowden Wyatt sitting just ahead of him in fifth place. Heupels perfect mark against opponents with losing records has helped Tennessee stay on pace, and with three more wins this season he could climb again on a list that still carries plenty of weight around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Faizon Brandon Passed Tennessees First Road Test Now Comes The Real Challenge
Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon handled his first road start with the kind of calm Tennessee could reasonably ask for, helping the Volunteers leave Georgia Tech with a 45-24 victory. Brandon completed 10 of 21 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, added 22 rushing yards and, most importantly for a young quarterback in a tough setting, kept the game under control without turning the ball over.
Now the test gets more interesting. Brandon has already shown he can navigate a hostile environment and make enough plays to back up the rest of Tennessee's talent, but the next stretch will ask for more than poise and caution. For a quarterback still settling into the job, the challenge is no longer simply surviving a road game. It's doing it again, with teams starting to adjust. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees First Road Win Still Left Vols Fans With One Concern
Tennessee left Bobby Dodd Stadium with its first road win of the season and a 45-24 result that gave the Vols a 2-0 start, but the box score still told a story of a team easing into its identity. Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon helped settle things early enough, and Tennessee spent much of the middle stretch of the game in control while both sides of the ball found a groove away from home.
Even so, the finish left a familiar unease for fans who watched Georgia Tech keep pressing late. Tennessee backed off into a more conservative approach as the Yellow Jackets tried to chip away at the margin, and for a moment it felt like the game might get tighter than it had any business being. The Vols still handled the comeback push, but the way the closing minutes unfolded offered a reminder that there is still a little polishing left to do. [Read more 🡒]