Mike Keith didn’t have to wait long to break in a new Tennessee quarterback on Saturday. Faizon Brandon’s first career touchdown came early against Furman, and it gave the Voice of the Vols an immediate moment to savor on the Vol Network.
The scoring play arrived with 10:42 left in the first quarter, when Brandon hit tight end Ethan Davis for a 17-yard touchdown. Keith’s call matched the moment.
“Looks, down the middle, he fires, complete! Touchdown, Tennessee! Ethan Davis, inside the left hash mark, and a bullet thrown by Brandon, for the first of what we feel like will be many touchdown passes for Faizon,” Keith said on the call.
Brandon kept stacking up highlights after that. He finished with five total touchdowns, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Davis, a six-yard touchdown run, a seven-yard touchdown run, a 55-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews, and a 57-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews.
Tennessee’s offense kept pouring it on from there. DeSean Bishop added a 1-yard touchdown run, George MacIntyre found TK Keys for a 22-yard touchdown catch, and Justin Baker ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run.
By the end of it, Tennessee had eight offensive touchdowns and rolled to a 56-9 win over Furman on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.
The day also marked a new chapter for the Vol Network booth. Jayson Swain joined Keith as the network’s new color commentator, and the former VFL and Knoxville radio host made his debut alongside the longtime play-by-play voice. Swain brought a familiar presence and fit smoothly into the broadcast.
In Other News...
Tennessee Fans Still Found A Way To Keep Game Day Tradition Alive
Rain may have knocked out the full Tennessee Vol Walk before the Furman game at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026, but it did not shut down one of the programs most familiar pregame traditions. With inclement weather forcing a cancellation, the scene outside the stadium still had the feel of a normal Saturday in Knoxville, only with ponchos, fans and a little more improvisation than usual.
Players and fans found a way to make the most of it with a modified walk that still brought both sides together before kickoff. The details were different, but the point of the tradition held up anyway, and for a fan base that treats game day as more than just the four quarters on the field, even a weather delay could not fully interrupt the ritual. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Found An Unexpected Defensive Tone-Setter In Its Debut Win
Xavier Gilliam made a memorable first impression in Tennessees opener, turning his debut into the kind of defensive spark that can change the tone of a season. The redshirt sophomore defensive lineman, a transfer from Penn State, finished with three sacks against Furman, giving the Volunteers a disruptive edge up front and immediately injecting some life into a unit looking for a tone-setter.
It was the most sacks by a Tennessee player in a single game since 2018, a noteworthy marker even against an overmatched opponent. More importantly for the Volunteers, Gilliams arrival added a new layer to the defensive line conversation and hinted at what kind of identity Jim Knowles may be trying to build on that side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Has An Early O-Line Concern Before Georgia Tech
Tennessee got through its season opener against Furman with a little less certainty in the middle of the line than it expected. Sam Pendleton, the Vols returning starting center, was held out after an injury was discovered following warm-ups, leaving the offense to make a quick adjustment before kickoff. Sophomore Nic Moore stepped into the spot and handled the assignment well, giving Tennessee a usable answer in a pinch.
Josh Heupel said Pendleton is expected to be ready for the next game against Georgia Tech, which should ease the immediate concern for a line that needs stability early in the year. Even with Moores solid outing, the Vols will be watching closely to see how quickly Pendleton gets back into rhythm, because center is one of the spots where timing and communication matter as much as raw talent. [Read more 🡒]