Josh Heupel left no doubt that Tennessee’s quarterback situation is still unsettled after the Vols’ road win at Arkansas, and he wasn’t ready to hand George MacIntyre the job moving forward.
MacIntyre did enough in Fayetteville to put himself back in the conversation for the Third Saturday in October, but Heupel stopped short of naming him the starter. That came after Faizon Brandon sat out the Arkansas game entirely.
“Just with what he was dealing with, he really didn’t rep during the course of the week. George knew on Monday that he was going to start this week," Heupel said about the quarterback situation after the win over Arkansas.
"We’ll continue to play it by ear as we keep going. The strength of one room can never be one guy.
I know most of you guys are tired of me saying that, but that’s the truth of it.”
Heupel came into the week trying to keep things under wraps, but the uncertainty was hard to ignore. Brandon struggled in the two games before sitting out against Arkansas, and while Tennessee can talk up the depth in the quarterback room, the reality is less comforting. Brandon and MacIntyre are both inexperienced, and Ryan Staub doesn’t exactly change the picture as the third option.
That matters even more with Alabama headed to Knoxville next week. Tennessee does not need a quarterback situation that drags into a heavyweight matchup against Kalen DeBoer.
Alabama has had its issues on the road in Knoxville in recent years, but the Crimson Tide still arrive as the better team. DeBoer, at least, appears to have settled things by sticking with Keelon Russell.
If Tennessee wants to leave the Third Saturday in October with a home win over Alabama, the offense has to be cleaner than it was against Arkansas. The Vols escaped Fayetteville by the skin of their teeth, and the margin was thin against a team that has struggled badly in SEC play. Alabama is a different level of opponent.
Heupel and his staff now have to sort through the tape and fix what went wrong against the Hogs. Tennessee’s rushing attack bailed the team out late in the fourth quarter, and without that surge, the result could have gone the other way. The Vols were living dangerously.
Heupel doesn’t really have the room to keep this situation murky. Tennessee is still in position to chase early College Football Playoff contention, and the schedule leaves little room for self-inflicted mistakes. A loss to Texas isn’t a disaster, especially with the Longhorns just falling to an inferior Oklahoma Sooners team in Red River, but the bigger point is simpler: Tennessee can’t afford to make life harder on itself.
For now, the answer seems straightforward. Heupel should ride with the quarterback who gives Tennessee its best shot to win in MacIntyre.
In Other News...
Tennessee's Quarterback Situation Just Got More Uncertain Before Arkansas
Tennessees quarterback picture has become even murkier heading into the trip to Arkansas, with Faizon Brandon now dealing with an injury and listed as questionable for the game. The uncertainty adds another layer to a position that was already under a spotlight after Brandon was benched in the previous game against Auburn, when George MacIntyre stepped in and gave the Volunteers a steadier look through the air.
Josh Heupel acknowledged Brandons injury status but stopped short of mapping out how Tennessee will handle the position this week. That leaves the Volunteers waiting on two fronts: whether Brandon can get healthy in time, and whether the staff chooses to lean back toward MacIntyre after his efficient relief work against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Playoff Margin Could Shift Before The Alabama Game
Tennessees early surge has the Volunteers sitting at 4-1 and hovering near the College Football Playoff bubble, which means the margins around them matter almost as much as what happens in Knoxville. Before Tennessee even gets to its Week 7 meeting with Alabama, a handful of high-profile games elsewhere could reshape the picture around the Vols and the teams theyre being compared against.
UCLAs trip to Oregon, Houstons matchup with Kansas State and, most notably, Alabama against Georgia all carry ripple effects for Tennessees playoff standing. The Vols do not play Georgia this season, so the Bulldogs remain part of the broader conversation only from a distance, but Alabama is still very much in front of them on the schedule and in the committee conversation. By the time Tennessee gets its shot at the Crimson Tide, the playoff margin could already look different. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Has A Clear Arkansas Opportunity If The Vols Can Deliver
Tennessee heads into its SEC matchup with Arkansas with a blueprint in hand, and the film from the Razorbacks loss to Texas A&M points to an opening the Vols will want to press. Tennessees spread offense and run game have been the focus of the prep work, with DeSean Bishop set to be a central figure as the Vols try to stress a defense that showed vulnerabilities in its most recent outing. It is the kind of game plan that can travel well if Tennessee can stay on schedule and force Arkansas to defend the full width of the field.
George MacIntyre is expected to make his first career start, which adds another layer to a game Tennessee already views as an opportunity. Arkansas still brings a defense coordinated by Jim Knowles, so the challenge is not hard to identify, even if the tape suggests some cracks to attack. For the Vols, the question is whether they can turn those areas into a real advantage on the road, and whether MacIntyres debut can stay steady enough to let the rest of the offense do its work. [Read more 🡒]