Tennessee left Georgia Tech with a 45-24 win and a 2-0 start, but the final score covered up how uncomfortable this one felt at times. The Vols had to make real plays to keep control, and they did just enough to escape with a result that looked cleaner on paper than it did on the field.
The night turned in a hurry when Dejuan Lane made the play Tennessee needed most. With the game tied 10-10 in the first half and Georgia Tech building momentum, Lane jumped Alberto Mendoza’s eyes, picked off the quarterback and took it back for a touchdown. That was the kind of swing that changes everything.
Tennessee’s defense had its shaky moments, but Jim Knowles also showed why his presence matters. When things started to wobble, he began dialing up pressure, and Mendoza clearly felt it. That adjustment helped Tennessee settle things down in the second half.
DeSean Bishop was every bit the workhorse Tennessee needed him to be. After Colorado had success running on Georgia Tech, Bishop followed that blueprint and punished the Yellow Jackets on the ground.
He finished with 20 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns, including the dagger with 4:25 left. For Josh Heupel, that was the kind of steady, physical production that keeps an offense moving.
Faizon Brandon also did enough to get Tennessee through its first road test. The 19-year-old quarterback completed 10 of 20 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. The accuracy wasn’t always there, but his scoring throws were on target, and he handled the moment well enough to get the Vols home with a win.
Not every Tennessee story was a good one. Jackson Ross had a rough first half after trying to get cute with a rugby-style punt, waiting too long and getting the kick blocked. Georgia Tech turned that into a touchdown and a lead, a mistake that could have gotten a lot worse for Tennessee.
Mike Matthews also didn’t deliver the kind of impact Tennessee was hoping for. After his two-touchdown Week 1, he managed only two catches for 16 yards against Georgia Tech and also drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second half. Braylon Staley had a quieter day too, but his lone catch went for a 20-yard touchdown from Brandon.
Tennessee got the win, and that’s the part that matters most. But this one had enough uneven stretches to leave both good signs and a few obvious things to clean up.
In Other News...
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 🡒]