More than 102,000 fans at Neyland Stadium watched as Tennessee’s true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon went down with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury during the Volunteers’ 20-17 loss to No. 1 Texas. Brandon briefly left the game, giving way to sophomore George MacIntyre, but returned before halftime to a standing ovation.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel described Brandon as “mentally and physically tough” and said the quarterback would learn a lot from the experience. Brandon completed 17 of 29 passes for 145 yards, including a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to Mike Matthews that set up a successful onside kick. He also rushed 23 times for just two yards and took 10 sacks, half of them from Texas pass rusher Colin Simmons.
Heupel was frank about the offensive performance. “Quarterback — not good enough,” he said. Brandon’s longest completed pass measured 30 yards, but the game largely saw him settle for short throws. He missed a critical fourth-and-seven attempt to Braylon Staley near the end of the first half, which denied Tennessee a chance to score inside Texas territory.
Texas extended their lead when Qua Moss returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Tennessee struggled to respond on the following drives. Brandon managed one first down before being sacked twice in quick succession by Simmons, forcing a punt.
Brandon’s final drive ended in disappointment. The Volunteers committed a holding penalty, a false start, and drew a 15-yard facemask penalty on Texas. The last play was an incomplete Hail Mary pass. Heupel said Brandon was disappointed, but not because of the injury. “Not playing to the standard offensively” was the issue, he added.
Despite the loss and offensive struggles, Brandon demonstrated resilience in his first true test against a top-ranked opponent. The Volunteers fell to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in SEC play, while Texas improved to 4-0 and 1-0 in the conference.
According to Yahoo Sports.
