By Sawyer Hunley
On Saturday, Tennessee defeated the Auburn Tigers 24-14, but for the Volunteers, the game had an even bigger storyline.
In the second quarter, freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon was replaced by his counterpart George MacIntyre.
Brandon had struggled mightily up to that point, but according to head coach Josh Heupel, the young freshman’s struggles might have been due to injury.
“Faizon obviously wasn’t at his best, dealing with getting injured in the Texas game. It was affecting his game,” said Heupel on Monday.
Whether it was injury or not, you couldn’t deny Brandon’s awful play on Saturday: he completed only 38% of his passes and threw his first career interception.
MacIntyre, on the other hand, was manageable. not so bad.
The Nashville product threw for 86 yards while completing 80% of his passes.
MacIntyre received praise from his head coach and his partner in the backfield, DeSean Bishop.
“A guy that was ready for an opportunity. Didn’t blink an eye. Stayed prepared, stayed hungry and waited for his opportunity and when it came no wonder he didn’t perform the way that he did,” said Bishop.
So, we are back at square one – who is the starter from here on out?
Heupel wasn’t interested in answering that question yet on Monday, as he wants to see his quarterbacks keep competing in practice this week.
“We’ll find out as the week goes here. You’ll find out Saturday,” said Heupel.
From an outside perspective, it seems Tennessee is right back where they were this Summer, with the quarterback battle between Brandon and MacIntyre.
This time, though, there is a bit more of a time constraint as to when the Vols will have to name a starter as they take on Arkansas on Saturday.
Heupel and his staff don’t have an easy choice, as both young quarterbacks have shown flashes of greatness.
The true question is: do you go with the guy that you put all your faith in to start the season, or do you simply ride the hot hand?
UP NEXT: Regardless, the Volunteers head for Fayetteville later this week and will suit up to battle the Razorbacks on Saturday, with kickoff set for 4:15 p.m. EDT.