KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more, tying a program freshman record and leading No. 20/18 Tennessee to a 56-9 season-opening victory over Furman on Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium.
With the thermometer reading 90 degrees at kickoff, tying for second-hottest ever at the venue, Brandon coolly finished the day 13 of 17 passing for 226 yards and carried 10 times for 68 yards on the ground, accounting for five scores in his college debut. He tied a UT freshman record held by Casey Clausen (5 TD passes vs. Arkansas on Nov. 11, 2000) and Tyler Bray (5 TD passes vs. Memphis on Nov. 6, 2010).
Junior wide receiver Mike Matthews was Brandon’s top target vs. the Paladins, racking up a career-high 132 yards receiving on four catches and registering scoring plays of 55 and 57 yards. It marked the fourth 100-yard effort of the junior’s career. Senior running back DeSean Bishop, meanwhile, led the rushing attack with 97 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Sophomore Justin Baker added 89 yards on three carries in reserve, including a 73-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
Those efforts enabled Tennessee to accumulate 638 yards of total offense, reaching 600-plus for the 11th time in 66 games under Josh Heupel. The Volunteers hit that mark just eight times in the 23 seasons (1998-2020) prior to his arrival.
Defensively, junior tackle Xavier Gilliam and senior linebacker Amare Campbell led the Vols with six tackles each, while senior linebacker Jeremiah Telander was in on five stops. Campbell recorded five tackles for losses, including three sacks, and became the first Volunteer with three-plus sacks in a game since Darrell Taylor had four on Nov. 10, 2018 against Kentucky. Linebacker Edwin Spillman and defensive ends Mariyon Dye and Tyree Weathersby, meanwhile, added sacks of their own to give their squad six for the game.
After the Tennessee defense forced the Paladins into a three-and-out on the game’s opening series, the Big Orange offense needed just under three minutes to score its first points of the season. Brandon went 4-of-5 passing during UT’s initial possession and capped an eight-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown toss to senior tight end Ethan Davis. Cooper Ranvier’s first extra point as a Vol made it 7-0 Big Orange with 10:42 remaining in the first quarter.
Tennessee went 3-of-3 on its possessions in the second quarter, scoring touchdowns on all three drives. On the first one, Brandon ran the option to the left side, kept the ball and scampered into the checkerboard from six yards out with 11:14 left in the period. The Vols tallied again with 3:05 to go, as Bishop scored on a one-yard plunge. Brandon closed out the half by calling his own number again and bursting seven yards up the middle to send his team into the locker room with a 28-0 advantage at the intermission.
The Vols wasted no time adding points in the third period. On play three, Brandon found Matthews all alone for a 55-yard touchdown pass with 13:54 remaining in the quarter. The next drive, Brandon and Matthews connected again, this time from 57 yards out with 11:38 to go to extend the lead to 42-0.
Furman finally got on the scoreboard via a 50-yard Nathan Chapman field goal with 5:55 left in the third to trim the gap to 42-3. Sophomore George MacIntyre entered at quarterback for UT’s fourth series of the period, however, and extended the lead to 49-3 when he found freshman wide receiver TK Keys in the end zone for a 22-yard strike to complete a 10-play, 75-yard drive.
The Paladins tallied their first touchdown at the outset of the final frame, as running back Isaiah Davis scored on a 23-yard run to make it 49-9 Vols with 13:13 on the clock. Tennessee countered a couple of minutes later, though, as Baker ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run with 11:40 remaining to end the game’s scoring.
UP NEXT
The Vols will be in Atlanta next Saturday, as they visit Bobby Dodd Stadium and take on Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. The contest will be televised by ESPN.
