Tennessee football has reached the halfway mark of the season with a 5-1 record, which can be attributed to a stout defense, running back DeSean Bishop and a favorable schedule.
So what if the Vols haven’t dazzled anybody or that they have one of the least productive passing offenses in college football (110th in yards per game). If they can duplicate their 5-1 record in the second half of the season, they will make the College Football Playoff.
Conclusion: You don’t always have to look like a playoff team to become a playoff team.
The Vols are a seven-point underdog against Alabama on Oct. 17 at Neyland Stadium. If they aren’t favored in their other five games, they likely will be only a slight underdog.
But if they falter in the second half of
the season, last January will come to mind. And fans will wonder: “Did Tennessee try hard enough to sign a quarterback in the transfer portal?”
Coach Josh Heupel didn’t totally ignore the portal. He knew the risk of starting an inexperienced quarterback in a conference as unforgiving as the SEC. So, he tried.
Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt visited UT but signed with LSU. Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula also visited but signed with Virginia. Of the two, Tennessee was more interested in Leavitt.
The Vols also expressed an interest in Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, according to media reports. However, Simpson turned pro.
And when the portal closed, Tennessee was left to choose between two inexperienced quarterbacks – freshman Faizon Brandon and second-year player George MacIntyre, who saw little playing time last season as a backup to Joey Aguilar.
Halfway through the season, the Vols are still trying to choose between the two. Brandon, who won the starting job in preseason, got positive reviews in three consecutive victories against outmanned nonconference competition but was awful against Texas and Auburn.
You can only guess how much his poor play was due to an elite Texas defense or a shoulder injury suffered in that 20-17 loss. But he was at his worst against Auburn when he was benched late in the first half.
MacIntyre replaced him, led the Vols past Auburn and started in UT’s 24-17 victory over Arkansas on Oct. 10. He completed 18 of 29 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown but also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the win.
The two quarterbacks have flashed some ability but left you with more questions than answers. The overriding question isn’t just “how good are they?” It’s “how good can they become?”
One more question: How good can they become in the second half of the season?
Tennessee seemingly has enough defense and running game to make the playoffs. But at some point, the Vols likely will need a more effective passing game.
And they will need healthy quarterbacks. How much of a factor is Brandon’s shoulder injury? Who knows?
Heupel said Brandon was available for “emergency use only” against Arkansas. Perhaps, he will be more available against Alabama.
Other SEC teams have found quarterback answers.
Missouri is 5-1, thanks, in part, to the play of Ole Miss transfer quarterback Austin Simmons. He has completed 64.8% of his passes for 1,434 yards, 14 touchdowns and only one interception.
Kentucky is 5-1 and ecstatic that it signed Notre Dame transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey. He has completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,394 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception. He also came up clutch in the Wildcats’ back-to-back overtime wins against South Carolina and LSU.
Imagine if Tennessee had signed either one of those transfers.
It’s too late for Simmons or Minchey. Now, the Vols should be looking ahead to January when the portal reopens – just in case.
They need to decide if they can be a playoff team with either Brandon or MacIntyre at quarterback. If not, they can ill afford to miss out on the next class of transfer quarterbacks.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Will Josh Heupel, Tennessee football regret not signing transfer QB? | Adams
