It'll be Tennessee football's season opener when Furman comes to Neyland Stadium, but the Paladins got an early start to their 2026 campaign on Aug. 27.
Furman beat Anderson, a Division II team, to start its season at home in Greenville, South Carolina. It wasn't an overwhelmingly convincing performance but ended in a 20-3 victory for the Paladins (1-0).
The Vols play Furman on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+/ESPN+).
Quarterback Jake Garcia started at quarterback for Furman. A fifth-year Michigan transfer, Garcia won the job over Western New Mexico (Division II) transfer Connor Ackerley, junior Nehuel Garcia and freshman Trey Smith.
How Furman quarterback Jake Garcia played in season opener
Garcia finished his first start for Furman going 15-of-28 passing for 183 yards and an interception. He also had
nine rushes for 51 yards and avoided taking any sacks.
Garcia didn't complete a pass until the second quarter but wasn't aided by his receivers, who dropped multiple passes. The highlight of the first half — and the game — for Garcia was a 49-yard completion deep over the middle to set up an eventual touchdown.
Jake Garcia 49 yard pass to Daniel Haughton! pic.twitter.com/F5Mf3ODACC
— Furman Football (@PaladinFootball) August 28, 2026
Garcia's interception came in the red zone in the third quarter. He had a receiver free in the end zone but couldn't quite thread his pass over the defensive back, who leapt to pick it off.
ELEVATION FROM CARTER WIT! He hauls in the interception near the goal line to stop the Paladin drive!!#ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/aVOkFHmXbQ
— Anderson Trojans Football (@AUTrojansFB) August 28, 2026
In the fourth quarter, an Anderson linebacker jumped one of Garcia's passes but dropped the interception that, with an open field ahead of him, could've been returned for a touchdown.
Jake Garcia transferred from Michigan, his fourth FBS school
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Garcia spent time at four different FBS schools before arriving at Furman this summer.
He was a four-star recruit in the class of 2021 and spent two seasons at Miami, starting one game and appearing in eight others. Garcia then transferred to Missouri ahead of the 2023 season but didn't appear in a game before heading to East Carolina the next year. In six games at ECU, he threw for 1,426 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Garcia's most recent stop before Furman was Michigan. He appeared in one game for the Wolverines and didn't attempt a pass.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How quarterback for Tennessee football's first opponent played in season opener
