Tennessee football quarterback George MacIntyre was steady in the biggest game of his life as the 14th-ranked Vols beat No. 7 Alabama 26-10 on Oct. 17.
MacIntyre, a former Brentwood Academy standout, made in his second straight start. And it's one he'll never forget.
He has held the job since replacing freshman Faizon Brandon, who was available after recovering from a right shoulder injury but did not play in the game.
MacIntyre helped Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) pull off a third straight home win over Alabama (5-2, 3-2) in the series in a deafening Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee plays South Carolina (3-3, 1-3) on Oct. 24 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN or SEC Network) at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. Here’s a quick rundown of MacIntyre’s performance
against Alabama.
George MacIntyre stats
MacIntyre was 21-of-31 passing for 197 yards and one interception against Alabama.
This was MacIntyre’s sixth appearance of the season and his second start. Against Furman, he completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards, one TD and no interceptions. Against Texas, he completed 1 of 3 passes for 6 yards. He didn’t attempt a pass against Kennesaw State. Against Auburn, he completed 8 of 10 passes for 86 yards.
In his first start against Arkansas, MacIntyre was 18-of-29 passing for 247 yards, one TD and two interceptions.
George MacIntyre’s best: Streaky completions toward scores
MacIntyre had a steady start, completing 4 of 5 passes for 47 yards on a well-designed, well-executed script of plays. He connected with Mike Matthews, DeSean Bishop and Radarious Jackson. Unfortunately, that opening drive stalled and ended in a field goal. That was a reoccurring theme in the first half.
On Tennessee’s TD drive in the third quarter, MacIntyre calmly completed three straight passes to keep the Vols on the move. And he hit another hot streak on UT's second TD drive in the fourth quarter.
George MacIntyre’s worst: Interception that led to Alabama TD
Tennessee was shutting out Alabama until an interception thrown by MacIntyre gave the Crimson Tide an easy score.
On a first-and-10 play from UT's 14-yard line, MacIntyre’s pass over the middle went high and skipped off the hands of Radarious Jackson. Whether it was an errant pass or a Jackson drop, it was picked off by Ivan Taylor. Alabama’s offense scored a touchdown on the next play.
Grade: A-
Tennessee needed MacIntyre to be calm amid a raucous atmosphere and a sellout crowd of 101,915. It needed him to make mostly wise decisions. It needed him to make accurate passes in critical situations. And it needed him to exceed all expectations of a young quarterback making his second career start.
MacIntyre checked every box, which will stamp his name in this UT chapter of the “Third Saturday in October” rivalry. That’s quite a feat, especially for a Tennessee native.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Grading QB George MacIntyre in memorable Tennessee football win over Alabama
