If you’re trying to figure out what’s going on with Tennessee’s quarterbacks, good luck.
But don’t expect any help from coach Josh Heupel, who benched starter Faizon Brandon toward the end of the first half against Auburn on Oct. 3. Backup George MacIntyre came off the bench, completed 8 of 10 passes, and helped lead the Vols to a 24-14 victory.
Naturally, the first question at Heupel’s weekly news conference on Oct. 5 was something like: “Who will start at quarterback against Arkansas?”
“We’ll find out as the week goes here,” Heupel said.
Will we? I doubt it.
In fact, how can you trust anything Heupel says about his quarterbacks?
At the news conference, he said matter-of-factly that “Brandon obviously wasn’t at his best dealing with, you know, getting
injured in the Texas game. It was affecting his game.”
If Brandon was playing hurt, why wasn’t he listed on the SEC’s availability report?
It’s a matter of semantics.
Brandon was available for the game, so Tennessee wasn’t lying. But the intent of that list is to clarify the physical status of players. Are players probable, questionable, doubtful or out?
Of course, SEC coaches manipulate the injury report to their advantage. And I can understand why Heupel wouldn’t want an opponent to know the status of his quarterback. It’s gamesmanship.
But he didn’t do Brandon any favors by leaving him off the availability list. Instead, he should have listed him as “probable.”
Fans and media then might have cut Brandon some slack while watching him compile one of the worst first-half stat lines you will ever see from an SEC quarterback: three completions in eight passing attempts for no yardage and one interception.
Heupel did mention in a brief halftime interview that Brandon wasn’t 100%. But when asked postgame if Brandon’s play was affected by injury, Heupel said: “I don’t know that I would say that.”
Confused yet?
Read the next paragraph before answering.
Two days after downplaying how an injury might have affected Brandon’s play, Heupel emphasized the significance of an undisclosed injury, presumably to Brandon’s right shoulder.
That might make you wonder: Was Heupel just saying that to curb criticism of his quarterback or to soothe Brandon’s feelings after benching him?
I don’t doubt that Brandon absorbed a beating from the Longhorns in a 20-17 loss. He was sacked 10 times and took enough jarring hits for three games.
His confidence took a hit against Auburn. He had more time to throw but was reluctant to turn the ball loose.
Maybe a shoulder injury contributed to his indecisiveness. But also keep in mind that he’s a true freshman matched against crafty SEC coordinators and more talented defenders than he has ever faced.
That would be challenging for a fully healthy young quarterback.
MacIntyre, who played only sparingly last season as a freshman, was up to that challenge against Auburn. He was cool as could be in the heat of a close SEC game. He spotted open receivers downfield and was on target and on time with his throws.
Not only was he good enough to beat Auburn. He was good enough to earn the starting job against Arkansas on Oct. 10.
However, I can see why Heupel wouldn’t tip his hand whether MacIntyre or Brandon would start. He should make Arkansas prepare for both quarterbacks.
But even if Heupel had named his starter at the Oct. 5 news conference, how could you be sure?
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: Why you can't trust what Josh Heupel tells you about his quarterbacks | Adams
