FAYETTEVILLE, AR — Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel said freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon was at the Arkansas game for “emergency use only” because of a right shoulder injury.
There’s an obvious
follow-up question: How close were the 14th-ranked Vols (5-1, 2-1 SEC) to an emergency sitiuation in their nail-biting 24-17 win over the lowly Razorbacks (2-4, 0-3) on Oct. 10?
There wasn’t an opportunity to squeeze that in during Heupel’s 11-minute press conference in the cramped quarters outside the UT locker room in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, where the Vols won for the first time since 2001.
The next question: Does Tennessee’s next game against Alabama qualify as an emergency in which Heupel would consider playing Brandon?
Heupel and his staff will ask themselves those questions as they review this game film.
Sophomore George MacIntyre, Brandon’s replacement, passed for 247 yards, a season high for a UT quarterback. He also committed three turnovers. And the Vols lacked quarterback runs in their offense against an Arkansas defense that had demonstrated a vulnerability to those plays.
Tennessee plays No. 7 Alabama on Oct. 17 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN or SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium. A loss could send the Vols toward a solid-but-unspectacular season. A win could put them on the path to a College Football Playoff appearance.
Heupel must determine if Brandon is available. Then he must pick the right quarterback to start. Then he must consider if he’d be willing to play both against the Crimson Tide.
Is Faizon Brandon in the mix to play against Alabama?
First, let’s consider Heupel’s position on Brandon’s status in the Arkansas game.
“With what he was dealing with, he really didn’t rep during the course of the week. George knew on Monday (before the Arkansas game) that he was going to start,” Heupel said. “And we’ll continue to play it by ear as we keep going. The strength of one room can never be one guy.”
That sounds like Heupel will consider MacIntyre and Brandon week by week, and he certainly wants that narrative around the team. Neither young quarterback has played well enough to lock down the job.
Brandon looked shaky in his first two SEC starts against Texas and Auburn. But he also showed flashes of his talent in those games and certainly in nonconference contests against inferior opponents. He has passed for 697 yards, seven TDs and one interception. And he’s rushed for 130 yards and three TDs.
MacIntyre had a topsy-turvy first start. He made mistakes that could’ve led to a crushing loss. He also made key plays that helped the Vols win. And he kept his composure.
“(MacIntyre) finished really strong. I thought he did a really good job in some adverse situations just playing the next play and pulling the trigger,” Heupel said. “It was a winning performance by him, ultimately.”
Against Arkansas, MacIntyre appeared more deliberate and willing to throw passes into tight windows than Brandon did facing SEC opponents.
Sometimes that turned into big gains for Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley and DaSaahn Brame. They combined for 170 yards after the catch. Other times that turned into an interception that MacIntyre was baited into.
Josh Heupel can't worry about feelings in Alabama QB plan
Part of this quarterback equation is a medical issue.
During pre-game warm-ups, Brandon threw a few passes. They were mostly on 25-yard fade routes where he could lob the throw. He didn’t uncork any of the NFL-level rockets that helped earn him a five-star rating as a recruit.
So the severity of Brandon’s shoulder injury isn’t clear.
Another part of the equation is Heupel’s management of a delicate situation where both MacIntyre and Brandon have a path to being the long-term starter this season and perhaps next season. Each game could tilt that competition for better or worse.
In the Auburn game, MacIntyre showed that he was prepared to play as the backup. He sparked the Vols to a 24-14 win on Oct. 3, so he has certainly remained invested in the team.
It appears Brandon is also playing his part well as a teammate. He congratulated MacIntyre and celebrated with teammates on the field after the win.
“Faizon is dealing with an injury. George handled it well when Faizon got named the starter,” Heupel said. “Faizon has handled it well dealing with his shoulder, continuing to stay invested at practice in the meeting room (and) helping that room out. He was here for emergency use only.”
There’s that word again – emergency. At its core, it means taking quick action to stop a bad result.
Heupel shouldn’t look at the Alabama game as a potential bad result if the Vols lose to their rival. But he should approach it as a prime opportunity to put his team into the midseason playoff picture. And he can’t leave any plan unexplored. That includes playing either quarterback or both.
That’s not an emergency. It’s urgency. And that’s how Heupel should approach the Alabama game: Willing to do anything at quarterback to win, regardless of players’ feelings or long-term ramifications.
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: Josh Heupel ponders 'emergency use' of Faizon Brandon, George MacIntyre vs Alabama
