Just a day after Josh Heupel opted not to name a starting quarterback, a report from Pete Nakos and Chris Low has likely given us our answer. Not that it’s any surprise, but Tennessee is expected to start George MacIntrye on Saturday afternoon against Arkansas.
It would be the first career start for MacIntyre, who took over for an ineffective Faizon Brandon last weekend against Auburn.
MacIntyre went 8-10 for 86 yards in relief. It was nothing special from the redshirt freshman, but considering how things started with Brandon under center, it was a big upgrade for the Tennessee offense. DeSean Bishop and the offensive line really got going in the second half to bury Auburn and push the Volunteers to a 4-1 record.
Heupel admitted on Monday that injuries did affect Brandon’s play against Auburn. Brandon took a beating against Texas, exiting the game for a brief stint with a shoulder injury. He would return and ended up taking ten sacks.
MacIntyre lost the quarterback battle this offseason after everyone assumed the job was his back in the spring. Now he has a second chance, with Brandon hurting and still very obviously rattled from that Texas outing. The former 4-star prospect from Brentwood Academy will face a struggling Arkansas team this weekend, and then could potentially return to Knoxville as the starter with Alabama coming to town.
