The Faizon Brandon benching is the story in Knoxville after No. 17 Tennessee beat Auburn 24-14 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Coach Josh Heupel pulled the freshman quarterback late in the second quarter and turned to George MacIntyre.
Why the Faizon Brandon benching happened
Brandon started and went 3 of 8 for zero passing yards, CBS Sports reported. He also threw an interception at Tennessee’s 19-yard line. Auburn turned that short field into a touchdown, a 7-yard run by Byrum Brown, and led 7-3 at halftime.
Heupel pulled him with about five minutes left in the half. Afterward he said, “We’ll go watch the tape. Faizon ultimately didn’t play his best football. The turnover on the sideline and some of the things, just progressions,” per CBS Sports.
Brandon is the No. 3 quarterback in the 2026 signing class, according to CBS. The week before, he went 17 of 29 for 145 yards in a 20-17 loss to Texas, and the Longhorns recorded 10 sacks, an AP report said. Heupel said then that Brandon “didn’t get rid of it when he needed to get rid of it.”
MacIntyre and Bishop turn the game
MacIntyre, a sophomore, finished 8 of 10 for 86 yards. One incompletion was a drop, and he hit Mike Matthews for 42 yards. Clarksville Online noted he directed all three second-half touchdown drives.
The runner who finished them was DeSean Bishop. He carried 34 times for 220 yards and scored from 25, 44 and 5 yards out, all after halftime. It was his second 100-yard game this season and the sixth of his career, per Clarksville Online. He is the first Tennessee back with 200 yards and three touchdowns in a game since Eric Gray in 2019, per the National Football Post.
The defense helped, too. Auburn committed 11 penalties for 94 yards and Brown threw two interceptions, according to the AP game story. Tennessee outscored Auburn 21-7 after the break and moved to 4-1, 1-1 in the SEC. Auburn fell to 3-2, 1-2.
Dejuan Lane led the defense with nine tackles, two sacks and an interception, Clarksville Online reported. Amare Campbell added nine tackles and a sack, and Tevis Metcalf also came up with an interception.
Brown still did damage. He went 22 of 33 for 159 yards and a touchdown through the air and ran for 107 yards, per the National Football Post. Auburn also lost a fumble.
Tennessee played without guards Wendell Moe, who is out for the season, and Sham Umarov, who is expected back soon. Nic Moore and Donovan Haslam started in their place, per the AP.
What the Faizon Brandon benching means for Arkansas
Heupel did not name a starter for the trip to Arkansas, and he left the door open for both quarterbacks, so the Faizon Brandon benching may not be permanent. “We’re gonna need them both throughout the year,” he said, per CBS Sports.
Before Saturday, ESPN data showed Brandon with 697 passing yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions through four games. That’s a real résumé, and one bad half doesn’t erase it. It does hand MacIntyre a strong case after a clean second half.
Tennessee is 4-1 with a defense and a running game that carried Saturday’s comeback, which is why the Faizon Brandon benching did not sink the afternoon. Bishop’s workload also gives Tennessee a way to win without leaning on the passing game. Kickoff at Arkansas is set for 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network. For more on the Vols’ season so far, read our Auburn vs. Tennessee preview, and see how Arkansas looked ahead of this game in our Arkansas vs. Texas A&M preview.
