Josh Heupel explains decision to bench Faizon Brandon in Vols' win over Auburn
247Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Tennessee's head coach Josh Heupel replaced quarterback Faizon Brandon with George MacIntyre late in the second quarter after Brandon threw his first career interception deep in Tennessee territory.
- Brandon, who was dealing with an upper-body injury, finished the game 3-of-8 for zero passing yards and -9 rushing yards due to sacks, while Heupel noted Brandon did not play his best football despite the injury not necessarily impacting his performance.
- MacIntyre led Tennessee to a comeback victory, generating 198 yards of offense in the second half, completing 8 of 10 passes for 86 yards without turnovers, and helping the team outscore Auburn 21-7 after halftime.
- Tennessee's defense pitched a shutout in the second half, and the Vols improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play with a 24-14 win over Auburn.
- Tennessee will next face Arkansas on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET, with the game airing on the SEC Network.
