Faizon Brandon admitted his first college football game felt a little fast at first.
It didn’t stay that way for long.
The true freshman quarterback accounted for five touchdowns in his Tennessee debut Saturday, helping the Vols pull away from Furman after a relatively conservative start.
Brandon finished his afternoon 13-of-17 passing for 226 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He added two touchdowns on the ground before his day ended with 9:26 remaining in the third quarter.
“The first, it kind of felt a little fast — not too fast — but it definitely slowed down,” Brandon said. “After obviously the second drive, it kind of just felt very smooth.”
That progression showed up on the field.
Tennessee eased Brandon into the game with quick throws and a heavy dose of the running game. His first touchdown came on a 17-yard pass to Ethan Davis, while Brandon used his legs to keep plays alive and twice found the end zone himself.
Then Tennessee opened up the passing game.
Brandon connected with Mike Matthews for touchdowns of 55 and 57 yards on consecutive third-quarter possessions. The first came off play action with Matthews running free behind the defense. The second required Brandon to drop a deep ball into tight coverage.
Brandon said the first was the product of heavy play action designed to influence the safety before Matthews got behind the defense.
The connection wasn’t new.
“We’re doing it all fall camp and spring ball,” Brandon said of the two deep balls. “So just to be out there … and do it in front of all the fans, it’s so big.”
Brandon’s legs proved just as important. When plays broke down, his focus was on escaping pressure and finding positive yardage rather than forcing the football.
“If something wasn’t there, just getting outside the pocket and trying to get a positive play and not take any negative,” Brandon said.
That decision-making stood out to Josh Heupel.
Heupel said Brandon managed Tennessee’s offense “extremely well,” praising his communication, decisions and ability to extend plays while protecting the football.
For all the attention surrounding a true freshman making his first start, Heupel wasn’t surprised by what he saw.
“For a young player, he managed and stayed within himself extremely well,” Heupel said.
That may ultimately be the most encouraging part of Brandon’s debut.
The five touchdowns will grab the attention. But Brandon didn’t need to play like a superhero to produce them. He settled into the game, protected the football and took what Tennessee’s offense and Furman’s defense gave him.
