Faizon Brandon’s first road start didn’t go perfectly, but his Tennessee teammates were impressed by how little the adversity seemed to affect him.
The true freshman completed 10 of 21 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee’s 45-24 win over Georgia Tech. Brandon also escaped pressure multiple times with his legs while avoiding an interception for the second straight game.
For offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., Brandon’s response after Tennessee fell behind 10-7 stood out most.
“He just never flinched,” Sanders said. “He wasn’t making bad decisions, wasn’t just throwing the ball to whoever.”
Sanders said Brandon continued working through his reads, communicating with the offensive line and commanding the huddle despite playing his first road game. He was impressed enough to tell Brandon so on the bus leaving Atlanta.
The composure complemented an athletic trait Tennessee’s defense had been talking about throughout the offseason.
Jordan Norman previously compared Brandon’s elusiveness to Lamar Jackson. Against Georgia Tech, Brandon finally had the opportunity to show it in a setting where defenders could actually tackle him.
“Once he uses his legs, he’s good,” Norman said. “He’s very good.”
Brandon escaped linebacker Kyle Efford on fourth-and-2 to extend a Tennessee drive and later turned another collapsing pocket into a first down.
Norman was equally impressed that Brandon continued looking for receivers while extending plays rather than immediately becoming a runner.
That patience has also earned the trust of Tennessee’s offensive line.
“He does a good job just staying poised, not really just running out of the pocket whenever he feels something,” Sanders said. “He trusts us to pick up the blitzes.”
When protection does fail, Sanders added, Brandon “has the legs to get out of a bad situation.”
Running back Duane Morris has already considered what that could mean for Tennessee’s offense. He said Brandon’s ability to keep the ball and get outside could eventually force defenses to dedicate a spy to the quarterback, potentially creating more opportunities for the Vols’ running backs.
Brandon has shown similar confidence throwing the ball in critical situations.
After Georgia Tech’s blocked punt gave the Yellow Jackets a 10-7 lead, Brandon found Radarious Jackson for 45 yards on third-and-12.
Jackson caught all four of his targets for 64 yards and said Brandon’s willingness to look his way in those situations reflects their growing trust.
“You love to have a quarterback trust [you],” Jackson said, adding that his responsibility is to run his routes well and “get open as quick as possible.”
Brandon later worked through his progressions to find DeSean Bishop for 15 yards as the pocket tightened. He also connected with Braylon Staley for a 20-yard touchdown in a tight window near the boundary.
The explosive plays have come early. Tennessee’s next challenge is making the routine passing game equally consistent.
Several of Brandon’s 11 incompletions against Georgia Tech came on shorter attempts, including multiple throws over the middle. Some were affected by pressure or broken up by defenders. That made the 47.6% completion rate more nuanced than the number alone suggests.
Still, coach Josh Heupel pointed to “fundamentals” when discussing one of Brandon’s misses Monday.
With Kennesaw State up next and No. 1 Texas following, Brandon has one more opportunity to refine those details.
Two games have already shown Tennessee what its freshman quarterback can do when a play breaks down.
The next step is making the easy plays look just as natural.
