The wait is over for Tennessee football.
The Vols opened the 2026 season Saturday against Furman at Neyland Stadium, offering the first real look at a team that spent the offseason replacing key pieces and preparing a true freshman quarterback to lead the offense.
Faizon Brandon made his first career start, Tennessee began sorting through several position battles, and Jim Knowles’ defense looked as good as advertised.
Here are three takeaways from Tennessee’s season opener 56-9 win over Furman.
Tennessee eases Faizon Brandon in; then lets him loose
Tennessee didn’t ask Brandon to do too much early.
Then the Vols took the training wheels off.
Brandon completed 7 of 9 passes for just 58 yards in the opening quarter as Tennessee relied heavily on its rushing attack and quick passing game. One second-quarter touchdown drive didn’t include a pass.
That changed dramatically after halftime.
Brandon connected with Mike Matthews for touchdowns of 55 and 57 yards on Tennessee’s first two possessions of the third quarter.
The first came against broken coverage. Matthews got behind the defense, and Brandon gave his receiver time to run underneath the ball for an easy score.
The second required considerably more.
With Matthews running vertically against tight coverage, Brandon dropped the ball over the top and into his receiver’s path for another touchdown.
Two drives. Six plays. 156 yards. Two touchdowns.
Brandon’s debut ended with 9:26 remaining in the third quarter. He completed 13 of 17 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He also scored twice on the ground.
Tennessee also got an early look at how its receiving hierarchy could develop.
Radarious Jackson got the start but wasn’t targeted until 6:26 remained in the second quarter. He then caught three passes on the same possession, including a 24-yarder that ended at the Furman 7.
Jackson spent preseason camp battling Travis Smith Jr. and Tristen Keys for the third receiver spot behind Matthews and Braylon Staley.
Matthews, meanwhile, provided a reminder of what Tennessee has at the top of the room.
The explosive plays also hinted towards how good this offense can be, should the offensive line hold up better than it did for much of the day.
The running back depth shows up
Tennessee’s conservative start provided an extended look at its running back room.
Javin Gordon made the most of it.
Gordon ripped off a 24-yard run in the second quarter, patiently bouncing outside before breaking a tackle and accelerating down the sideline. He later caught a pass in the flat and turned it into an 18-yard gain.
DeSean Bishop and Duane Morris also received work, giving Tennessee an opportunity to go three deep at running back.
The veteran starter, Bishop, scored from 1 yard out and later delivered the lead block on Brandon’s second rushing touchdown.
But Tennessee didn’t control Furman’s defensive front on every snap.
The Paladins generated pressure on Brandon and made multiple plays in Tennessee’s backfield. Joshua Stoneking recorded a first-quarter sack after the pocket collapsed, and Garrison Butler later dropped Gordon behind the line near the goal line.
Brandon’s mobility erased some of those issues. He repeatedly extended plays with his legs and made the correct read on Tennessee’s option game.
There were encouraging pieces up front, too, including Trent Thomas setting the edge on Gordon’s 24-yard run.
Still, with the competition increasing significantly against Georgia Tech next week, Tennessee’s protection and consistency at the line of scrimmage will be worth another look.
Jim Knowles wanted answers about the pass rush. He got plenty.
Josh Heupel called Tennessee’s defensive performance “really solid” at halftime.
The Vols only became more disruptive from there.
Tyree Weathersby recorded Tennessee’s first sack on the first play of the season. Xavier Gilliam, Edwin Spillman, and Mariyon Dye joined him as Furman’s pocket repeatedly collapsed around quarterback Jake Garcia.
Gilliam was particularly disruptive in his Tennessee debut.
He recorded three sacks, with his third resulting in a 7-yard loss. It marked the most sacks by a Tennessee player in a game since Darrell Taylor recorded four against Kentucky on Nov. 10, 2018.
Dye added Tennessee’s fifth sack of the afternoon on third-and-3 in the third quarter.
The significance goes beyond the sack total.
Knowles acknowledged entering the season that Tennessee needed to determine where its pass rush would come from after replacing significant production along the defensive front.
Through one game, there appear to be several possibilities.
Tennessee generated pressure from the edge, the interior and its linebackers. Amaree Campbell consistently flashed into the backfield. Jordan Norman was around the quarterback. Gilliam turned his debut into a three-sack performance.
Furman finally got on the scoreboard with a long field goal in the third quarter, but sustained offense remained difficult to find.
One more thing: Arion Carter was Tennessee’s lone captain Saturday despite serving a one-game suspension. Carter couldn’t play, but Tennessee still chose him to represent the Vols at midfield; a notable statement about his standing inside the program.
