Tennessee has produced some unique quarterback situations during the Josh Heupel era, and this season certainly qualifies.
The Volunteers are practicing this week with their open date after a 6-2 start that includes a 3-2 record in Southeastern Conference play and has yielded a No. 16 ranking in the Associated Press poll. Five-star freshman Faizon Brandon started the first five games of the season, with sophomore George MacIntyre starting the past three.
MacIntyre replaced Brandon late in the second quarter of the Auburn game on Oct. 3, inheriting a 7-3 deficit before helping senior running back DeSean Bishop rally the Vols to a 24-14 triumph in Neyland Stadium. MacIntyre then defeated Arkansas in Fayetteville and longtime rival Alabama in Knoxville before suffering his first setback as the starter with last weekend’s 27-24 loss at South Carolina.
“Every exposure you have, you learn from and gain confidence from,” Heupel said Wednesday in a news conference. “There are some things he did at a very high level last Saturday, and there are some things he’s got to be a lot better in and would like to have back, too.”
Brandon and MacIntyre have similar passing numbers to this point, with Brandon having completed 61 of 101 passes (60.4%) for 697 yards. MacIntyre, meanwhile, has completed 69 of 103 passes (67.0%) for 728 yards.
The biggest difference so far is Brandon has seven touchdowns and one interception compared to MacIntyre’s two scores and three picked passes. Brandon was able to feast more on Furman and Kennesaw State compared to MacIntyre, and MacIntyre had three touchdown tosses get called back in Columbia this past Saturday.
“If you’re simply looking at results of plays, that can be extremely misleading,” Heupel said. “There can be hazardous reads and throws that don’t show up on the stat sheet, too, so you’re looking at the full body of work.”
Heupel said both quarterbacks had good practices Wednesday and added there should be a reset element for everyone this week.
“There is a little bit more time to catch your breath mentally and physically, and you can emotionally recharge the battery,” Heupel said. “That’s important for everybody in the building, all the players and even the coaches, too. It’s eight straight weeks of football, and your lead-in is training camp and everything it takes to get prepared for it.
“It’s been a long stretch.”
Field stormings
Heupel was asked Wednesday whether he had any safety concerns for his players when South Carolina fans stormed the field.
“At the end of the day, we’ve been on both sides of the coin in those situations,” Heupel said. “Do you worry about your players? Yeah, absolutely. It’s also a circumstance we allowed to happen, too.
“It’s straight chaos getting off the field in those situations.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.