Tennessee freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon is averaging five touchdowns a game.
Sure, the sample size — last Saturday’s 56-9 trouncing of Furman — is incredibly small, and the Paladins will likely be the easiest opponent the Volunteers face all season. Still, it was the collegiate debut for the five-star signee out of Greensboro, North Carolina, and he seized the moment.
“He’s just doing a really good job,” Vols senior tight end Ethan Davis said this week in a news conference. “He’s really impressed, not only on the field but off the field and just how he carries himself. You couldn’t tell how old that guy is if you had a conversation with him, and I think that’s one of the good things about him. He’s confident. He’s poised.
“He’s under control, and he doesn’t really get rattled too much in every situation with adversity that I’ve ever seen him in. He’s just cool, calm and collected every time.”
Brandon completed 13 of 17 passes (76.5%) for 226 yards and three touchdowns against Furman, connecting with junior receiver Mike Matthews for touchdowns of 55 and 57 yards early in the third quarter to establish a 42-0 lead. His efficiency rating of 246.38 in the opener placed him seventh nationally after college football’s first full weekend.
The first big test for the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder takes place this Saturday, when No. 18 Tennessee visits Georgia Tech (7 p.m. on ESPN).
“It’s about preparing the right way and just emptying the tank in your preparation, and that’s with film study and understanding what we’re doing,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said. “It always comes down to the little things. That’s at home or on the road, but on the road it’s amplified.
“We need great communication, control, and command of what we are doing. He’s going to have to make plays, but he’s got to take care of the football as well.”
Brandon played turnover-free football in the opener, which included his 10 rushes for 68 yards and two touchdowns. His rushing element was discussed before the season, and he wound up gaining more yards on the ground than predecessor Joey Aguilar had in any contest last season.
“I thought he did a good job scrambling and with a couple of draw plays,” Heupel said. “When you have a quarterback who can do that, you have the ability to play 11-on-11 at times, so you’re applying pressure to defenses in a different way.”
Said Brandon: “I feel very confident when I get outside the pocket.”
All of his rushes were in the first half, when Brandon’s yardage total matched that of senior running back DeSean Bishop. Tennessee’s returning 1,000-yard rusher finished his day with 14 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, and he was impressed with what Brandon accomplished.
“He’s just another weapon in the run game,” Bishop said. “I knew he was talented with his legs, and obviously he showed that to the world last Saturday. He’s got to continue to do that, because we’re going to need him.
“He’s just another threat.”
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Aguilar did have moments last season when he would choose to run, but Bishop is already planning to add blocking back to his responsibilities.
“I’m going to do whatever I can to help the team,” Bishop said. “If they need me to block the entire game, then so be it. If he gets the hot hand, then feed the guy.
“My block might be the difference in the game.”
Absence explained
Vols senior center Sam Pendleton sat out the Furman game, with Heupel saying afterward, “We just went through warmups and ultimately made a decision.”
This week, it was revealed that Pendleton was charged with DUI in May after losing control of his SUV on Interstate 40 and failing a field sobriety test. The Knoxville News-Sentinel was the first to report Pendleton’s arrest, with Tennessee then clarifying that he was suspended for a violation of team rules.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.