Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon pulls off a feat that no freshman in FBS college football had done in a very long time
The Vols’ talented true freshman had a truly rare performance on Saturday in one major respect.
It was a successful debut for true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon on Saturday. A very successful one. The Vols’ true freshman quarterback got the start against Furman, and through three quarters, he showed just why the future is very bright in Knoxville over the next several years.
Brandon completed 13 of 17 attempts for 226 yards with three touchdowns. But perhaps more eye opening was his running ability. Brandon ran 10 times for 68 yards and added two more scores.
Brandon scored on a six-yard option run on third and goal in the second quarter to push Tennessee’s lead to 14-0. Later, shortly before halftime, Josh Heupel called a quarterback draw, and Brandon weaved through the defense and bowled through a defender over the goal line for a very comfortable 28-0 lead going into the locker room.
An all-around impressive performance, Brandon’s five touchdowns were in rarified air for a freshman in a season opener. In fact, according to CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer, his five touchdowns are the most in a season opener by an FBS freshman in the 21st century.
Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon’s 5 total touchdowns are the most by an FBS freshman this century, per CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer
That’s a bit surprising to see, given the layups that some teams can face off against in a season opening game.
But then again, it’s not all that often that a true freshman comes in and snares a job, particularly at quarterback, in just eight months of being with the program. Brandon was the first Tennessee true freshman to start at quarterback since Brent Schaeffer did the same for Tennessee in 2004 in the opener against UNLV.
It was certainly an encouraging and memorable day for Brandon, but the task is about to get tougher in Atlanta next week against Georgia Tech. We’ll find out soon enough how quickly Brandon and the Vols can handle a couple of steps up in competition.
