There isn’t much to nitpick with Tennessee’s 56-9 season-opening win over Furman.

Vols true freshman Faizon Brandon looked like the real deal, the offense connected on a couple of big plays, and the defensive line looked much better than anyone anticipated.

The only real concern that emerged was the play of the offensive line.

Tennessee’s offensive line looked a little shaky at times — specifically early in the game.

Part of the reason is because the Vols are still trying to find their best combination on the right side.

Another big reason is because senior Sam Pendleton, who started all 13 games last season, wasn’t available.

That led to sophomore Nic Moore making his first career start.

Moore’s had a nice offseason, but this was his first real game action.

Unexpectedly going to the backup center with a true freshman quarterback who is making his first start can obviously lead to some mixed results — I definitely think that was part of the reason for the uneven play from Tennessee’s offensive line on Saturday.

Why didn’t Sam Pendleton play against Furman?

Fans were certainly surprised to not see Pendleton on the field to start the game. ESPN was surprised, too (the play-by-play announcer even said Pendleton was on the field early in the game before correcting himself).

After the game, Vols head coach Josh Heupel said Pendleton went through warm-ups but Tennessee ultimately decided not to play him.

Heupel added that Pendleton should be available next week against Georgia Tech.

“He just went through warm-ups and ultimately made a decision (to not play him),” said Heupel. “Expect him to be ready to go next week.”

Heupel didn’t reveal Pendleton’s injury, but it sounds like Tennessee just didn’t want to take any chances before going on the road to play Georgia Tech next week.

Sitting Pendleton in a “gimme game” against Furman was an easy call. It preserves his health, and it also allowed Moore to get some important game reps in case he’s needed against Georgia Tech.