Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel benched starting quarterback Faizon Brandon in the first half against Auburn on Saturday. He was replaced by redshirt freshman George MacIntyre.

The move came after Brandon threw his first career interception.

Heupel was asked at halftime why he benched the true freshman.

Tennessee’s head coach pointed to both performance and health.

“Faizon just wasn’t operating, didn’t feel 100 percent,” said Josh Heupel to ESPN at halftime. “George came in and did some positive things. We’ve got to go find a way to move the ball here in the second half.”

Brandon suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder against Texas last Saturday (he left the game for six snaps before returning).

The North Carolina native wasn’t listed on the injury report ahead of the Auburn game, but Voice of the Vols Mike Keith said earlier in the week that Brandon was “hurting a lot” against the Longhorns.

“I don’t know what his exact injury was or is, but I can promise you he was hurting and hurting a lot,” said Voice of the Vols Mike Keith on 104.5 The Zone’s 3HL.

Brandon completed 3-of-8 passes for 0 yards before leaving the game. He was also sacked twice.