‘The finest of details’ — Josh Heupel assesses George MacIntyre’s performance in Vols’ win over Razorbacks
The redshirt freshman had good and bad moments, but he helped Tennessee snap a long losing streak in Arkansas on Saturday.
The Tennessee Vols found a way to pick up their fifth win of the season on Saturday in Fayetteville, a place where the Vols have historically struggled, going ahead late to secure a 24-17 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
It was a game with plenty of intrigue in the week leading up to the contest, with Josh Heupel refusing to name a starter and with true freshman Faizon Brandon appearing on the availability report during the week.
Brandon, who is dealing with a shoulder injury from the Texas game, ultimately did not play, and redshirt freshman George MacIntyre drew his first career start. MacIntyre had some high moments and low ones, but he managed to finish the day with 247 passing yards and some key throws to help Tennessee move the chains and ultimately prevail.
Heupel evaluates MacIntyre’s performance, says he did ‘some really good things’ early on and late
Heupel was asked after the game about MacIntyre’s performance and if he felt he got better as the game went along.
“I don’t know that he was getting better as the game went on,” Heupel said. “I do think he finished really strong. But there were some really good things early in the football game, too. This game comes down to the finest of details. Right before half, the fumble, he’s just got to clear the back. That’s something that’s day one, but I thought he did a really good job in some adverse situations. Just playing the next play and pulling the trigger. It was a winning performance by him, ultimately.
It’s interesting to hear Heupel address the fumble right before the half, where Bishop knocked the ball out of MacIntyre’s hand while moving forward and Arkansas returned the fumble 58 yards for a field goal attempt seconds before the half ended. As Heupel mentioned, that appears to have been on his quarterback for not letting his running back get out of the way first.
In any event, Brandon ultimately dropped connected on some crucial passes, including hitting DaSaahn Brame in stride for a 68-yard gain in the second half as Tennessee drove to retake the lead.
We’ll find out as the week ahead progresses how Tennessee decides to handle its starting quarterback against Alabama — or perhaps we won’t — but MacIntyre was good enough to get the win, and with upsets happening all across the country on Saturday, that’s something Vol fans can gratefully accept at this juncture.
