‘We did not know’ – Kennesaw State coach Jerry Mack admitted there was one thing he didn’t know about Vols QB Faizon Brandon, but he quickly learned
Tennessee Vols true freshman Faizon Brandon is 3-0 as UT’s starting quarterback after a 42-9 win over Kennesaw State.
Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack was already quite familiar with Neyland Stadium before his team visited for a matchup against Tennessee on Saturday night.
Mack, after all, served as the Vols’ running backs coach for three seasons under Josh Heupel (2021 to 2023).
What Mack wasn’t familiar with, though, before playing Tennessee was just how physical Vols true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon is.
Mack said after the game that he didn’t know how “strong of a body type” Brandon is.
“We did not know how strong of a body type that Faizon was,” said Mack. “He did a great job, I thought, tonight of stepping out of some of those tackles. Some of those plays should have been tackles for loss. He’s really twitchy and really quick in the pocket.
“We thought we had him a couple of times. He was able to escape and still get yards. And those are the things that in this league, in the SEC, that stuff is just going to help him going down the road. He’s going to be a really, really good player.”
Brandon rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the 42-9 win over Kennesaw State.
The Greensboro, NC native isn’t a “run-first” quarterback, but he has the ability to turn negative plays into positive plays with his strength, escapability, and elite speed.
Those traits will almost certainly be needed at some point next weekend when the Vols take on Texas in a huge matchup in Knoxville.
It doesn’t always have to be an explosive play — just simply getting out of a bad play can change the outcome of games.
