By Tucker Williams | Lakeway Sports Report
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee entered Saturday looking for answers at quarterback. By the end of the afternoon, freshman Faizon Brandon had given the Vols plenty to be excited about.
Brandon accounted for five touchdowns in his college debut as No. 20 Tennessee opened the 2026 season with a dominant 56-9 victory over Furman in front of 100,000+ fans at Neyland Stadium. He finished 13-of-17 through the air for 226 yards and three touchdowns while adding 68 yards and two more scores on the ground. His five total touchdowns tied a Tennessee freshman record previously held by Casey Clausen and Tyler Bray.
It did not take Brandon long to settle in.
After Tennessee’s defense forced Furman into a three-and-out on its opening possession, Brandon led the Vols 60 yards down the field and finished the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Davis. Tennessee led 7-0 after the first quarter, but the offense began to open things up in the second.
Brandon scored on a six-yard run early in the quarter before DeSean Bishop punched it in from one yard out. Tennessee got the ball back late in the half, and Brandon led an eight-play, 82-yard drive that ended with his second rushing touchdown of the day.
That gave the Vols a 28-0 lead heading into halftime.
If Brandon’s first half showed he could run Tennessee’s offense, the beginning of the third quarter showed what the offense could look like when it starts hitting explosive plays.
Brandon connected with Mike Matthews for a 55-yard touchdown less than two minutes into the second half. On Tennessee’s next possession, the two struck again, this time for a 57-yard score that pushed the lead to 42-0.
Matthews finished with four receptions for a career-high 132 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 33 yards per catch. It marked the fourth 100-yard receiving game of his Tennessee career.
Tennessee also found plenty of success on the ground.
Bishop led the Vols with 97 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Justin Baker added 89 yards on just three attempts. Baker provided one of the biggest plays of the afternoon when he broke free for a 73-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
By the final whistle, Tennessee had piled up 638 yards of total offense, including 329 on the ground and 309 through the air. The Vols finished with 29 first downs compared to Furman’s 10.
The defense had a strong afternoon as well.
Tennessee held Furman without a point through the first half and allowed the Paladins only 43 passing yards for the game. The Vols consistently found their way into the backfield, finishing with six sacks.
Xavier Gilliam led that effort.
Gilliam finished with six tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks. His three-sack performance made him the first Tennessee player to record at least three sacks in a game since Darrell Taylor had four against Kentucky in 2018. Amare Campbell also recorded six tackles, while Edwin Spillman, Mariyon Dye and Tyree Weathersby each contributed sacks.
Furman finally broke through with a 50-yard Nathan Chapman field goal midway through the third quarter. The Paladins added their only touchdown early in the fourth on a 23-yard Isaiah Davis run, but by that point the game had long been decided.
Tennessee was also able to get backup quarterback George MacIntyre meaningful playing time in the second half. MacIntyre connected with freshman receiver TK Keys for a 22-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, giving the Vols a 49-3 advantage.
There will be much tougher tests ahead for Tennessee, but Saturday gave the Vols almost everything they could have wanted from a season opener.
They controlled the game on both sides of the ball, produced more than 600 yards of offense and, most importantly, watched their freshman quarterback look comfortable in his first college start.
The competition gets stronger immediately.
Tennessee will travel to Atlanta on Saturday, Sept. 12, to face Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
