Faizon Brandon’s first SEC start was an absolute nightmare. The freshman quarterback got absolutely battered in No. 13 Tennessee’s tough 20-17 loss to top-ranked Texas on September 26, taking a vicious beating that actually knocked him out of the game in the first half. He showed serious grit, returning to finish the game despite clearly being in pain, but man, what a brutal introduction to SEC play.
The Offense Fell Apart, Allowing 10 Sacks
The numbers for this offense are just flat-out ugly, and they cost the Vols a massive game. They only put up 221 offensive yards the entire afternoon and scored a single offensive touchdown, which came in desperate fashion super late. Even worse, the offensive line gave up a shocking 10 sacks! Texas defenders like Colin Simmons, who had five sacks himself, and Maraad Watson just lived in Tennessee’s backfield. They couldn’t run the ball, they couldn’t generate explosive plays, they couldn’t block. Vols coach Josh Heupel said it himself, “Offensively, just not anywhere close to being good enough to beat a team like this.” It was a shocking domination up front, costing them a game where other parts of the team played well enough to win.
Defense Played Its Heart Out, But It Wasn’t Enough
Here’s the frustrating part: Tennessee’s defense, a real weakness last season, actually showed up big time against the No. 1 team in the nation. New coordinator Jim Knowles is doing some fine work, because this unit looked good. They sacked Texas quarterback Arch Manning six times! They held the Longhorns to just 61 rushing yards on 1.7 yards per attempt, and Texas was a miserable 3-for-12 on third down. The defense forced Texas to go three-and-punt on seven separate possessions, with defensive back Qua Moss making a key tackle on Manning. That kind of defensive effort should absolutely be enough for a Heupel-led offense to win, especially at Neyland Stadium. But no, the Vols were outgained by Texas by 41 yards, even though Tennessee ran 21 more offensive plays.
The Frustrating Cycle Continues For Heupel
This narrow September defeat isn’t a death sentence for the season, but it’s becoming a frustratingly familiar pattern for Josh Heupel’s tenure. It feels like there’s always something holding them back from being a complete team. When his offense is humming, the defense is a liability. When the defense steps up, like it did against Texas, the offense dips. Last season was the former, and this Texas loss? Clearly the latter. The question now is whether Faizon Brandon, despite his talent and toughness, can lead this offense through the SEC gauntlet and, more importantly, stay healthy doing it. That’s the challenge for Heupel and his team moving forward: figure out how to put it all together.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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