A preseason battle has reemerged for No. 15 Tennessee as coach Josh Heupel must decide whether George MacIntyre will take the reins at quarterback after an inconsistent stretch by true freshman starter Faizon Brandon.
The Volunteers (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) head on the road for the first time in SEC play as they face Arkansas (2-3, 0-2) on Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville, Ark.
Brandon earned the starting job out of fall camp, but he was benched at halftime of Tennessee’s game against Auburn last Saturday after completing 3 for 8 passes for 0 yards and one interception.
After MacIntyre took over, the offense stabilized and the Volunteers snuck away with a 24-14 home win despite throwing for fewer than 100 yards for the first time since 2017.
“We’ll find out as the week goes here,” Heupel said when asked who will start versus the Razorbacks. “(MacIntyre) came in, did some really good things. (Brandon) obviously wasn’t at his best, dealing with getting injured in the Texas game.”
Brandon was sacked 10 times in the loss to the Longhorns on Sept. 26, which included a brief exit to treat his throwing shoulder.
Heupel believed Brandon “handled it well” when he was pulled against Auburn.
“(Brandon) was a good teammate — disappointed in that moment, but also I think he realized that he wasn’t playing at his best,” Heupel said.
DeSean Bishop was a crucial factor in the Auburn win. The senior is now the third-leading rusher in the SEC after gashing the Tigers for a career-high 220 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.
Despite Bishop’s recent success, Heupel is wary of a “big, thick” Razorbacks defensive front.
“We’ve got to create movement and stay ahead of the chains, stay out of third-and-longs against this group,” he said.
Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield expects a stern test from the Volunteers offense no matter who lines up under center.
“Whichever quarterback plays, they’re very, very capable,” Silverfield said.
The Razorbacks were outgained by Texas A&M 401-204 in a 34-7 loss on Saturday night, their 13th consecutive defeat in league play dating back to 2024.
Silverfield believes in the want-to of his players even as they’ve struggled to perform on gameday.
“I think anybody that watches the way the Razorbacks play, you see the effort’s there,” Silverfield added. “The execution is not — and that’s something we’ve got to continue to work hard every single day to improve.”
“We’ve got to get it done — and it’s got to show up not just on a Tuesday but on a Saturday.”
Wide receiver Chris Marshall has been a bright spot on an Arkansas offense that has averaged 11.3 points against its three power-conference foes. The Boise State transfer ranks second in the SEC with 549 yards on 35 receptions.
Tennessee has won 14 of 21 all-time meetings with the Razorbacks, but it snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a 34-31 victory last year in Knoxville.
On the Volunteers’ most recent trip to Fayetteville on Oct. 5, 2024, Arkansas pulled off a 19-14 upset of Tennessee — ranked No. 4 at the time — for its last home win in SEC play.
