Grading freshman QB Faizon Brandon in Tennessee football loss to Texas
· Yahoo Sports
Tennessee football freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon was battered by No. 1 Texas' overwhelming defense in a 20-17 loss on Sept. 26.
Brandon was nearly knocked out of the game, suffering an apparent shoulder injury. He returned for the 13th-ranked Vols (3-1, 0-1 SEC), but the relentless Texas (4-0, 1-0) defense never let up.
Visit freshyourfeel.org for more information.
Tennessee plays Auburn on Oct. 3 (3:30 ET, ABC or ESPN) at Neyland Stadium in Brandon’s second SEC game.
Here’s a quick rundown of the freshman quarterback's performance against Texas.
Faizon Brandon stats
Brandon was 17-of-29 passing for 145 yards, one TD and no interceptions against Texas. He was sacked 10 times.
Faizon Brandon’s best: Late TD pass
There was little good in this game for Brandon until the final minutes. He hit Mike Matthews for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 1:22 remaining to cut Texas' lead to 20-17. On another small positive note, Brandon did not turn the ball over, and he Brandon scrambled for a nice 15-yard run. But he spent most of the afternoon running for his life.
Faizon Brandon’s worst: Scary injury, indecision
Brandon suffered an apparent shoulder injury on a quarterback keeper early in the second quarter, which caused a packed Neyland Stadium to hold its collective breath. He went to the medical tent and sat out two offensive possessions while George MacIntyre filled in.
But Brandon returned with 8:28 remaining in the second quarter and showed no ill effects of the injury.
Before the injury, Brandon failed to see some open receivers, and he was indecisive in the pocket. But he was also under constant pressure from the Texas pass rush. Regardless of the reasons, Brandon was rarely comfortable.
Grade: D
Tennessee struggled mightily on offense against an aggressive, uber-talented Texas defense. It'll take a deep dive to determine how much fault was Brandon's versus his pass protection. A combination is probably the correct answer.
In either instance, Texas deserves a tip of the hat. It brought one of the best opposing defenses to play in Neyland Stadium in a long time, and Brandon was the victim of that. However, he showed tremendous toughness.
Brandon is just a freshman, and he'll use this game as a positive growing pain. But for now, it only hurt.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Grading freshman QB Faizon Brandon in Tennessee football loss to Texas