Ahead of their historic "Third Saturday in October" clash against No. 6 Alabama, the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers have officially decided on a starting quarterback. Faizon Brandon, the team's freshman starter, has been recovering from an injury since late last month. On Saturday, Tennessee will go with George MacIntyre against the Crimson Tide, per Pete Thamel.
This marks the second straight start for the sophomore after he started in the team's 24-17 win over Arkansas. In the victory, MacIntyre finished with 247 yards and a touchdown, and also threw an interception. He'll now start in a game that has potential implications for the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff, as both Tennessee and Alabama have just one loss in the SEC and on their overall record.
More news: Colorado OC Uses Shedeur Sanders to Explain Julian Lewis’ Struggles Alabama's defense will look to rebound after allowing Georgia's Gunner Stockton to throw for 249 yards. MacIntyre will face a significant challenge against the Crimson Tide in his second start. Earlier this week, his head coach, Josh Heupel, praised MacIntyre as "decisive," but also said he wanted to see his team "do a better job of taking care of the football" overall than they recently did.
The Volunteers' talented freshman quarterback Brandon suffered a right shoulder injury during the team's 20-17 loss to Texas in September. He appeared briefly in the team's Oct. 3 game against Auburn before MacIntyre replaced him. Braond has been limited in practices since the injury and was listed as "questionable" on Wednesday's SEC Availability report.
On Thursday, On3's Pete Nakos teased the possibility of Tennessee using both MacIntyre and Brandon in the game. That could present unique problems for the Tide, especially due to Brandon's ability to run with the ball. He's racked up 130 yards and three touchdowns this season on 53 carries, giving them another threat to find the end zone, along with running backs DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris.
The Volunteers are a home underdog by 7.5 points at DraftKings Sportsbook, which makes plenty of sense. Despite riding a two-game winning streak, they'll face an Alabama team hungry to get back to winning. Both teams face significant pressure to avoid another loss.
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