September 5, 2026 — Tennessee wasted no time asserting itself in front of 101,915 fans at Neyland Stadium, rolling to a 56-9 victory over Furman to open the home slate of the 2026 season. More Sports News
Brandon Leads Explosive Passing Attack
Quarterback Faizon Brandon set the tone for the offense, completing 13 of 17 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns while also scoring twice on the ground. Backup George MacIntyre added a touchdown pass in the third quarter, giving Tennessee’s passing game four scoring strikes on the day.
| Quarterback | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faizon Brandon | 13 | 17 | 226 | 3 | 0 |
| George MacIntyre | 5 | 7 | 56 | 1 | 0 |
| Ryan Staub | 3 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 21 | 27 | 309 | 4 | 0 |
Vols Control the Line of Scrimmage
Tennessee’s ground game matched the aerial attack, generating 329 rushing yards on 47 carries. DeSean Bishop led the way with 97 yards and a score on 14 carries, while Justin Baker provided the exclamation point with a 73-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Brandon chipped in 68 yards and two rushing scores, and Javin Gordon added 47 yards in a balanced attack.
Running Back Stats
| Running Back | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeSean Bishop | 14 | 97 | 1 | 20 |
| Justin Baker | 3 | 89 | 1 | 73 |
| Faizon Brandon | 10 | 68 | 2 | 22 |
| Javin Gordon | 10 | 47 | 0 | 24 |
| Daune Morris | 5 | 20 | 0 | 8 |
| Hunter Barnes | 4 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
Defense Dominates from Start to Finish
The Tennessee defense smothered Furman all afternoon, recording seven sacks and limiting the Paladins to 43 passing yards on 22 attempts. Xavier Gilliam was particularly disruptive, finishing with three sacks. Furman’s lone offensive highlight was a 50-yard Nathan Chapman field goal and a late Isaiah Davis touchdown run.
Tennessee improves to 2-0 on the season, with the offense looking deep and explosive heading into conference play.
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