Tennessee lists Brandon or MacIntyre at quarterback for trip to South Carolina
No. 11 Tennessee heads to Williams-Brice Stadium to face South Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN, and the official game-day depth chart still leaves the starting quarterback unresolved. Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre are listed together at the top spot, with Ryan Staub behind them, reflecting a position that changed hands earlier this month when Brandon was dealing with a right shoulder injury suffered against Texas.
MacIntyre replaced Brandon in the first half of the win over Auburn on Oct. 3 and has held the job since, completing 53 of 80 passes for 592 yards and two touchdowns in a little over two games as the starter. Brandon has not played since MacIntyre took over, after completing 61 of 101 passes for 697 yards with seven touchdowns and an interception, and rushing 53 times for a net of 130 yards and three touchdowns. Around them, DeSean Bishop remains the starting running back after rushing 139 times for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Mike Matthews leads the receivers with 29 catches for 481 yards and three touchdowns, ahead of Braylon Staley and Radarious Jackson in the starting group.
Injuries have reshaped other parts of the chart. Receiver Joakim Dodson was lost for the season with a knee injury against Furman, tight end Ethan Davis was lost with a torn ACL at Georgia Tech, and guard Wendell Moe was lost for the season with a leg injury against Texas, prompting changes along an offensive line that has helped Tennessee rush for 1,520 yards and 18 touchdowns through seven weeks. Donovan Haslam and Nic Moore have filled in at guard in recent weeks.
On defense, Penn State transfer Amare Campbell leads the Vols with 46 tackles, followed by Arion Carter with 43, while Xavier Gilliam has emerged with 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks and Tyree Weathersby has added 6.5 sacks. Dejuan Lane leads the team with three interceptions. On special teams, Cooper Ranvier is the placekicker, Jackson Ross is averaging 44.8 yards per punt, and Qua Moss handles punt returns, where he has averaged 12.8 yards and returned one for a touchdown against Texas.