COMMENTARY: Should MacIntyre or Brandon be QB1 this week?

Sometime between now and Oct. 17, Tennessee has to figure out how to throw the football.

A one-dimensional offense, coupled with a stout defense, can beat Arkansas. Even in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks just aren’t very good.

But, when Alabama comes to town loaded with stogies, smoke and mirrors won’t be enough.

That will be a game that will need the threat of a passing game to set up the run.

In all likelihood, DeSean Bishop won’t run for 220 yards and three touchdowns like he did Saturday in the 24-14 win over Auburn.

That brings us to the big question that will be debated for the next two weeks. Who will it be taking snaps: Faizon Brandon or George MacIntyre?

The beating Brandon took via 10 sacks in the loss to Texas may have had an impact on him in the first half of the Auburn game. He just didn’t seem like the same guy who directed Tennessee to three wins before suffering his first loss as a starter since his sophomore year in high school.

Vols coach Josh Heupel informed folks afterward that Brandon had missed some practice time this past week, whether it was because of a shoulder he dinged a bit against the Longhorns or a case of general soreness.

Anyway, one telling play that Brandon wasn’t tuned in happened in the second quarter, second-and-8 on the Auburn 18. The ball was snapped and Brandon wasn’t ready for it. It hit him in the leg and didn’t even react to it. Running back Daune Morris fell on it.

That doesn’t mean that MacIntyre set the world on fire. 

But, he was better. He was locked in. His 42-yard pass to Mike Matthews was the only passing highlight that came from the victory. He facilitated the run game much more efficiently than Brandon.

He finished 8 of 10 for 86 yards. There aren’t many games that Tennessee can win by rolling up just 86 yards through the air. 

Over the next couple weeks, Heupel will be walking a precarious line. Keep the passing game making progress toward at least a level of mediocrity, if not an offensive asset — while not destroying Brandon’s confidence and moxie in the process.

A young quarterback can get ruined by a game when he endured 10 sacks. If he can use it as a positive growth experience, putting it in the right perspective, he can be better for it. Right now, though, the jury’s still out.

It’s gotta get solved in a couple weeks — or else.