As Tennessee football heads into the season, the Vols have the potential for a big offense. Hosting Furman, the offense should have plenty of chances to put up yards and points. What slightly surprised me is that Tennessee did not have both a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in the same game last season.
That has only happened nine times thus far in head coach Josh Heupel’s era. The last time Tennessee accomplished that was against Vanderbilt on Nov. 30, 2024. Dylan Sampson rushed for 178 yards on 25 carries. Meanwhile, Dont’e Thornton Jr. posted a 118-yard day on just three receptions.
That was during the Nico Iamaleava period as Tennessee’s quarterback. Now, freshman Faizon Brandon is set to start the season as QB1. Importantly, Brandon is the SEC’s only true freshman starting quarterback. He is also the only one in the Power Four conferences in Week 1, according to Tennessee Athletics.
All eyes will be on him, but he will have a group of playmakers around him. With a stout running back room led by senior De’Sean Bishop and a receiving corps led by the duo of Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews, the true freshman will have great pieces to lean on. In addition, Tennessee’s depth beyond those names will give Heupel plenty of players to rotate in.
“Yeah, idea of how we’ll rotate, but anticipate all those guys seeing time and action in the backfield and carrying the football,” Heupel said on the Mike Keith Show on Thursday night.
The heat could push that rotation along. On a hot day, Heupel may want to keep his team as hydrated and healthy as possible. While he said Tennessee won’t build a plan around the conditions, an afternoon kickoff can change how quickly he goes to his bench. Specifically, the temperature at kickoff is forecasted around 95º with the heat index 100 plus.
“We won’t game plan around this one, but sometimes earlier kickoffs, early in the year, you’ll rotate a little bit earlier or more frequent than you would if it’s a night game,” Heupel said.
Heupel isn’t overthinking what he wants out of the opener.
“First of all, get a win. Let’s not make it more complicated than it is,” Heupel said.
Beyond the result, he wants the Vols to play hard, take care of the football on offense and attack it on defense. He also wants them to stay sound in their assignments across all three phases. They should play smart and penalty-free for all 60 minutes.
So we may or may not see a 100-yard rusher and receiver. But all that matters on Saturday is Tennessee getting great work, staying healthy and picking up a win. A win would move Heupel to a tie for sixth on Tennessee’s all-time victory list. His win total currently stands at 45 in Knoxville, just behind Doug Dickey’s 46.
