Last updated Saturday, Sept. 26, at 12:22 p.m. CT
Tennessee true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon was always going to be a tall task for the Texas Longhorns to handle in Week 4, as the 18-year-old had looked like the next great quarterback in the SEC through the first three games of his young career.
After a field-goal-scoring first drive and a stalled second drive, the Vols looked like they were finding their footing on offense. Then, Brandon went down with what looked like a shoulder injury, and you could feel every ounce of energy leave the stadium, even if you were watching from your couch at home.
Texas's star linebacker Rasheem Biles took the quarterback down, and it wasn't a dirty hit. If anything, it honestly looked like he had just landed on top of his offensive lineman's foot, possibly knocking the wind out of him.
However, Brandon was rushed to the medical tent, and he was clearly in a lot of pain, holding the collar of his jersey to take any weight off his shoulder.
George MacIntyre isn't the QB Tennessee needs to beat Texas
Backup quarterback George MacIntyre entered the game and was immediately taken down by edge rusher Colin Simmons. At that moment, even commentator Kirk Herbstreit knew that he wasn't going to be the answer for the Vols on offense.
"He does not have the athletic ability to get out of there," Herbstreit said of the Vols' backup QB.
The Horns already had a seven-point lead when Brandon went down, and it looked like his injury had just opened a door for Texas to make things ugly.
Unfortunately, just two plays into the following drive, Texas quarterback Arch Manning tried to connect with wideout Cam Coleman on a deep ball that was intercepted by Tennessee defensive back Kayin Lee.
However, when the Vols took the field again, MacIntyre failed to produce anything for his offense. He completed one of three pass attempts for just six yards, and Tennessee's ground game simply couldn't compete with the Horns' monstrous defensive line.
Seeing a player suffer an injury is never how you want a game to change, or how you want your team to win. It took the air out of Neyland Stadium and out of Tennessee's offensive efforts, and it undeniably opened the door for Texas to turn the top-15 matchup into a blowout.
Brandon returned to the game after missing just one drive, but the Vols shared that they had evaluated his left shoulder.
We will update this story as soon as there is an update on Brandon's injury status.
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