KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Faizon Brandon threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more to lead No. 20 Tennessee to a 56-9 victory over Furman on Saturday.
In a little over two quarters, the freshman hit Mike Matthews on scoring passes of 55 and 57 yards to spark the Volunteers to a 42-0 lead before redshirt freshman quarterback George MacIntyre took over.
Brandon became the first Southeastern Conference player since Auburn’s Cam Newton to throw for three touchdowns and run for two in his debut.
“(Brandon) managed what we were trying to accomplish extremely well,” said Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. “(We were) trusting what we've seen on the field (in practice) to show up on game day.”
The pace of the game seemed fast at first, said Brandon, who rushed 10 times for 68 yards.
“It slowed down by the second drive. All the receivers helped me a lot; making plays for me. They made me look good,” he said.
DeSean Bishop rushed for 97 yards and a score but lost a fumble. Justin Baker's 73-yard TD run was a fourth quarter highlight.
Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, who transferred from Penn State, sacked Furman quarterback Jake Garcia three times.
“Going into a game, I always believe I'm going to have a good game,” said Gilliam. “When something good happens, it helps my energy. This is more of a challenge to see who was going to step up.”
The Paladins, who play in the Football Championship Subdivision, scored all their points after Tennessee turnovers. Garcia was 8 for 17 for 36 yards. Isaiah Davis had a 23-yard touchdown run.
Furman coach Clay Hendrix was impressed with what he saw from Brandon.
“He hurt us really ... actually I felt more with his feet than he did throwing it,” Hendrix said. “Then, in the third quarter, he threw a couple (deep) balls.”
Tennessee scored 21 points in the second quarter. While the Vols' offensive had trouble asserting itself early — rushing for just 32 yards in the first quarter — they generated 144 yards in the second quarter. Brandon ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in the first 30 minutes.
Tennessee’s lopsided win won’t move the needle much when it comes to improving the Vols’ No. 20 ranking. What it will do is give them a measure of confidence to take on the road against Georgia Tech next week and give Brandon some experience to fall back on in a hostile environment.
Furman, meanwhile, can go into the rest of its schedule knowing it won’t see an opponent that is tougher than the one the Paladins just faced.
Furman plays at Mercer next Saturday.
Tennessee is at Georgia Tech next Saturday.
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Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon (11) is lifted up by offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. (70) as they celebrate a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Furman, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Week 1 in the AP Top 25 has been heavy on blowouts thanks to a schedule that was light on marquee matchups.
But there’s been one exception.
No. 2 Oregon faced an early 10-point deficit before rallying to beat Boise State 34-27 on Saturday. Dante Moore threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns, including a tiebreaking 62-yard TD to Dakorien Moore with 8:45 left.
The game was reminiscent of their 2024 matchup, when Oregon needed a field goal as time expired to eke out a 37-34 home victory over a Boise State team featuring Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty.
That Broncos team went on to reach the College Football Playoff, and Oregon remained unbeaten until a Rose Bowl quarterfinal loss to eventual national champion Ohio State.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if both teams are back in the playoff this year. Boise State hosts Memphis next Saturday in a matchup of Group of Six playoff contenders.
The Oregon-Boise State game highlighted an otherwise uneventful weekend, with only one matchup between Top 25 teams — No. 9 Mississippi faces No. 24 Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday. The only other Saturday afternoon game involving a Top 25 team that had a margin below 36 points was No. 23 Houston’s 33-20 victory over Oregon State.
No. 6 Indiana’s new faces helped the defending national champions roll to a 52-16 victory over North Texas in their opener.
Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover went 13 of 16 for 231 yards with four touchdowns in his first game stepping in for Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard scored twice and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh got the Hoosiers’ first touchdown with a one-handed grab.
One sign of concern for Indiana is that a defense that allowed the second-fewest points per game of any FBS team last year struggled to slow down North Texas, which had to overhaul its roster after former Mean Green coach Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State.
Morris' first Oklahoma State team features an astounding 91 newcomers, including 21 players from North Texas. That crew included Drew Mestemaker, who threw for a Bowl Subdivision-leading 4,379 yards last season.
All those new faces led to speculation Oklahoma State could make a dramatic improvement from its 2-10 finish last year. But the Cowboys lost 24-10 to Tulsa in Morris' debut, with Mestemaker going 29 of 49 for 241 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown.
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Miami’s Malachi Toney have wasted no time launching their respective Heisman Trophy campaigns.
Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone as No. 1 Ohio State opened its season with a 56-3 blowout of Ball State on Saturday. Smith celebrated his second touchdown by doing a Heisman pose.
One night earlier, Toney performed a similar celebration during his three-touchdown performance in the seventh-ranked Hurricanes’ 45-6 victory at Stanford. Toney set a school single-game record with 234 yards receiving.
Here's a look at how some other potential Heisman contenders fared this weekend.
— Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, went 21 of 25 for 320 yards with three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.
— Miami QB Darian Mensah, who led Duke to an Atlantic Coast Conference title last year, threw five touchdown passes in his first game with his new team.
— Gunner Stockton went 15 of 16 for 202 yards with three touchdowns as No. 3 Georgia trounced Tennessee State 63-3.
— South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers was 19 of 23 for 270 yards with three touchdowns in a 57-0 victory over Kent State.
— Southern California QB Jayden Maiava, the reigning AP national player of the week, went 25 of 29 for 286 yards with two touchdown passes in a 39-0 win over Fresno State on Friday night. Maiava has thrown five touchdown passes and six incompletions through No. 14 USC’s first two games of the season.
— Maybe it’s too soon to put Pitt QB Mason Heintschel on this list, but he set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-game record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a 59-14 rout of Miami (Ohio). He went 31 of 41 for 459 yards.
These freshmen made major impacts in their college debuts.
— Faizon Brandon threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores in No. 20 Tennessee's 56-9 rout of Furman.
— Nebraska's Jamal Rule rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and caught two passes for 47 yards and another score in the Cornhuskers' 49-21 win over Ohio.
— Syracuse's Shavane Anderson Jr. ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns in a 66-3 blowout of New Hampshire.
Saturday night's game featuring Clemson at No. 11 LSU took on a lot more meaning when the NCAA's new eligibility rules blew up in courtrooms all over the country and LSU made no secret of its interest in bringing back not just fifth-year players who went to court but players who had signed professional contracts.
This issue lingered late into the week, including the surreal spectacle of the SEC battling LSU in multiple courtrooms. LSU eventually decided against placing onetime pros Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris on its roster in advance of its season opener.
Sunday's lineup includes an early Apple Cup between No. 17 Washington and Washington State before prime-time showdowns: No. 4 Notre Dame against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the Ole Miss-Louisville matchup. The Labor Day capper sees Mike Norvell and Florida State hosting No. 19 SMU and dynamic quarterback Kevin Jennings.
The next AP Top 25 rankings to sort it all out will be released Tuesday.
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Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover (10) hands off to running back Turbo Richard (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against North Texas, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Missouri wide receiver Cayden Lee, left, scores past Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensive back Na'il Johnson (38) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The Colorado team celebrates a win over Georgia Tech after an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
