KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — DeSean Bishop rushed for a career-high 220 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 17 Tennessee to a 24-14 victory over Auburn on Saturday.
Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 in Southeastern Conference) overcame a sluggish start with the help of George MacIntyre replacing Faizon Brandon at quarterback late in the second quarter. The Volunteers trailed 7-3 at halftime. MacIntyre completed his first six pass attempts for 80 yards and finished 8 of 10 for 86 yards.
“(Coming off the bench midgame) is the hardest thing to do,” said Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. “We rep our (second-teamers in practice) a bunch. That helps in their preparation.”
“Man, (MacIntyre) was as efficient as you can imagine,” said Auburn coach Alex Golesh, who had been an offensive coordinator for Heupel. “I thought he operated well.”
Bishop's 34 carries was a rare stat in the Heupel regime. He usually spreads the carries around.
“It was just the way (Bishop) was running,” Heupel said. “He felt much better this week than last week.”
“This game was personal for me,” said Bishop. “(Golesh) was one reason I came as a walk-on at Tennessee. Every time I touched the ball I had a purpose.”
Auburn (3-2, 1-2) was led by quarterback Byrum Brown with 159 passing yards and a touchdown as well as 107 rushing yards and a touchdown. Brown was intercepted twice and had a fumble.
Adding to their struggles, the Tigers were flagged 11 times for 94 yards.
Trailing 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Auburn was fourth-and-1 on its own 24. Omar Mason II was stuffed for no gain, giving Tennessee the ball and setting up the clinching TD.
“We always say, ‘Give us an inch and we’ll defend it,' ” Vols safety Dejuan Lane said. “That's what we did.”
Both teams muddled through an unproductive first half. Auburn generated just 86 yards of total offense but led, 7-3, at the break. The only touchdown was by Brown on a 7-yard run.
It came after Brandon threw his first interception of the season deep in his own territory. The Vols had 125 total yards. Bishop's 40-yard TD run was negated by an illegal block penalty.
Auburn: This was just the start of the gauntlet for the Tigers. After an open date, they are scheduled to face No. 2 Georgia, No. 11 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss. LSU is the only home game of the stretch.
Tennessee: The problems that plagued Tennessee in last week's loss to Texas were there against Auburn. In the first quarter, the Vols had five negative yardage plays. Brandon had three pass completions for zero yards in the first half.
Without guards Wendell Moe (out for season) and Sham Umarov (expected to return soon), the Vols inserted Nic Moore at left guard and Donovan Haslam at right guard.
Auburn: After an open date, the Tigers are on the road against Georgia on Oct. 17.
Tennessee: The Vols travel to Arkansas next Saturday.
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Auburn wide receiver Keshaun Singleton (11) catches a pass as he is defended by Tennessee defensive back Kayin Lee, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Chicago White Sox used a major league-leading 11 bullpen games en route to their first postseason appearance since 2021.
Manager Will Venable also went with that approach to win Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, starting a sweep at Houston.
The formula ended up paying dividends again on Saturday in an AL Division Series opener against Cleveland.
Five Chicago pitchers combined for a three-hitter and struck out 12, and Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run homer as the White Sox beat the Guardians 3-0.
“You go out and you have a rough plan and then the players have to go out and execute, and then we were able to do that today,” Venable said. “They’re going to take their walks, and they have a dynamic offense. So really important that you have guys pick each other up in these situations, which we saw today.”
Colson Montgomery added an RBI double for the White Sox, who have won nine of 11 games dating to the regular season.
It was the sixth White Sox postseason shutout, their first since the finale of a 2005 World Series sweep of Houston.
Cleveland, which won its third straight AL Central title by one game over the White Sox, had the bases loaded with two outs the third and fourth innings but couldn’t get any runs across.
“Of course you’re frustrated when you get shut out, but I thought our guys fought and battled," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "With how well they threw, we were getting on base. We just couldn’t get it going early in the inning,”
Game 2 is Monday afternoon at Progressive Field. The series shifts to Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday.
Bryan Hudson (1-0) relieved starter Hagen Smith and got Chase DeLauter to line out to left with the bases loaded in the third to get out of the inning.
The star of the White Sox staff was Grant Taylor, who became the sixth pitcher in MLB postseason history to work at least four innings and pick up a save, the first since Houston's Lance McCullers Jr. in the 2017 AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees.
“It was some of the best pitching I’ve ever seen. He was hitting his spots left and right and just attacking hitters," Teel said.
Taylor had a career-best six strikeouts and allowed two hits. The right-hander struck out the last four Guardians, including Travis Bazzana on a curveball to end the game.
“We’ve kind of done that the whole year of being able to hand it off to the next guy," Taylor said. "Other guys pitching some positions that aren’t super familiar, but being able to do that in the postseason was unbelievable and you also had that on the defense as well.”
Smith retired the first eight Cleveland hitters before loaded with bases with outs in the third on walks to Brayan Rocchio, Steven Kwan and José Ramírez. Bryan Hudson came in and got Chase DeLauter to line out to left.
Cleveland didn’t get its first hit until Travis Bazzana's line-drive double down the right-field line with two outs in the fourth off Anthony Kay. Austin Hedges drew a walk to load the bases again before Rocchio lined out to right.
“I was definitely in a blender today, getting different looks every time up from a different pitcher," said Guardians designated hitter Jo Adell, who struck out in all four of his at-bats. "We were trying to find it all day. Postseason is a pitcher’s duel and it’s one of those things. We’ve got to bounce back.”
After Miguel Vargas lined a hit to left leading off the fourth, Murakami drove a first-pitch elevated sinker 440 feet into the right-field stands for his first postseason home run.
The White Sox were feeling momentum starting to go their way coming into the inning after preventing the Guardians from scoring with the bases loaded.
“I really wanted the first run at a very important game, so I’m just really happy that I got one,” Murakami said through an interpreter.
Cleveland starter Parker Messick (0-1) allowed two runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings. The rookie left-hander struck out six and walked two.
Montgomery extended the advantage to 3-0 in the seventh with a double down the left-field line to drive in Kyle Teel. It appeared as if Teel would be thrown out at the plate by Angel Martínez, but Hedges couldn't hang on to the throw after Teel's slide.
“That’s why I slid in just straight into the bag, because I know as a catcher myself, it’s really hard when a guy slides straight in because you got to pull on the ball," Teel said.
Cleveland RHP Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.76 ERA) gets the call for Game 2. Chicago has not announced a starter, but RHP Sean Burke is expected to pitch the bulk of the innings. Burke allowed three runs in four innings against Houston on Wednesday.
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Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Grant Taylor throws against the Cleveland Guardians during the sixth inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
Chicago White Sox's Kyle Teel celebrates after scoring on an RBI double from Colson Montgomery during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges looks to receive the throw to the plate as Chicago White Sox's Kyle Teel (8) runs home to score on an RBI double from Colson Montgomery during the seventh inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami tosses his bat after hitting a two-run home run against the Cleveland Guardians during the fourth inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Grant Taylor reacts to a win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tim Phillis)
