Josh Heupel has another QB decision to make. George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon? | Adams

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel might have thought he could beat Arkansas on defense alone.

The first half proved him right. The second half proved him wrong after Arkansas reeled off touchdown drives on its first two possessions of the third quarter.

Nonetheless, the Vols mustered just enough offense to overtake the lowly Razorbacks and pull out a 24-17 victory on Oct. 10 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

It was the scariest of wins for the 14th-ranked Vols against an Arkansas program that entered the game on a 13-game SEC losing streak.   

The comeback was commendable. But it won’t imbue the Tennessee fan base with confidence heading into UT’s Oct. 17 game against Alabama.

How could the Vols cut it so close against the worst team in the SEC?

Short answer: Inexperienced quarterbacks.

True freshman Faizon Brandon had a nightmarish first half in his last start. He completed three of eight passes for no yards against Auburn on Oct. 3.

Sophomore quarterback George MacIntyre came off the bench to save the day, leading the Vols to a 24-14 victory over the Tigers. Combine MacIntyre’s solid play with Brandon’s shoulder injury, and that was enough to earn MacIntyre his first start.

His play against the Razorbacks might not earn him another start. He lost a fumble and threw two interceptions, but his game wasn’t a total washout.

He led two fourth-quarter scoring drives as the Vols rallied for the victory. MacIntyre was 18 of 29 passing for 247 yards and a touchdown, but the turnovers loomed large in a near loss to a 14-point underdog.

So, who will start against Alabama: MacIntyre or Brandon? Don’t expect a quick answer from Heupel, who is slow to announce his quarterback preferences.

The answer could depend on Brandon’s health. He was listed as questionable for the Arkansas game.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, the Vols would be hard-pressed to beat Alabama no matter who starts at quarterback.

UT’s high-level defense was expected to dominate against Arkansas, which ranks 115th nationally in total offense. And Tennessee’s superiority in that matchup was evident right away.

The Vols limited Arkansas to 95 yards and without a score in the first half. No doubt, that further boosted an already-confident Tennessee defense.

“We don’t need any points from the offense to win the game,” UT safety Dejuan Lane said after a career game against Auburn in which he had nine tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception. “We’re going to win on defense.”

But the Vols needed more than defense to withstand Arkansas’ second-half surge.

Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop finished what the defense started. His 59-yard run around right end set up the Vols’ clinching score and capped another superb performance.

Bishop carried 19 times for 138 yards a week after rushing for 220 yards against Auburn. That upped his season-rushing total to 678 yards, which puts him on pace to gain more than 1,300 yards.

But maintaining that pace against Alabama will be a challenge, especially if the Vols don’t get more consistency at quarterback.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel has another QB decision to make. George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon? | Adams