{
  "id": 11961789,
  "title": "‘Didn’t play his best football’: Tennessee coach benched five-star freshman",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/didnt-play-his-best-football-tennessee-coach-benched-five-star",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-04T16:21:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/didn-t-play-best-football-162135250.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon, a five-star recruit, started five straight games for the Volunteers this season after winning the quarterback battle off-season. However, he was benched before halftime following a lackluster performance in a game against the Auburn Tigers. The freshman went 3-of-8 passing for no yards and committed an interception on his last passing attempt, leading Tennessee to a 24-14 loss. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel stated that Brandon simply wasn't operating at full capacity. Freshman George MacIntyre stepped in for the second half, delivering an immediate improvement for the offense by going 5-of-5 passing for 38 yards in the first half. Heupel did not rule out MacIntyre as the starter for the season, stating that both MacIntyre and Brandon will be needed throughout the year.",
  "summary": "Five-star freshman Faizon Brandon has a lot of upside and he might be the future of the Tennessee Volunteers, but he certainly wasn’t what the Vols needed to beat the Auburn Tigers on Saturday. Brandon started the game for the Volunteers, as he had the previous four, but he was benched before halftime after what…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Breaking down Auburn football's struggles vs Tennessee: Advanced stats, snap counts",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/breaking-down-auburn-footballs-struggles-vs-tennessee-advanced-stats",
        "published": "2026-10-04T16:24:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}