ATLANTA − Tennessee football quarterback Faizon Brandon faced some adversity while playing on the road for the first time in his very young college career.
Furman offered little resistance in his first career start but Brandon was challenged in Week 2 at Georgia Tech. His first road start didn't look pretty in the final box score but it was more than enough to get the No. 18 Vols (2-0) to a 45-24 win over the Yellow Jackets (0-2) on Sept. 12 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
"The stat sheet's not going to be elite. I actually really like how he played the game," UT coach Josh Heupel said. "I thought he was composed, he handled himself in situational football pretty well. First game on the road, 18 years old, handled himself well."
Brandon completed 10 of 21 passes for 148 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked once and added 23 yards on five rushing attempts.
He was particularly inaccurate in the first half, completing only 5 of 15 passes but racking up 106 yards and two touchdown passes. Of his five first-half completions, four went for 15 yards or more and three gained 20 yards or more.

#road #Career #start

Tennessee football's pass defense distinguished itself with crucial first-half interceptions, and its running game too often was too much for Georgia Tech on Sept. 12 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
That combination proved decisive as the No. 18 Vols improved to 2-0 with a 45-24 victory over upset-minded Georgia Tech (0-2). But that one-two punch wasn't enough to produce a runaway comparable to the Vols' 56-9 victory over Furman in the season opener.
If you were familiar with Georgia Tech's history under fourth-year coach Brent Key, you might have thought the Vols were catching the Yellow Jackets at the wrong time. His teams have been at their best as underdogs and have upended at least one nationally ranked opponent in each of the past four seasons.
Georgia Tech showed its resolve just when the Vols seemed blowout bound after taking a 31-10 lead early in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets sprung to life behind the passing of quarterback Alberto Mendoza, who led them 75 yards for a touchdown and had them on the brink of another score when UT defensive back Dejuan Lane broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone.

#georgia

ATLANTA — Tennessee freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon will try for a strong sequel to his debut in leading the 18th-ranked Vols against Georgia Tech.
Tennessee (1-0) and Georgia Tech (0-1) play Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
It's a good road test, especially for Brandon, who accounted for five touchdowns in 56-9 win over Furman at home. And defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will dig deeper into his scheme to stop the Yellow Jackets.
The Vols will get a boost from the return of All-SEC linebacker Arion Carter and starting center Sam Pendleton, who were suspended for the Furman game.
Carter was suspended by the NCAA because he accepted a $427 flight from his agent to an NFL pre-draft training facility, whice he repaid. Pendleton was suspended by Tennessee for violation of team rules because he was arrested in May on charges of driving under the influence.

#georgia #atlanta

During a beach outing, then-5-year-old Terry Potter Hedden III — now "Trey" to NMSU teammates and fans — picked up a football and threw a perfect spiral to his stepmom. It was then Hedden was destined to be a quarterback with a supportive blended family. His parents and stepparents "made sure I made every tryout. They took me to camps. They helped me meet the coaches I wanted to learn from." And they attended every game, including during his two years at Furman and this season with the Aggies. After a 10-percentage-point jump in accuracy from his freshman season, Hedden entered the portal to "raise the ceiling a little bit" in pursuit of future pro opportunities. NMSU head coach Tony Sanchez's spread attack offered protection (312 pounds an O-lineman) and speedy targets. Slot receiver TK King has been GPS-clocked at nearly 23 mph and laser-timed at 20.74 seconds over 200 meters. "The biggest thing for me is I've got to remember that on game day, he's a little bit faster than he is in practice," Hedden said of King. "When he's running a route, you can throw it out there and he'll turn it on. We talk about it in the meeting room. Go make him run 100 meters to catch the ball." King's average target depth is 21 yards. He has catch-and-dashes of 46, 42 and 34 yards. The Aggies have sets of four and five receivers or up to two tight ends. Running back James Jones has no fumbles or negative-yard rushes in 30 carries. Jones also is an effective blocker who can roll into the flats. Hedden is 80% accurate on screens, hitches and check-down throws. "The quarterback in this offense is really a distributor," Hedden said. "We really focus on the things we're good at, and we repeat those things, and find new ways to do those things every week. It's really been a lot of fun to play in this offense with these coaches."
The Aggies' base is chaos, with shifts, movements and glove-to-glove combat in the trenches and running lanes. "When things get so cranky, like how many blitzes and stunts, it looks like Star Wars to us," weakside linebacker Sone Aupiu said. His first two NMSU seasons, Aupiu played middle linebacker. He moved to will linebacker last year but still trains at all second-tier positions, including jack, the stand-up edge defender. Helped by playing on the narrow side of the formation, Aupiu has freedom to jump lanes. "When it comes to gap schemes, that's what I love," he said. "Coming my way to the boundary, I'm looking to hit 'em." His father grew up in Samoa, his mother in New Zealand, where rugby was the favored sport. He said he aspires to play professional rugby. But for now, Aupiu said, "I chose a different route, which was football. Everybody else on my mom's side chose rugby." Aupiu received a few college offers. But after an official visit to Las Cruces, he decided to be an Aggie. He said he had to adjust to the culture change from Long Beach, Calif., such as green chili served with everything. And to fatherhood — he and his wife have a 3-yea

At this point in the season, the San Francisco Giants languishing near the bottom of the NL West and less than three weeks remaining during the season, Logan Webb could have opted to skip a start after some checkered outings.
He's consistently at or near the lead for MLB innings pitched, so a slightly early end to the season wouldn't be amiss for the team's workhorse. Instead, Webb came out with honed mechanics Monday and snapped back into his usual form in a game the Giants won 5-4 in 11 innings, with Shay Whitcomb's little bouncer to short sending in placed runner Nate Furman from third.
The ninth unraveled enough to cost Webb a win, though, with the Cardinals reaching on two infield singles to kick things off against Dylan Smith, working in his second inning. St. Louis then took the lead in the 10th when Leo Bernal's bloop to right off Jason Foley scored placed runner Alex Burleson.
But Bryce Eldridge was a busy man Monday night, and tied the game with a single in the bottom of the 10th inning. Foley held the Cardinals scoreless in the 11th with an ******* ist to Eldridge for a great scoop to end the game.
Webb gave up just three hits one run, on Burleson's two-out homer in the sixth, in what became Webb's final inning. His eight strikeouts matched his season high, and he got 19 swinging strikes, six of them with his sweeper. His pace was brisk working with veteran backup catcher Andrew Knizner. He's also more than comfortable at his longtime home; he has a 3.26 ERA at Oracle Park this season, against 5.29 on the road.

#season #eldridge

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Shay Whitcomb chopped a single with one out in the 11th inning for his first career game-ending RBI, and the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Monday night.
Drew Cavanaugh's sacrifice bunt against George Soriano (6-4) advanced automatic runner Nate Furman and put him in position to score the deciding run.
Jason Foley (3-1) pitched two innings for the win.
Bryce Eldridge tied the game at 4 on a single in the bottom of the 10th after St. Louis went ahead in the top of the inning when Leo Bernal's fly ball dropped in front of diving center fielder Jung Hoo Lee for a base hit.
Pinch-hitter José Fermín hit a tying sacrifice fly in the ninth for St. Louis against Giants closer Dylan Smith, who allowed a leadoff single to Joshua Báez and another base hit to Thomas Saggese before a one-out walk by Bryan Torres loaded the bases for Fermín.

#Giants #sacrifice #base

Week 1 of the 2026 college football season concluded Sunday for SEC schools.
No. 18 Tennessee (1-0) defeated Furman (1-1), 56-9, at Neyland Stadium to open its football campaign.
"Good start today," Heupel said after defeating the Paladins. "There's a bunch that we are going to need to clean up here in all three phases of the game, but overall pleased with the performance. Defensively, we played extremely well. We don't turn it over, it's probably a shutout. Those guys have grown, worked and competed extremely hard to go play and start the season that way. Proud of the effort there from our staff and our players.
"Offensively, the penalties early in the football game slowed a couple of drives down. After that, I thought we executed at a high level. Quarterbacks played smart and efficient today. All of them did, so good start. A lot to learn from and move on to a big one next week."
Following Week 1, SEC football power rankings and each team's schedule are listed below.

#week #start

Tennessee's football game against Furman on Sept. 5 tied the second-highest kickoff temperature at Neyland Stadium in recorded history (1950-present), according to the University of Tennessee.
The Vols', 56-9, season-opening victory was the fifth game at Neyland Stadium with a kickoff temperature at or above 90 degrees.
The highest kickoff temperature at Neyland Stadium was 91 degrees versus Florida on Sept. 24, 2016.
Other football games with 90-degree temperatures were against ETSU on Sept. 8, 2018, Southern Miss on Sept. 8, 2007 and Wyoming on Sept. 4, 1999.
101,915 were in attendance for the Tennessee-Furman game, marking a 28th consecutive sellout at Neyland Stadium and a streak that dates to Sept. 17, 2022.

#Football

Tennessee linebacker Amare Campbell didn't have much to say about Xavier Gilliam's performance.
Campbell, who played alongside the 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle at Penn State a year ago, called Gilliam's outing on Sept. 5 against Furman "the standard." Gilliam recorded three sacks in his Tennessee football debut, adding five tackles for loss — the most sacks by a UT defender since Darrell Taylor had four on Nov. 10, 2018. He also forced the first fumble of his career while sharing the team-lead in tackles with Campbell at six.
Gilliam's relentless pursuit helped the No. 18 Vols (1-0) to a 56-9 win over the Paladins at Neyland Stadium. More importantly, it proved he could back up continued praise for the consistency.
"Today, that's what he's supposed to do," Campbell said.
Tennessee's defense suffocated Furman, tallying six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The Vols' season-high in sacks last year was six against Mississippi State.

#loss

Tennessee linebacker Amare Campbell didn't have much to say about Xavier Gilliam's performance.
Campbell, who played alongside the 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle at Penn State a year ago, called Gilliam's outing on Sept. 5 against Furman "the standard." Gilliam recorded three sacks in his Tennessee football debut, adding five tackles for loss — the most sacks by a UT defender since Darrell Taylor had four on Nov. 10, 2018. He also forced the first fumble of his career while sharing the team-lead in tackles with Campbell at six.
Gilliam's relentless pursuit helped the No. 18 Vols (1-0) to a 56-9 win over the Paladins at Neyland Stadium. More importantly, it proved he could back up continued praise for the consistency.
"Today, that's what he's supposed to do," Campbell said.
Tennessee's defense suffocated Furman, tallying six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The Vols' season-high in sacks last year was six against Mississippi State.

#campbell #furman #vols

Tennessee football had just won its season opener and new starting quarterback, freshman Faizon Brandon, was greeting his parents in the north end zone of Neyland Stadium. Wide receiver Braylon Staley was right next to Brandon, endorsing the five-star freshman.
"This is the man right here," Staley said.
UT coach Josh Heupel was also pleased with Brandon's debut, but not surprised by anything he saw.
"I don't think he did anything that surprised me," Heupel said after the 56-9 win over Furman on Sept. 5. "We're just … trusting that what you've seen on the field through the body of work is going to show up on gameday too. But for a young player, he managed and stayed within himself extremely well, which is the expectation."
Brandon dazzled in his first college start, throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns and adding 68 yards and two more scores on the ground over less than three quarters of work.

#right

Tennessee football had just won its season opener and new starting quarterback, freshman Faizon Brandon, was greeting his parents in the north end zone of Neyland Stadium. Wide receiver Braylon Staley was right next to Brandon, endorsing the five-star freshman.
"This is the man right here," Staley said.
UT coach Josh Heupel was also pleased with Brandon's debut, but not surprised by anything he saw.
"I don't think he did anything that surprised me," Heupel said after the 56-9 win over Furman on Sept. 5. "We're just … trusting that what you've seen on the field through the body of work is going to show up on gameday too. But for a young player, he managed and stayed within himself extremely well, which is the expectation."
Brandon dazzled in his first college start, throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns and adding 68 yards and two more scores on the ground over less than three quarters of work.

#brandon #heupel #right #yards

The Tennessee Volunteers have taken the field once again for another football season, and they've got a new pup leading the charge for glory as Smokey XII.
The 2-year-old − who will celebrate a ceremonial birthday alongside the university on Sept. 10 − follows in the paw prints of his 11 predecessors to become the first rescue dog to ***** ume the role as the University of Tennessee at Knoxville's mascot.
He dashed through the Power T formed by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band to start the season with the Sept. 5 opening game in Neyland Stadium against Furman.
UT unveiled Smokey XII in March after a search began in late 2025 to replace Smokey XI, who had to retire due to a reserved temperament that made him uncomfortable in public.
It was through East Tennessee's bluetick ***** hound rescue community that Smokey veterinarian Dr. Zenithson Ng first learned about Neyland, whose "bold, courageous and outgoing personality" immediately stood out upon meeting the young hound in December. Neyland underwent training to fit comfortably into the position before making his Big Orange debut at the Orange and White spring game.

#tennessee

Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon will debut for Tennessee football as the 18th-ranked Vols play Furman in the 2026 season opener on Sept. 5.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET with a sellout crowd at Neyland Stadium. It will be streamed on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.
Brandon, 18, is the youngest starting quarterback in UT history. He'll be surrounded by proven performers like 1,000-yard rusher DeSean Bishop, wide receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley and an experienced offensive line.
Jim Knowles will debut as UT defensive coordinator, along with several transfers on defense. And coach Josh Heupel is vying for his 46th win at Tennessee, which would tie Doug ******* ey for sixth place on the Vols' all-time wins list.
Follow live updates here of Tennessee vs. Furman.

#quarterback #faizon

Nearly every bar around town will be showing Tennessee football's home opener against Furman, but some of our favorite spots to watch the Vols are places where you can see and hear the game.
College football season is the best time of year in Knoxville, and more than 100,000 fans are expected to pour into Neyland Stadium on Sept. 5 as the Volunteers kick off their season against the Paladins. Bars across the city also will be packed with crowds dressed in orange and white.
To save you the hassle of showing up somewhere you can't hear what's happening on TV, here's a quick list of places we know will have the sound on during the game.
Looking for a hole-in-the-wall to kick off the Tennessee football season? Back Door Tavern is a dive bar fixture on Kingston Pike, and it's the place Knox News readers voted Knoxville's best Vols bar in 2025.
With TVs on almost every wall, you shouldn't miss a moment of Tennessee's first game. This bar proudly displays Tennessee flags and signs, as well as Vols memorabilia behind the bar, on the ceiling and above its stage.

#game #showing

Should Tennessee football be on upset alert for the season opener against Furman?
Asked to pick a game with potential to rival the iconic upset Appalachian State pulled over then No. 5 Michigan in 2007, ESPN ****** yst Jordan Rodgers said the No. 18 Vols, who are 46.5-point favorites, could find themselves in a closer game than expected against the Paladins (1-0) on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium.
"I don't think any of them are too likely, but if there was one I could maybe sell you that it could get interesting, it'd be Furman at Tennessee," Rodgers, a former quarterback at Vanderbilt, said during a "SportsCenter" segment on Sept. 2
Rodgers' primary concern for Tennessee is freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon and even immensely gifted players can be ****** e to costly mistakes in their debuts.
"You look at Tennessee and they are breaking in a five-star quarterback and he is really talented, Faizon Brandon. But in these games where App State upsets a Michigan, it's not usually that they are more talented. It's that the better team beats themselves," Rodgers said. "And a five-star quarterback could go out there as and 18-year-old and make some mistakes. I think he's going to be really good but in Week 1, he's not going to be the version that he could be in Week 11 or 12."

#furman #state #sept #faizon

Tennessee freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon has a unique name with an interesting origin story that his parents love to tell.
Brandon will debut as the youngest starting quarterback in Tennessee history when the 18th-ranked Vols play Furman (1-0) on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium.
College football fans will get accustomed to his saying Faizon Brandon. But where did the 18-year-old quarterback's name come from?
Here's the story that his parents told Knox News.
In 2008, Lenard and Rolanda Brandon were struggling to pick a name for their baby boy, whose birth was due that summer. Rolanda liked Zachary as a name for their first born, but Lenard was lukewarm.

#name #rolanda #parents

What does Tennessee football defensive coordinator Jim Knowles want from his unit in the season opener against Furman? It's safe to say his expectations are high.
"I don't want to give up any yards," he said on Sept. 1. Next: "I want to get a shut out."
And finally: "I don't want to give up any first downs."
The No. 18 Vols are a 46.5-point favorite against Furman (1-0) on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium and it will be Knowles' debut at Tennessee after leaving Penn State. It'll be the first chance for Tennessee's defense to prove itself after a disappointing season last year.
Tennessee's margin for error will lessen dramatically after the Paladins. Week 2 will present a much stiffer challenge at Georgia Tech, and just two weeks later No. 4 Texas will come to Neyland Stadium as the first of Tennessee's nine SEC games.

#tennessee #furman #neyland #season

What does Tennessee football defensive coordinator Jim Knowles want from his unit in the season opener against Furman? It's safe to say his expectations are high.
"I don't want to give up any yards," he said on Sept. 1. Next: "I want to get a shut out."
And finally: "I don't want to give up any first downs."
The No. 18 Vols are a 46.5-point favorite against Furman (1-0) on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium and it will be Knowles' debut at Tennessee after leaving Penn State. It'll be the first chance for Tennessee's defense to prove itself after a disappointing season last year.
Tennessee's margin for error will lessen dramatically after the Paladins. Week 2 will present a much stiffer challenge at Georgia Tech, and just two weeks later No. 4 Texas will come to Neyland Stadium as the first of Tennessee's nine SEC games.

#first #knowles #furman #don 't

On paper, it looked like a big advantage that the Atlanta Braves got to play the makeup game for a June 18 rainout at the end of August. The San Francisco Giants would have to wait 10 weeks, fly across the country ahead of a six-game road trip, and trade away six veterans in the interim before facing a division-leading team on a seven-game win streak.
But waiting meant the Braves had to face a trio of rookies that weren't on the roster three weeks ago. Monday night, Sluggin' Jonah **** , Nate "The Great" Furman, and Turner "King Of The" Hill rained on the Braves parade with three runs, five fits, and four RBIs in a 7-3 win. Their sad fans were Tomahawk-chopping their umbrellas as they walk out of the stadium in despair.
This means that, perhaps unofficially, the Giants have finally swept a series in 2026. And it only took them until the last day of August! Their rainy visit to Hotlanta Wetlanta in June saw one game cancelled and another postponed after a two-hour rain delay, but the Giants won both halves of an improvised doubleheader on the one day with ded=cent weather. This means the Giants technically have swept a series this season, won a series on the road in the process and are currently on a three-series unbeaten streak.
Former Brave Anthony Molina (2-0), acquired in the deadline deal for Tyler Mahle, won his second game in seven days by giving up three runs in five innings in his first start of the season and the third of his career. He struck out five straight Braves between the 3rd and 4th innings and escaped the 5th after giving up four hits but only one run, and leaving with the game tied 3-3.
The Giants broke things open in the top of the 6th thanks to Osleivis Basabe and a trio of rookies. Basabe led off the inning with his 4th home run of the season, bouncing it off the top of the center field wall just above the Papa John's sign, which should probably earn him some free terrible pizza, right?

#five

No. 18 Tennessee will open its 2026 football season Saturday against Furman.
Kickoff between the Vols and Paladins is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT at Neyland Stadium. The game can be watched on SEC Network+.
Saturday will mark the third meeting between Tennessee and Furman in the all-time series, dating to 1941. The Vols have a 2-0 record in previous games contested between the two schools.
Tennessee first played the Paladins on Sept. 20, 1941, winning, 32-6, at Shields-Watkins Field in John Barnhill's debut as the Vols' head coach.
Barnhill was named head coach after Robert Neyland was called into military service. Barnhill would guide the Vols to an 8-2 overall record (3-1 SEC).

#vols #saturday #paladins #neyland

Week 0 has arrived, meaning Tennessee hits the field in just one week. The Volunteers will kickoff the Faizon Brandon era against Furman in a tune up game before things start to get real in two weeks down in Atlanta. Tennessee is a sleeper team according to most, taking a backseat to teams like Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss.
Can the Volunteers force their way into the SEC picture and perhaps make a run at the College Football Playoff? If that's in the cards, they'll have to find answers to these four questions.
The 5-star freshman ran away with the job in fall camp, now it's time to see just how good he can be right off the bat. There's no doubt about his long-term upside under Josh Heupel, but what about the right now? Brandon was praised for making plays down the field in scrimmages, and his athleticism will bring a new element to the RPO and maybe even option game.
It's going to come down to the little things though. The right checks, the right reads, getting through those reads quickly enough and keeping the offensive tempo when Heupel wants to operate with pace. Brandon is sure to make some freshman mistakes, that just comes with the territory. Can he make enough big plays down the field to keep defenses honest and the focus off of DeSean Bishop and the ground game? That's the key to me.
Tennessee's defensive line room has completely transformed in the past couple of seasons after having a bunch of veterans exit the program. It's going to be a new look for Garner's group in 2026, with no more Eason, Moi, Bailey or Josephs to lean on. The torch is being passed to guys like Xavier Gilliam, Nathan Robinson, Tyree Weathersby, Isaiah Campbell, Ethan Utley and several more. Veteran Daevin Hobbs is expected to lead the group and needs to take a big jump.

#right #tennessee

One of the reasons the San Francisco Giants have liked Christian Koss so much is his baseball savvy. Against one of the team's top 2026 tormentors, the Diamondbacks, Koss' baserunning helped fuel a rare win against Arizona.
Hit by a pitch in the fifth, Koss dashed from first to third on Nate Furman's sacrifice bunt, realizing third baseman Jose Fernandez hadn't retreated fast enough to the bag. That set up Drew Gilbert's sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead, helping starter Landen Roupp snap his five-game losing streak. The Giants are now 2-8 against the Diamondbacks this season.
Jung Hoo Lee hasn't started two games in a row because of a bruised right elbow, but he pinch hit in the eighth Thursday and drew a 10-pitch walk. He scored on Bryce Eldridge's double and rookie outfielders Jonah ****** and Turner Hill provided RBI singles that inning, while third baseman Shay Whitcomb sent ****** in with a safety-squeeze bunt.
With Willy Adames likely out for the rest of the season with an elbow injury, Koss has started 27 of the past 28 games and has a plus-2 outs above average (OAA), an advanced Statcast metric. Adames, who has played through back issues this season, had a minus-17, tied for worst in the majors.
The Giants have Marcelo Mayer, acquired from Boston at the deadline, waiting in the wings. When he's ready to come off the injured list - he expects to be out of a walking boot for a bruised foot soon - Koss is likely to shift back to third, where he has also played well.

#season

It'll be Tennessee football's season opener when Furman comes to Neyland Stadium, but the Paladins got an early start to their 2026 campaign on Aug. 27.
Furman beat Anderson, a Division II team, to start its season at home in Greenville, South Carolina. It wasn't an overwhelmingly convincing performance but ended in a 20-3 victory for the Paladins (1-0).
The Vols play Furman on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+/ESPN+).
Quarterback Jake Garcia started at quarterback for Furman. A fifth-year Michigan transfer, Garcia won the job over Western New Mexico (Division II) transfer Connor Ackerley, junior Nehuel Garcia and freshman Trey Smith.
Garcia finished his first start for Furman going 15-of-28 passing for 183 yards and an interception. He also had nine rushes for 51 yards and avoided taking any sacks.

#start #quarterback #transfer

Furman (1-0) kicked off its 2026 football season Thursday against Anderson University (0-1). The Paladins won, 20-3, in their season opener at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
Furman will next play at No. 18 Tennessee on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m. EDT, SEC Network+).
Fifth-year quarterback Jake Garcia started for Furman on Thursday. He completed 15-of-28 passing attempts for 183 yards and one interception. Garcia also totaled 51 rushing yards on nine attempts.
Furman's leading wide receiver was Daniel Haughton with five receptions and 87 yards. CJ Nettles recorded 99 rushing yards and Ben Croasdale scored two rushing yards for Furman.
Garcia transferred to Furman from Michigan. Before his one season with the Wolverines, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback also played at East Carolina (2024), Missouri (2023) and Miami (2021-22).

#garcia #attempts

Tennessee football won eight games in 2025, marking the first time it had failed to reach nine victories in a season since Josh Heupel was named coach of the Vols in 2021.
The Vols are set to face four ranked teams this season and a new nine-game SEC schedule while breaking in a freshman quarterback, so reestablishing the nine-win floor Heupel had set for this program won't be easy.
Here are the three games that will define the season for Tennessee football in 2026.
On paper and in the polls, UT looks like the better team and a likely favorite to knock off the Yellow Jackets, even on the road. But first-year quarterback Faizon Brandon will still be an unknown commodity by the time the Vols arrive in Atlanta for their second game.
The Vols host FCS foe Furman in the season opener on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., SEC Network+, ESPN+). and Brandon shouldn't expect to meet much resistance, nor to play four full quarters in that game. The SEC slate that follows promises to be tougher to navigate, but how Brandon reacts to a road environment at Bobby Dodd Stadium will say a lot about how truly ready he is to lead UT for the remainder of the season.

#brandon #nine #tennessee #first

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rafael Devers hit his 28th homer, a drive that bounced into McCovey Cove, and reliever Anthony Molina worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Drew Cavanaugh hit a two-run single in the first inning for San Francisco before Devers went deep in the fifth, his third homer in five games. It was his 16th longball at Oracle Park this season, the most by a Giant since Barry Bonds in 2007.
Sal Stewart scored the Reds' first run in 23 innings on his ninth-inning homer. His 28 home runs are the second most by a Reds rookie, trailing only Frank Robinson's 38 in 1956.
Cavanaugh finished 3 for 3 for his first career three-hit game. Nate Furman got his first major league hit, a single in the third.
Molina (1-0) relieved right-hander Adrian Houser, who left in the second inning with an apparent injury to his throwing arm. He allowed one hit and fanned a batter.

#molina

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The NCAA agreed to reduce Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter's suspension from two games to one over a $427 flight to an NFL training facility during the pre-draft process, Volunteers athletic director Danny White said Tuesday.
White wrote on social media that while he strongly agrees with coach Josh Heupel that the suspension was ridiculous, a one-game suspension for the season opener Sept. 5 against Furman is better than two games — but no suspension would be better in the current environment.
"If players around the country are allowed to leave NFL camps and play college football, the NCAA should do the right thing and drop it all together," White said. "This is yet another example of applying archaic rules from another era, without evolving, and most importantly, putting student-athletes experiences above bureaucracy."
Carter signed with an agent and accepted a flight worth $427.28 while figuring out his draft status. He ultimately withdrew from the draft and returned to Tennessee because of a medical procedure for a foot injury.
The NCAA originally suspended Carter three games, which was reduced after an appeal. The latest reduction means the third-year linebacker and two-year starter will be available when No. 20 Tennessee visits Georgia Tech on Sept. 12.

#draft #flight

When Andrew Rappleyea was deciding whether to stay at Penn State or transfer after last season, he received a message from new Nittany Lions offensive line coach Ryan Clanton.
"Coach Clanton sent me a picture of one of our formations," Rappleyea recalled. "It was 14 personnel (one running back and four tight ends). He said, 'We need you here.' It was pretty funny. They use tight ends a lot. They produce them. They have good ones."
The Nittany Lions have several of them this season, giving them a deep group and perhaps the strongest position on the team.
Ben Brahmer, Gabe Burkle and Cooper Alexander transferred from Iowa State to join Matt Campbell, their coach with the Cyclones. Rappleyea, Finn Furmanek and Brian Kortovich remained at Penn State.
Brahmer, Burkle and Rappleyea will see plenty of time on offense; Alexander and Furmanek will see their share of action.

#rappleyea #burkle

No. 18 Tennessee held its second scrimmage during fall training camp on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Rankings reflect the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.
Sixth-year head coach Josh Heupel recapped the Vols' second scrimmage.
"Good second scrimmage," Heupel said. "Bunch of situational work. Crowd noise like you're on the road. A lot of mechanics, communication, things that did well and some things that, offensively in particularly, learned throughout the course of it. Got to continue to get better at that, but all in all, good work.
"I thought defensively did a good job. Created a couple turnovers. Played ****** ignment sound and, offensively you know, didn't play as clean as we need to. Some of that was communication, but some really positive things there too."
Tennessee will kick off its 2026 football season in 14 days. The Vols will host Furman on Sept. 5 at Neyland Stadium (3:30 p.m. EDT, SEC Network+).

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