Grading freshman QB Faizon Brandon in his Tennessee football debut vs Furman

Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon accounted for five touchdowns in his Tennessee football debut against Furman at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 5.

It was nearly a flawless first performance. He became just the fourth UT quarterback since 1995 to record three TD passes and two TD runs in the same game. Joshua Dobbs (four times), Joe Milton and Justin Worley were the others.

Brandon also tied a UT freshman record with five TDs of any kind in a single game. Casey Clausen and Tyler Bray had five TD passes in 2000 and 2010, respectively.

Granted, the 18th-ranked Vols outmatched Furman, an FCS program. And it will get harder from here, as UT plays at Georgia Tech (0-1) on Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

But Brandon displayed all his tools as a dual-threat quarterback to excite the Vols about his future. He became the youngest quarterback to start a Tennessee game at 18 years, three months and four days. He was also the first true freshman to start a season opener since Brent Schaeffer in 2004.

Here's a quick rundown of Brandon's performance against Furman.

Tennessee football vs Furman in Faizon Brandon's debut: See our best photos

Brandon was 13-of-17 passing for 226 yards, three TDs and no interceptions. And he rushed for 68 yards and two TDs.

Brandon tossed a 17-yard pass to tight end Ethan Davis. And he connected with Mike Matthews on TD passes of 55 yards and 57 yards. Brandon had a 6-yard TD run on an option keeper and a 7-yard TD run on a quarterback draw.

Faizon Brandon's best: Opening TD with ease

Brandon had numerous good sequences, but a smooth opening drive was essential for the freshman. He completed 4 of 5 passes for 43 yards on his first possession, including a 17-yarder to Matthews on an out route. Then he shuffled with ease through traffic for a 12-yard run.

Brandon capped the drive by tossing a 17-yard TD pass to Davis over the middle, a high-priority area for UT's passing attack. He showed his wide-ranging skillset as a passer and runner to start the game. From there, he just added quality plays.

Of course, the two deep passes to Matthews made for great highlights. But how well Brandon started the game was significant to his debut performance.

Faizon Brandon's worst: Only the coaches know

Brandon wasn't off target on critical passes. He didn't turn the ball over. He didn't hold the ball too long to cause sacks.

Brandon undoubtedly made some mistakes. But they weren't obvious to the untrained eye. Those will appear when he reviews the game film with coaches.

Brandon didn't need a performance to flirt with the record book to introduce himself as the worthy starter. He needed to run the offense calmly and make wise decisions. But he did all the above.

Some of Brandon's best plays were when he tucked the ball and ran out of bounds for positive yardage rather than throw a pass into coverage. But he was also accurate on short high-percentage passes, which can't be taken for granted, and hit two deep balls with precision.

Plus, Brandon looked like a comfortable and willing runner. He showed off his speed in the open field, and he pushed with power at the goal line.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .

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