​Freshman Faizon Brandon showed why he was tapped as Tennessee football’s youngest starting quarterback in 56-9 win over Furman on Sept. 5.Brandon, who turned 18 years old on June 1, looked at ease amid a sellout crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium. He accounted for five touchdowns, which was easily enough to lead the 18th-ranked Vols (1-0) in a runaway victory over Furman (1-1), an FCS program.UT outgained Furman 638 yards to 221.Tennessee plays Georgia Tech (0-1) on Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. But first, let’s wrap up Week 1.Here are five takeaways from the season-opening win over Furman.Faizon Brandon entered record book in debutBrandon became the youngest quarterback to start a UT 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.Brandon finished 13-of-17 passing for 226 yards, three TDs and no interceptions. And he rushed for 68 yards and two TDs.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.Backup George MacIntyre relieved Brandon in the third quarter and tossed a 22-yard TD pass to freshman TK Keys.Xavier Gilliam got three sacks in first game with VolsTennessee’s defense showed some teeth in its first game under new coordinator Jim Knowles. The Vols recorded six sacks and 12 tackles-for-loss. Notably, their season-high was six sacks against Mississippi State in 2025.Defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, a Penn State transfer who followed Knowles to Tennessee, led the way with three sacks. That tied for the most sacks by a UT player since Darrell Taylor had four against Kentucky on Nov. 10, 2018.UT’s other sacks were recorded by Tyree Weathersby, Edwin Spillman and Mariyon Dye.Mike Matthews caught two TD passes from Faizon BrandonWide receiver Mike Matthews was a favorite target for Brandon, especially on vertical routes.Matthews had four catches, including two for TDs in the third quarter. He set career highs with 132 yards and two TDs.Brandon connected with Matthews on a 55-yard TD on a busted coverage by Furman. And Brandon tossed another deep ball to Matthews, who made a high-flying catch and sprinted to end zone for a 57-yard score.It was fitting that Brandon and Matthews, a pair of former five-star recruits, connected in their first game together. Their relationship started during Brandon’s recruitment and blossomed in workouts this offseason.Faizon Brandon led Vols to quick touchdownTennessee kept up its quick-scoring trend under coach Josh Heupel. The Vols marched 60 yards in eight plays in less than three minutes on the opening drive for a touchdown.Brandon capped the drive with a 17-yard TD pass to Ethan Davis.Last s