Tennessee backup quarterback George MacIntyre sparked the 17th-ranked Vols after replacing Faizon Brandon in a 24-14 win over Auburn on Oct. 3.

MacIntyre, a former Brentwood Academy standout, entered the game late in the second quarter for the Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) against Auburn (3-2, 1-2) in an SEC home game on Oct. 3.

Brandon had been ineffective, passing for no yards and rushing for minus-9. He also tossed an interception that set up an Auburn touchdown.

MacIntyre made his fourth appearance of his sophomore season. But his previous three games were relief appearances in lopsided victories. In this one, he took over the QB1 role down the stretch.

Tennessee plays Arkansas on Oct. 10 (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network) in Fayetteville in UT’s first SEC road game of the season. Here’s a quick rundown of MacIntyre’s performance against Auburn.

George MacIntyre stats

MacIntyre was 8-of-10 passing for 86 yards, no TDs and no interceptions against Auburn after entering the game with 3:42 remaining in the second quarter.

This was MacIntyre’s fourth appearance of the season. Against Furman, he completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards, one TD and no interceptions. Against No. 1 Texas, he completed 1 of 3 passes for 6 yards. He didn’t attempt a pass against Kennesaw State.

George MacIntyre’s best: Big play to Mike Matthews

MacIntyre helped the Vols get a big play and a touchdown drive, two things they had been lacking until early in the second half.

It was on UT’s second offensive play of the third quarter. On second-and-6 from UT’s 42-yard line, MacIntyre connected with Mike Matthews on a slant route. Matthews outran a host of defenders en route to a 42-yard gain.

Four plays later, UT finally found the end zone on DeSean Bishop’s 25-yard TD run. It revitalized the Vols.

George MacIntyre’s worst: Hard to find big blemish

MacIntyre didn’t appear to have any bad misses. The Vols didn’t execute perfectly on back-to-back passes midway through third quarter when they were trying to put together a TD drive.

MacIntyre floated a pass that DaSaahn Brame, which he dropped after taking a vicious hit. And Matthews bobbled a pass on the next play, which probably cost UT a first down.

MacIntyre was close enough on both passes. Otherwise, it's hard to find a big negative in his performance.

Grade: A-

MacIntyre provided an immediate jolt to the passing game. The Vols didn’t score on his first drive after replacing Brandon, but he completed all five passes before halftime.

His third-quarter strike to Matthews loosened up the Auburn defense, which had an wonderful impact on UT's offense.

MacIntyre didn’t put up staggering numbers, but he was steady and reassuring to an offense that desperately needed stability. The fact is that Tennessee probably would’ve lost the game without MacIntyre.

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 atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Grading backup QB George MacIntyre in Tennessee football vs Auburn

Source: Yahoo Sports