Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon got his first playing time in more than a month with a brief appearance against Kentucky on Nov. 7.

Brandon replaced George MacIntyre for one play on the opening drive. He handed the ball off to DeSean Bishop for a 4-yard gain on a third-and-2 play. It appeared Brandon was inserted as a rushing option in a package that could be utilized later.

This Kentucky game is Brandon's first playing time since being benched in favor of MacIntyre midway through a 24-14 win over Auburn on Oct. 3. But Brandon was limited for multiple weeks due to a right shoulder injury suffered in a 20-17 loss to Texas on Sept. 26, the week before the Auburn game.

Brandon was upgraded from questionable to available on the SEC availability report before the Alabama game on Oct. 17. And he's been available to play for the past two games.

Brandon, a five-star freshman, started UT's first five games of the season. He played well against inferior competition in nonconference games but struggled in two SEC games. He has completed 61 of 101 passes for 697 yards, seven TDs and one interception this season. And he has rushed for 130 yards and three TDs.

MacIntyre, a sophomore and former Brentwood Academy standout, began the season as Brandon's backup. But he took over the starting position midway through the Auburn game and held it from there.

MacIntyre entered the Kentucky game completing 67% of his passes this season with 728 yards, two TDs and three interceptions.

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: Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon plays vs Kentucky in first appearance in a month

Source: Yahoo Sports