Faizon Brandon produced 7 of Tennessee's 13 explosive plays

There was no drama to speak of. Tennessee dismantles Furman, 56-9 at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee led from start to finish and never let Furman within striking distance. Faizon Brandon threw for 226 yards on 17 attempts with three touchdowns and ran 10 times for 68 yards and two scores.

The big plays only went one way

Tennessee produced 13 plays of 15+ yards to Furman's 6: Faizon Brandon (involved in 7), Mike Matthews (involved in 3) and DeSean Bishop (involved in 2). Tennessee scored on 62% of its drives to Furman's 14%, chiefly Faizon Brandon (30 pts), Mike Matthews (12 pts) and Justin Baker (6 pts). Stacked together, it was never close.

The difference-makers

Faizon Brandon threw for 226 yards on 17 attempts with three touchdowns and ran 10 times for 68 yards and two scores — three of them from inside the 20, four third-down conversions and a hand in seven plays of 15 yards or more. Mike Matthews caught four passes for 132 yards, two of them for touchdowns — a hand in three plays of 15 yards or more. Justin Baker ran three times for 89 yards and one score. For Furman, Isaiah Davis ran eight times for 113 yards and one score — two third-down conversions and a hand in four plays of 15 yards or more. Jake Garcia threw for 36 yards on 17 attempts. Ethan Harris caught one pass for 6 yards. Xavier Gilliam was the disruptive one for Tennessee: 3 sacks, 4 TFLs, 1 forced fumble, 4.5 tackles.

What Furman has to fix

Furman was not without production. Isaiah Davis ran eight times for 113 yards and one score, but it arrived in a game that was already gone.

The defensive story

Two names to keep, all for Tennessee: Xavier Gilliam (3 sacks, 4 TFLs, 1 forced fumble, 4.5 tackles) and Tyree Weathersby (1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 tackle). 5 of Tennessee's 6 sacks came from the defensive line, which is how this defense has generated pressure since 2016.

The takeaway

Tennessee did exactly what a better team should against Furman: leave no doubt.