DeSean Bishop rushes for 2 TDs as No. 18 Tennessee handles Georgia Tech 45-24

ATLANTA (AP) — DeSean Bishop rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns and freshman Faizon Brandon threw for two scores, leading No. 18 Tennessee to a 45-24 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday night.

Brandon went 10 of 21 for 148 yards, and his 20-yard TD pass to Braydon Staley gave Tennessee (2-0) a 24-10 lead late in the second quarter.

“The stat sheet is not going to be elite. I actually really like the way he played the game,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of his young quarterback. “He handled himself in situational football pretty well. First game on the road, 18 years old, handled himself well, took care of it, scrambled, made some plays.”

The Volunteers took the lead for good earlier in the second quarter when Dejuan Lane picked off Alberto Mendoza and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.

Mendoza, the younger brother of last season’s Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, threw for 221 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.

Tennessee went ahead 7-0 with a three-play, 63-yard drive following a Georgia Tech three-and-out. Brandon connected with Ethan Davis for a 25-yard touchdown.

Georgia Tech (0-2) capped a nearly six-minute drive with a field goal. Elgin Sessions blocked a Tennessee punt and returned it for a touchdown shortly thereafter, giving the Yellow Jackets a 10-7 advantage. It was the program’s first blocked punt for a TD since 2004.

Georgia Tech defensive end Jordan Walker and cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe collided at the start of the third quarter. Walker was carried off the field and unable to put weight on his left leg. Mbakwe was wheeled off on a stretcher and taken in an ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Bishop ran for a 17-yard touchdown after the injury timeout to give Tennessee a three-score lead.

Justice Haynes scored his first touchdown as a Yellow Jacket midway through the third quarter on a 2-yard reception. He finished with 81 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries along with six catches for 36 yards.

Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter had eight tackles and a pass deflection in his return from a one-game suspension over a flight to an NFL training facility during the pre-draft process.

The Vols have one nonconference game left before nine straight Southeastern Conference matchups.

“It’s important for us to get better every single week,” Heupel said. “There’s a lot of things that we got to clean up … but if our team is willing to take ownership and enjoy the win, but when we come back on Monday get a lot better from it, then we’ll have a chance to grow, and that’s what good teams do.”

The takeaway

Tennessee was penalized 14 times for 142 yards, including several defensive pass interference calls.

Georgia Tech failed to convert two fourth downs in the fourth quarter. Mendoza nearly threw his third pick on a late fourth-and-goal attempt.

Up next

Tennessee hosts Kennesaw State next Saturday.

Georgia Tech hosts Mercer next Saturday.

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