Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre will make his first career start Saturday against Arkansas, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel. The start will come after MacIntyre appeared in relief during Tennessee's win over Auburn on Saturday.

MacIntyre replaced freshman Faizon Brandon against Auburn and completed 8 of 10 passes without a turnover. Brandon had started every game this season before being pulled during the Auburn game.

Brandon threw an interception before Tennessee made the change at quarterback. It was his first interception of the season, and MacIntyre handled the passing opportunities that followed after entering the game.

The appearance continued MacIntyre's work across four games this season. He has completed 14 of 20 passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in those appearances.

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Brandon has completed 61 of 101 pass attempts this season. He has thrown for 697 yards and seven touchdowns while serving as Tennessee's starter in every game to this point.

The freshman has also contributed on the ground. Brandon has run 53 times for 236 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Brandon injured his shoulder during Tennessee's 20-17 loss to No. 1 Texas two weeks ago. He briefly left that game before returning and finishing it.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel addressed Brandon's condition Monday following the Auburn game. Heupel said Brandon "wasn't at his best dealing with getting injured in the Texas game."

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"I thought he did a really good job of staying engaged and getting mental reps," Heupel said. "We were making him take drops during the early part of the week, right behind the pocket."

Heupel also pointed to the broader performance around Brandon during the early stages of the game. "Ultimately just everybody together, we weren't playing our best football early. But he's a competitor."

"He's extremely tough. He's a winner," Heupel said. "And he'll continue to bounce back from what he was dealing with."

Heupel also discussed how Brandon reacted after MacIntyre replaced him against Auburn. The Tennessee coach said Brandon "handled it well" when he was benched for MacIntyre.

"He was a good teammate during the course of the football game," he said. "Disappointed in that moment, but also, I think he realized he wasn't playing at his best in major part because of what he was dealing with physically from the week before."

Heupel described the working relationship between Brandon and MacIntyre inside Tennessee's quarterback room. He also discussed how the two quarterbacks have interacted during practices and games.

"Those guys have been great together in the room. I'm not saying they're best of friends hanging out outside of the building, but they've been really good inside of the room and on the practice field and on game day together."

"So anticipate that continuing here as we go," Heupel said.

MacIntyre is a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Franklin, Tennessee. He was a former four-star prospect and the No. 1-ranked recruit in Tennessee before beginning his college career.

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