It was almost a “must win.” It did not come easy. It was not a work of art. There was entirely too much drama, all the way to the end.

DeSean Bishop, the offensive line, the kicking game, a tough-enough defense and a loud crowd lifted Tennessee to a hard-fought 24-14 victory over Auburn on a day honoring General Neyland at Neyland Stadium.

Did I mention drama? George MacIntyre replaced Faizon Brandon at quarterback. The No. 2 center did a good job as a starting guard. Two fourth-quarter fourth-down plays went Tennessee’s way. A reserve defensive back got the interception that finally convinced the visiting Tigers their upset bid was finished.

Auburn flirted with self-destruction. Eleven penalties cost 94 yards. Auburn also battled. Quarterback Byrum Brown was outstanding – 19 runs for 107 yards and a touchdown, 22 pass completions for 159 and the other TD.

Bishop was bigger news. He carried 34 times, gained 220 yards and scored all three Tennessee touchdowns.

The UT quarterback change was necessary. Faizon got off to a very poor start, played most of the first half and lost more yards than he gained. He completed three of eight passes for nothing, zero yards. He was sacked on back-to-back plays and finished minus-nine rushing. He lost an interception that set up Auburn’s first touchdown.

Brandon looked like he might not have been ready for combat, physically or mentally. He took a terrible beating in the Texas game.

At halftime, Josh Heupel enlightened the TV audience: “Faizon just wasn’t operating, didn’t feel 100 per cent.”

MacIntyre helped restore order, hit one big pass (42 to Mike Matthews) and completed eight of 10 for 86 yards. He was a good manager. His handoffs to Bishop were flawless.

Punter Jackson Ross was a weapon. Auburn had to start three drives from its 9, 11 and 1-yard lines.

Center Nic Moore performed well as a replacement for an injured guard.

Dejuan Lane #10 had two sacks, nine tackles and an interception return of 32 yards. (Photo by Andrew Ferguson/ TN Athletics)

Dejuan Lane was a defensive star. He had two sacks, nine tackles and an interception return of 32 yards.

Auburn coach Alex Golesh lost a dramatic fourth-quarter gamble that changed the game.

Lane made the hit that stopped the Tigers on third-and-one at their 24. The coach just didn’t believe the Vols could do it again. On fourth-and-one, Jeremiah Telander and Nathan Robinson combined for another no-gain.

Two minutes later Heupel decided against a short field-goal try and went for a first down on fourth-and-one at the Auburn 15. Big guard Donovan Haslam delivered a wipeout block and Bishop gained 10. One play later he scored.

His other touchdowns were 25 and 44 yards.

Tennessee had other standouts. “Little brother” Tevis Metcalf picked off the Auburn pass that ended the game. Mariyon Dye caused a fumble that Arion Carter recovered.

The first quarter was ugly. Both teams made mistakes. After eight plays, Tennessee had 16 yards. Things got worse. Brandon’s arm was hit as he tried to throw and the ball went backwards for 12 yards. Auburn failed to make a first down.

A Ross punt set up a Tennessee field goal in the second quarter. A Daune Morris fumble snuffed out a Vol drive. I thought Brandon was late throwing the ball that was intercepted. Auburn cashed in that turnover and led 7-3 at intermission.

In the third quarter, Tennessee covered 82 yards and took the lead with the MacIntyre -to- Matthews completion and five Bishop runs. Lane’s interception and runback preceded Bishop’s long scoring run.

Early in the fourth quarter, Auburn closed to 17-14 on the Brown pass. The Golesh gamble set up the clinching TD.

Heupel gave no clue what his QB decision might be for the Arkansas game on Saturday.

“We’ll go watch the tape … Faizon didn’t play his best football … we’re going to need them all throughout the course of the year.”

Scoring summary:

Auburn 0 7 0 7 — 14

Tennessee 0 3 14 7 — 24

  • TENN: Cooper Ranvier 36 FG.
  • AUB: Byrum Brown 7 run (Alex McPherson kick).
  • TENN: DeSean Bishop 25 run (Ranvier kick).
  • TENN: Bishop 44 run (Ranvier kick).
  • AUB: Arlis Boardingham 16 pass from Brown (McPherson kick).
  • TENN: Bishop 5 run (Ranvier kick).

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Marvin West welcomes comments and questions from readers at marvinwest75@gmail.com     Read more westwords. Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our free newsletter.