Editor’s note: As part of The Tennessean’s season-long, all-access series about the Brentwood Academy football program, we chronicled Tennessee-bound quarterback George MacIntyre’s first game in Knoxville, a 63-26 victory against Knoxville Catholic. To follow along with the series, please subscribe to The Tennessean here.
KNOXVILLE − The lights at Hollin Field flickered on the moment the clock struck 6 p.m. Thursday, an hour before Brentwood Academy senior quarterback George MacIntyre made his football playing debut in a city he’ll call his second home come Dec. 15.
The lights were shining on the Tennessee recruit long before then, though.
A couple of hours before the Eagles’ 63-26 victory at Knoxville Catholic, MacInytre chatted at length with a local TV reporter outside his team’s locker room.
An hour later, before MacIntyre so much as stepped foot on the field for pregame warmups, two men holding cameras glued their lenses to his every move.
That number had swollen to eight by the time MacIntyre weaved his way through traffic that included curious Tennessee fans hoping to catch an up-close glimpse before he marched onto the field with fellow captains Jacob Atkins, Darryl Hammond and Gavin Schaffer for the pregame coin flip.
Not to mention the blue and white ABC-5 truck with the satellite dish stuck to its roof it parked on the track behind the home team’s sideline, or the other local TV truck next to it that was there to televise the game.
None of the pomp, none of the circumstance phased MacIntyre.
“He’s so low-key about it,” MacIntyre’s father, Matt, said after situating himself at the tippy-top of the visiting bleachers before the game.
His play was anything but, though. He was 13-for-16 passing for 246 yards and two touchdowns.
So, George, were you excited about Thursday?
About playing where you’ll soon be staying?
About the fact that your soon-to-be college coach, Josh Heupel, had a front-row seat for the show from the Brentwood Academy sideline?
Like, at all?
“A little bit,” he said. “I didn’t put much thought into it.
“We play a lot of long road games − Memphis, Chattanooga. It’s just the first time we’ve been in Knoxville. My thought was to come here and handle business.”
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The kid of few words let his play do the talking.
And talk it did.
Loudly and clearly.
MacIntyre planted both feet firmly on his own 15-yard line and barked out last-second orders before he took his first snap. Ball in his right hand, he surveyed the scene, cocked his arm and locked eyes with sophomore receiver Kesean Bowman.
Before eyes on him could blink, before those cameras could click, the ball went from MacIntyre’s right hand into Bowman’s hands, ending in the end zone 80 yards away.
This sort of scene repeated itself often.
MacIntyre to Bowman. MacIntyre to Neo Clifton. MacIntyre to Bowman again.
MacIntyre to William Cypers for a touchdown in the third quarter, too.
“There weren’t too many plays where I thought we were the mouse and the other team was the cat,” MacIntyre said.
MacIntyre and the Eagles (5-3, 1-2 in Division II-AAA East) were the cats this time.
Cats who are going into fall break, with an open week next.
MacIntyre stayed behind in Knoxville after Thursday’s game. Plans to take in the Vols’ game Saturday against Florida, then head to the beach for a few days away from football.
Thursday night, though, was the first of what MacIntyre and the Vols hope will be plenty of great performances in Knoxville.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.
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