Coaching
Nathanael: C+
There wasn’t a whole lot Tennessee’s coaches could do in this game. The Vols were out-matched in just about every aspect, and I thought the schemes and calls on defense were actually pretty good. Offensively, the Vols didn’t look too boring and manage to find some room in the passing game. They weren’t quite as run-heavy, but there’s still room to improve for the play-calling. I really liked Pruitt’s decision to try an onside kick again, and once again the Vols should’ve been able to come down with it. That’s three times this year Pruitt has called an onside kick at the perfect time and UT’s players failed to execute.
Ben: C
I’m not judging the coaches off this game. It’s just not fair. Alabama has all the talent in the world, and Tennessee’s coaching staff has very little talent. My one bone to pick with the coaching staff is with Tyson Helton. It was disappointing to see a lack of trust in Jarrett Guarantano following his performance at Auburn. Nearly the entire time Guarantano was in the game, Helton was very conservative with his play-calling. When Keller Chryst was in the game, he opened it up and let him toss it around the field. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.
