Coaching
Nathanael: C
For the first time this season, I thought the coaching for Tennessee was just average. I thought the play-calling on offense was fine, and Tyson Helton played to Jarrett Guarantano’s strengths and the offensive line’s weakness by calling quick passes that utilized the speed and elusiveness of UT’s receivers. But I think the Vols’ running backs should’ve gotten more carries, and I think the play-calling should’ve been a little more run-oriented than it was. That’s weird to say since we’ve been calling for more passes this year, but the run game was the most effective it’s been against a Power Five opponent all season, and the Vols actually ended up throwing the ball more than they ran it.
I don’t mind Jeremy Pruitt going for it on fourth down rather than kicking a long field goal, and I don’t think he was in the wrong not to go for points before halftime. The Vols had one timeout, a ragtag offensive line, and 49 seconds left on the clock from their own 35. They got the ball back to start the second half. I was fine with them going into the half up by five right there. But I do think this game was the first time we saw Pruitt and his staff fail to make a big adjustment or impact on the game in the second half. Most of that was because of lack of execution by the players, but I do think coaching had to do with it too.
Ben: C
I’m of the belief it has more to do with the players on the field, but Tennessee’s defense regressed on Saturday. Nothing was working, and it didn’t appear that any adjustment made by Jeremy Pruitt paid off. I would have liked to have seen Jeremy Pruitt attempt the field goal on 4th-and-seven late in the fourth quarter instead of going for it, but it’s not something to drag Pruitt over the coals for.
On offense, I liked the play-calling, but I didn’t like the gameplan. I thought Tyson Helton did a great job of catering to what Jarrett Guarantano does well with high-percentage throws. On the flip side, Jauan Jennings should never have just four targets in a game. That was extremely disappointing to see. My biggest gripe with the offense was that they threw the football 39 times. Tim Jordan and Ty Chandler were having success on the ground and should have received more carries.
