True Colors… Tennessee’s effort Saturday proves team is on the right track
Published 12:04 am Tuesday, October 15, 2019
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Wes Holtsclaw
BY WES HOLTSCLAW
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION
KNOXVILLE — It was the game Jeremy Pruitt expected his team to deliver weeks ago.
As the Tennessee football team struggled at home against the likes of Georgia State and Brigham Young, any shot at victory in Southeastern Conference play appeared more fantasy versus reality.
From the opening kickoff against Mississippi State Saturday at Neyland Stadium, the team wearing orange appeared different.
It was the same names and numbers on the uniforms, but the emotion, energy and all-around effort was what the most rabid of fans thought they would see from Tennessee opening weekend.
It took game six on the Vols’ schedule to find some semblance of true success, but it arrived.
A true freshman quarterback making his second start, Brian Maurer, provided a spark to a sometimes inept offense despite a pair of interceptions that kept the score closer than the game appeared.
And, even when called upon, when Maurer couldn’t return to play in the second half, redshirt junior Jarrett Guarantano, who the Vols had such high hopes for prior to the season, overcame continued struggles to make big plays when the team needed it most.
One of those plays was a game-winner to senior Tyler Byrd, who rumbled to pay dirt in the closing minutes.
A receiver with so much promise out of high school, that has seldom played to expectations, Byrd made two big scoring grabs and had a game many expected many moons ago.
“We were kind of down, but we just keep fighting,” said Byrd. “People are trying to do the right things, and trying to execute every week, and sometimes we just fall short I think today there are still improvements to be made, but for 60 minutes people tried to do their job to the best of their ability.”
The true story was defense.
An array of interceptions, sacks, pass breakups and third-down stops from a unit low on linebackers and full of youth provided a better glimpse of what could be once the Vols survive Tuscaloosa this weekend.
“We just keep putting younger guys out there, and we have a young football team, and they have so much to learn,” Pruitt said Saturday. “There are so many things about football – different situations, scenarios.
“You learn your job, but then there’s all of the multiples that the offense is creating in situations in a game.
“There are so many things that we have to teach our guys, and they continue to work and learn and get better, and they’ll continue to do that.”
It would be a miracle if Tennessee upset Alabama this week. But Saturday showed that if the Vols can put each facet of their play together, a winning mark in the final five games on their schedule – particularly against the likes of UAB, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt – are well in reach.
“I think we’ve been improving in each game,” said senior linebacker Darrell Taylor. “We didn’t get as much success as we wanted, but I think we’ve improved each week. The guys have been stepping up, like next-man-up mentality. A lot of guys have been improving. I think we’ve taken the right steps forward.”
History will be the ultimate judge when this collegiate football season comes to an end.
Tennessee fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief for one week at least.
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Wes Holtsclaw is a former Elizabethton Star Sports Editor and journalist. He is currently a Communications and Content Director based out of Chicago. Follow him on Twitter at @wesholtsclaw.
