Tennessee has taken positive steps under Jeremy Pruitt, but they need more from the quarterback position to reach the next level.
Don’t be too down, Tennessee fans. You may have lost to Georgia with 27 unanswered points in the second half, but the Volunteers are at least showing signs of progress.
It was a tight battle in the first half thanks to an early fumble recovery for a touchdown and two scoring passes from Jarrett Guarantano. The Vols held a 21-17 lead over the No. 3 team in the country.
Unfortunately, the second half got out of hand and the upset bid was smashed, 44-21.
Tennessee’s offense needed more from Jarrett Guarantano in the second half
The worst thing you can do when you’re trying to upset a Top-5 team is to commit turnovers. That’s what Guarantanto and the Volunteers did in the second half. One or two would have been bad enough, but Tennessee had three.
The quarterback was responsible for two lost fumbles and an interception. Nor did he generate much offense outside of those lost drives. While Guarantano went 12-of-23 with 91 pass yards over the entire half, Tennessee had five drives of no more than three plays. The only drives longer than three plays went for 15 and 20 yards.
Credit Georgia’s defense all you want, but the Vols bear responsibility for how inept the offense looked in the decisive half of the game.
Guarantano is a redshirt senior. He can’t get away with committing so many turnovers at this stage in his career.
Is it time for Tennessee to turn to a younger, brighter prospect like Brian Maurer or J.T. Shrout? If Pruitt and company want to start challenging the big boys for real, they’re going to need someone new at quarterback.
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