Tennessee football will be without Quinten Dormady but will have Darrell Taylor back when the Volunteers face the Kentucky Wildcats, according to Volquest.
Related Story: Tennessee-Kentucky: 10 keys to the game
It’s good news and bad news for Tennessee football fans in Lexington. The Vols will not have one player against the Kentucky Wildcats, but another player returns from his suspension, according to multiple reports on Volquest from Austin Price.
A Friday report revealed that the Vols will not have Quinten Dormady on Saturday at Kentucky. According to Price, Dormady is expected to have shoulder surgery.
However, a Saturday morning report revealed that Tennessee will get Darrell Taylor back from suspension. Taylor got suspended after a fight with Trey Smith in practice during the bye week.
More from Vols Football
- How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
- Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
- Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
- Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
- Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay
On paper, the return of Taylor is a much bigger deal than the loss of Dormady, so the news is a net positive. After all, Dormady is currently the backup quarterback to Jarrett Guarantano anyway.
However, it could prove disastrous. The Tennessee football offense has been absolutely pathetic with Guarantano at the helm. Butch Jones and Larry Scott likely wanted the option of being able to go back to Dormady. After all, Dormady did start the first six games. And he showed a lot more than Guarantano has so far.
The defense, meanwhile, is still solid without Taylor, even if Taylor does provide an added element in a rotation that involves Jonathan Kongbo and Kyle Philips.
So while it looks better on paper, it could actually be worse. This all depends on how much the offense is able to do with Guarantano.
To be fair, this is Guarantano’s first start against a defense that isn’t elite. So perhaps he’ll have a chance to do more. He was indeed in a bad situation to have his first two starts against the South Carolia Gamecocks and Alabama Crimson Tide.
Next: 4 things Vols still have to play for in 2017
Maybe the Tennessee football offense rediscovers itself against Kentucky in Lexington. If it does, then the return of Taylor will outweigh the loss of Dormady. But that may not be a sure thing.