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Tennessee football: Looking back at Jeremy Pruitt’s games coaching against the Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt walks on the field during warm ups prior to the game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship presented by AT
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt walks on the field during warm ups prior to the game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP National Championship presented by AT /
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1. 2014: Georgia Bulldogs defeat Tennessee football 35-32

This was Butch Jones’s second season with the Vols, and they entered this game with a 2-1 record coming off a bye week. With the worst offensive line in the SEC at the time and an immobile quarterback being forced to run the spread, Mark Richt’s Dawgs should have had a field day with this team.

However, they didn’t. Just two weeks removed from their defense struggling in a loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, Jeremy Pruitt’s unit struggled again in the first half. The Vols had a 43-yard opening drive that resulted in a field goal and then a 72-yard touchdown drive the second time they had the ball, taking a 10-0 lead.

Georgia fought back and scored 21 unanswered, but UT finished the first half with an 83-yard touchdown drive to make it 21-17. So Pruitt’s unit had nothing to do with the Dawgs leading at the end of the first half.

In the second half, though, they picked things up. Actually, that’s putting it lightly. The Dawgs shut down the Vols. Not only did they let them gain any meaningful yards, but they forced two fumbles, and one was a defensive touchdown.

The only two touchdowns they allowed to the Vols in the second half were in the fourth quarter, when they were running clock with a two-score lead both times. So they still held on 35-32.

Jeremy Pruitt’s coaching grade: B

It was an F for the first half, and Georgia did give up over 30 points and 400 yards to a bad Tennessee football offense. But Pruitt made great adjustments this game and was nearly flawless in the second half. Combine that with a defensive touchdown, and his grade goes up to a B.

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