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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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Jeremy Pruitt
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Jeremy Pruitt’s final grade vs. Tennessee football: B+

In four games against Tennessee football, Jeremy Pruitt’s defenses has given up over 500 yards once, over 400 yards once, and fewer than 200 yards twice. They have scored a defensive touchdown in three of those games, and he is 3-1 overall against the Vols.

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His overall grade coaching against them hovers between a B and a B+. I rounded up and gave him the B+ because I used factors against him in his two games facing the Vols with the Alabama Crimson Tide that were not his fault: the rash of injuries in 2016 and the UT program falling apart in 2017.

Those are reasons that he should have had flawless defensive performances against the Vols both times. But he met that standard. Stephen A. Smith once said sports is one of those areas where sometimes you should actually reward people for doing what they’re supposed to do. Pruitt did what he was supposed to do in this situation.

As a result, he has been solid overall against the Vols. Pruitt’s worst game against Tennessee was back in 2015, but he still managed a defensive touchdown. And that was one of those games where Joshua Dobbs just arrived and went off.

He had some hiccups his first game in 2014, but he also got a defensive touchdown in that one and made major adjustments. While coaching under Nick Saban with Alabama, he was nothing short of perfect both times against the Vols.

Next. Ranking Vols 2018 games by difficulty. dark

Tennessee football has enough experience with Jeremy Pruitt to know that they want him on their side now. The guy did a better job in two games against the Vols than Kirby Smart ever did while in Tuscaloosa, and that’s saying something. As a result, despite some of the issues with the Dawgs, there is enough of a body of work against UT to show that Pruitt can torture them. So it’s good for them to have him on Rocky Top.

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