Tennessee football: Vols stock report following week 1 of 2018

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 01: The defense of the Tennessee Volunteers watch as David Sills V #13 of the West Virginia Mountaineers drops a pass in the endzone during their game at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 01: The defense of the Tennessee Volunteers watch as David Sills V #13 of the West Virginia Mountaineers drops a pass in the endzone during their game at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Tennessee football
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

Which stocks will fall?

Vols Backfield

Tennessee football fans were pleased with the play of Jarrett Guarantano and Tim Jordan on Saturday against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Heck, even we gave them props and noted that their stock is pretty high at this moment. However, now would be the time to sell if their values were placed in the market.

More from Vols Football

Guarantano is going to be hampered and taken out of his rhythm when Jeremy Pruitt and Tyson Helton do what they say they’re going to do this weekend and bench him in favor of Keller Chryst. They want to give both guys a shot, so there is too much uncertainty at quarterback.

Meanwhile, despite doing it with a struggling offensive line, you have to remember that Jordan had an advantage on Saturday. He was going up against one of the worst rush defenses in the Big 12 last year, one that did not likely prepare for him the way it did for Ty Chandler and Madre London.

As a result, it’s hard to believe Jordan can be as quick and agile as he was in that game. His smarts will also only take him so far. They can get past a weak rush defense like WVU’s, but they can’t do much against elite SEC defenses.

Related Story. Top 5 Vols performers vs. West Virginia. light

Simply put, there are still too many questions for the Vols’ backfield to bet on them right now. Add in Chandler’s injury, and it’s clear they may have problems. Now, those issues likely won’t show against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. But this is a long-term concern. Right now, though, it’s the only thing we see trending downward as the season goes on.