Tennessee football: Key moments and turning points in Vols win at Auburn
Tennessee football had its best game in two years beating the Auburn Tigers 30-24 Saturday. Here are the key moments from the Volunteers’ win.
It was without a doubt the signature win for Tennessee football this year. Coming off a bye week, the Vols and Jeremy Pruitt shocked the world by scoring a huge win against a ranked team on the road, and it was the first time they beat this team since 1999.
So yes, maybe the Auburn Tigers were super low on morale. And the noon kickoff was 11 a.m. for their time, which probably didn’t help. But they still got off to the red-hot start, taking a 7-0 lead and almost making it 14-3.
But the Vols continued to fight hard on offense, and there were key plays to show they wouldn’t go away. Other plays put them in control. Here’s a look at those key moments and turning points in Tennessee football’s win over Auburn.
Jarrett Guarantano hits Tim Jordan for a first down on 2nd and 19.
It doesn’t seem like much given everything that happened, but after falling behind early 7-0 to the Auburn Tigers, Tennessee football’s offense only got one first down before a holding penalty put them at 1st and 20 in their own territory. After a one-yard run made it 2nd and 19, it seemed clear that this drive would stall, and in typical fashion, the Vols would punt, and they would again fall behind big early. But instead Guarantano hit Jordan for the first down. The play was huge, as it put Tennessee in Auburn territory. And even though it only ended with a Brent Cimaglia field goal, it sent a message that this team was clearly different after its bye and would not go away.
Vols break up a Jarrett Stidham pass on 3rd and goal with Auburn up 7-3.
The field goal drive let fans know Tennessee came to play. However, this 3rd down stop was even more huge. After scoring on the first drive with ease, the Tigers drove right back down inside the five-yard line. It looked like the defense would not be able to stop Gus Malzahn. But then they came to life. After stopping a run play on 2nd and goal, Bryce Thompson batted away a pass from Jarrett Stidham on third down. Auburn had to settle for a field goal to make the score 10-3. Making that play showed that Tennessee could stop Auburn, and they weren’t going to be able to fool the Vols with their offense forever. They clearly didn’t.
Jarrett Stidham throws interception to Bryce Thompson.
This was the play to assure Tennessee football would stay in the game. After a blocked field goal on the previous drive, Auburn had the ball up 10-3. And Bryce Thompson came through again. After making the stop on the previous drive with a deflection, the freshman intercepted a pass from Stidham near midfield, making sure Auburn couldn’t extend its 10-3 lead. Guarantano hit Ty Chandler for a touchdown to tie the game up right after that, but the key moment was the interception to set it up.
Jauan Jennings catches 25-yard touchdown pass to put Vols up 17-13.
It’s pretty self-explanatory why this is on here. The previous plays by the Vols showed that were here to stay in the game. There were other positives like the two Brent Cimaglia field goals and another interception. But it was here where they took control. After getting stopped on a 4th and 1 the previous drive, the defense held, which could’ve been a key moment on its own. Then came this drive. The Vols converted five third downs, and the final one was this touchdown pass from Jarrett Guarantano to Jennings to give them their first lead over a Power Five team this year. All of a sudden, it went from the Vols will stay in this game to they can win this game. And that was a huge boost.
Alexis Johnson strip-sacks Jarrett Stidham, ball recovered in end zone.
We go from saying Tennessee football can win this game to saying they expect to win it after this play. Despite taking a lead, the defense had been getting worn down in previous weeks after playing hard early. So you had to expect the Auburn Tigers to take advantage. They didn’t. Alexis Johnson made another big play, strip-sacking Jarrett Stidham to force his third turnover. After the ball rolled around, Alontae Taylor recovered it in the end zone for another touchdown. The Vols took a 27-17 lead after that, and it was all the points they needed to win the game.