Tennessee football vs. Alabama: 10 keys for Vols and Crimson Tide

4. Will Jarrett Guarantano be able to continue to take hits? 

Despite completing 21-of-32 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns to go with no interceptions in his coming out part against the Auburn Tigers, Jarrett Guarantano had to take a lot of hits. Now, that’s good news in terms of his toughness. With Tyson Helton letting him air it out and trust his receivers, Guarantano showed he could stand tall in the pocket with pressure coming.

But all of that pressure is likely to continue coming. Even with their injuries, the Alabama Crimson Tide are so loaded that they should have no problem swarming Guarantano. The good thing is Guarantano is not relying on his mobility as much as he is going through his progressions. The bad thing is these hits will take a toll.

There were moments against the Auburn Tigers in which you thought he would have to be carted off the field. On a certain play, he looked like he was almost bent over backwards after taking a hit following a throw. It was brutal, and Tennessee football will not be able to protect him much better on Saturday.

If these keep coming, eventually he could get rattled. Or worse, he just won’t be able make the throws he did. That could be a big problem, and it will give the Vols no shot. Without Guarantano making big plays, they can’t make this game close at all.

You can bet Nick Saban will do everything he can to target Guarantano. Jeremy Pruitt, meanwhile, needs to protect him. How well he and the coaches can keep their quarterback from taking those hits is a huge deal.