The status of Tennessee Vols quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and backlash towards Butch Jones lead our Volunteers news for Monday, Oct. 22, 2018.
Well, at least Alabama’s in the rearview. The Tennessee Vols suffered a brutal loss to the Crimson Tide, just like everybody has done this year, over the weekend. We don’t need to get into that for our news to start your Monday.
Instead, our updates on Rocky Top include a focus on the aftermath of the game, which ranges from the quarterback play to the drama of a former coach returning to outsiders’ takes on the game. As UT fell to 3-4, there were a lot of news stories that came with it.
Meanwhile, other sports have to get a shoutout too. There were two different Lady Vols teams that scored huge wins over the weekend, and we’re going to recap both of them. But let’s start with all the football news.
Jarrett Guarantano expected to be fine – Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel
Tennessee Vols quarterback Jarrett Guarantano suffered an injury that knocked him out for the game in his team’s 58-21 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday. Keller Chryst came in for him and threw two touchdown passes. However, coach Jeremy Pruitt said Guarantano will be fine, and he added that they stuck with Chryst because he played well in the game.
"Pruitt said Guarantano, who had a career game last week at Auburn, “will be back.” The Vols face South Carolina next Saturday.“Jarrett got hit, I don’t know how many times, but probably every time he threw the football,” Pruitt said. “Keller came in and made some good throws. We just stayed with Keller.”"
Butch Jones return to Knoxville draws backlash – Austin Nivison, GoVols247
Former Tennessee Vols football head coach Butch Jones returned to Knoxville Saturday as an analyst with the Alabama Crimson Tide. It seemed to start off fine, as he met with Jonathan Kongbo. And at the end of the game, he met with numerous other players he once coached. However, he received the Gatorade bath from his players for beating his former team, and he posed for two separate pictures with cigars after the game.
"As media members watched this unfold, several had strong reactions. Some thought it was embarrassing for Jones. Others thought it wasn’t a huge deal."
Keller Chryst receives high marks for his play vs. Alabama – Pro Football Focus
Despite the Tennessee Vols losing 58-21 to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Pro Football Focus gave some serious love to Keller Chryst. The PFF analysis team named him as the only Vol among Top 5 players in the game, and they ranked him second with a score of 90.7. Only defensive lineman Quinnen Williams of the Tide was better. Chryst completed 9-of-15 passes for over 160 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
"Alabama received star performances from Tua Tagovailoa and his pass-catching cast of characters as well as a strong defensive performance from the nation’s highest-graded player in Quinnen Williams, knocking off Tennessee, 58-21."
Tennessee soccer defeats No. 5 Texas A&M – UTSports
A strong second half led to a huge road win for the Tennessee Lady Vols. They shutout the Texas A&M Aggies on the road to improve to 12-2-2 overall and 6-2-1 in the SEC, dropping A&M to 14-3-1 and 5-3-1 in the SEC.
"No. 18 Tennessee laid down a barrage of four-consecutive goals over six minutes late in the second half to defeat No. 5 Texas A&M 4-0 Sunday evening. Vol seniors Danielle Marcano, Anna Bialczak and Bunny Shaw accounted for all four scores as UT picked up its first road win over a top-5 opponent in program history."
Tennessee volleyball defeats LSU to win weekend – UTSports
The Tennessee Lady Vols volleyball team moved to 16-5 on the season and 7-2 in the SEC after beating the LSU Tigers in four sets on the road. They return home this week to face the South Carolina Gamecocks in a midweek match for conference supremacy.
"Tennessee battled back from a set down to take the final three sets. In the fourth and final set, the Lady Vols offense came alive, hitting .359 en route to a wire-to-wire 25-15 set victory. It is the second consecutive win in Baton Rouge for the Lady Vols after sweeping the Tigers last season."