Tennessee football vs. Georgia: Five Bulldogs to watch for against Vols

Jarrett Guarantano’s struggles, and Tennessee football’s struggles in the passing game in general, are the worst thing for a team when facing the Georgia Bulldogs. Kirby Smart’s complex defensive schemes are just too much for any inaccurate and inconsistent quarterback to handle, and that will be the case on Saturday.

The one player the Vols have to make sure they avoid at all cost is J.R. Reed. A 6’1″ 194-pound veteran, Reed already has 18 tackles on the year through four games, has assisted in a tackle for a loss, and he has also come away with an interception, a fumble recovery, three pass deflections, and a defensive touchdown.

He is a do-it-all safety who can roam the field and give quarterbacks a very hard time, and he figures to do that on Saturday. Regardless of whether or not Jeremy Pruitt starts Guarantano, Brian Maurer, J.T. Shrout or some combination of the three, the Vols will have to account for Reed at all times. That will be hard to do.

Simply put, the guy is just too elite. And it doesn’t help that he has experience going up against Jim Chaney’s coaching style in practice. As a result, UT needs to do whatever it can to make sure that Reed does not wreck them. He is another big-game performer, getting seven tackles, his interception and all three pass deflections against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.