Tennessee football report card: Grading Vols in 41-21 win vs. Gamecocks

Coaching

Offensive play-calling: A

Jim Chaney had to deal with two different quarterbacks out there and Will Muschamp’s defense. And his play-calling did its part to spot Tennessee football’s offense over 40 points against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Probably his most impressive move was calling a deep pass when JT Shrout was in the game after everybody was expecting a run. It resulted in the touchdown that put the Vols in control, so he deserves a ton of praise for the game he called.

Defensive play-calling: B+

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Derrick Ansley had some issues with his coverage calls early on. That’s the only way the South Carolina Gamecocks would be able to have over 300 yards through the air against what should be an elite secondary.

However, the unit overall still made some big plays. He withstood the loss of his best defensive tackle, and he drew up plays beautifully for Darrell Taylor and the outside linebackers to bring pressure all night. So he still gets a B+.

Overall coaching grade: A

Jeremy Pruitt didn’t just have great play-calling from his coaches. He made sure his guys were excited to play, and he also showed his confidence in specific players, most notably Jarrett Guarantano after he had a rough week. It paid off.

Pruitt’s most impressive move, however, was keeping his guys focus as they withstood all of those setbacks in the first half. That represented a turning point for Tennessee football, and the credit has to go to Pruitt. As a result, he easily deserves an A.