Injury updates on Tennessee football’s quarterbacks and offensive linemen lead the news from the Volunteers Monday media session with Jeremy Pruitt.
Despite the euphoria of a second big win in three weeks, Jeremy Pruitt was back to his calm self in the Tennessee football Monday media session. He discussed a range of issues, from the health of the players to the scope of the overall season to this week’s opponent, the UAB Blazers.
With a 3-5 record now and 2-3 SEC record after a 41-21 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Vols are looking to have a late surge to get to a bowl game. Whether or not they have enough in the tank remains to be seen, but Pruitt addressed that in one way as well.
So let’s break down some of what he talked about after such a great win. Here are the key takeaways from Jeremy Pruitt’s press conference on Tennessee football Monday. You can take a look at the full video at the top of this page.
- Brian Maurer back at practice, Jarrett Guarantano limited
Well this is tricky. Jeremy Pruitt said Brian Maurer would be back at practice on Monday while Jarrett Guarantano, who got hurt against South Carolina, would be limited at least until Wednesday. However, Maurer’s status for Saturday is in limbo.
"“We’ll see where he’s at at the end of the week,” Pruitt said of Maurer. “He’s ready to go.”"
Meanwhile, Guarantano appears almost certain to be able to go.
"“I’m sure he’ll be limited for a day or two,” Pruitt said of Guarantano. “He’ll be ready to go unless something happens that I don’t know about.”"
What really throws a wrench in all of this is the fact that Guarantano may have won his starting job back for Tennessee football. Pruitt touted how well he played, saying it was his best game all year, and he particularly touted the touchdown pass he made to Jauan Jennings to put the Vols ahead for good.
"“That’s the Jarrett that I had seen in practice most of the year,” he said."
Of course, if both are banged up, all of a sudden JT Shrout looks like he could do something. Pruitt jokingly brought up Steve Spurrier’s unconventional move in the 1990s to use a different quarterback every play, noting he had seen that done at the high school level and that it does provide some coaching advantages. However, Spurrier lost to the Vols in 1998 doing that.
- Darnell Wright and Darrell Taylor day to day
This is another key bit of news. Both Darnell Wright and Darrell Taylor were hurt in Saturday’s game. Wright is day to day due to an ankle injury, and Tennessee football will desperately need him down the stretch, as he continues to improve with Wanya Morris on the other side.
Taylor, according to Pruitt, suffered a contusion. So once again, he’ll be a question. And once again, he’s a crucial player for the Vols down the stretch. Jeremy Pruitt will need them back as soon as possible, especially Taylor.
- Jauan Jennings’s leadership pointed out as validation
Multiple reporters asked Pruitt about the evolution of Jauan Jennings into a star go-to receiver and a leader nearly two years after his dismissal from the team, which happened before Pruitt took over. Jennings had 174 receiving yards and two touchdowns on Saturday. Upon having to make a decision on whether or not to reinstate him, Pruitt had an interesting quote.
"“Most of the people that said, ‘I wouldn’t let him come back,’ they don’t work here anymore,” he said."
That seems to be a bit of a shot at the previous staff. But he added that Jennings had the defense of key players like Trey Smith and Daniel Bituli at the time. And he said Jennings is evidence of somebody making the most of a second chance, noting that Tennessee football set out requirements to reinstate him.
"“He’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do,” he said. “It goes to show you that, sometimes when you get second chances, people make the most of them.”"
- Numerous connections between Jeremy Pruitt and upcoming opponent
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This was another talking point. The UAB Blazers, led by Bill Clark, are currently 6-1, one year after winning the Conference USA Title and only two years after being reinstated as a program. They have had a remarkable comeback, and they are doing it this year after losing a ton of talent, proving that Clark has a program.
Well, Jeremy Pruitt has numerous connections to Clark and his staff. All of those guys were affiliated in some way with high school football in North Alabama, where Pruitt was involved in coaching for about a decade before reaching the college level. His father’s history coaching at that level only further cements their connections.
- Finishing the right way a focus of the final four games
The elephant in the room for Tennessee football’s big win is the fact that they had a couple of big wins last year and still managed to fall to 5-7 on the season, losing their final two games in blowout fashion. Jeremy Pruitt noted that, and he focused on how that could change this year.
"“We’ve got an opportunity this week, to kind of start to learn how to finish,” he said."
This is the main focus of the Vols. They are in a bit of a worse position than they were at this point last year, so the question is whether or not they have what it takes to finish the right way. After all, they close with two road games and a very good UAB opponent along with a Vanderbilt team that has beaten them each of the last three years. All are winnable, but none are certain.