Tennessee football: Individuals emerge amid QB issues at South Carolina

Despite quarterback concerns, many Tennessee football Volunteers stood out at South Carolina.

In Columbia, S.C., Tennessee football was able to hold off the South Carolina Gamecocks 31-27 to head into week two with a 1-0 record. It wasn’t pretty but there were players for the Vols that stepped into the spotlight.

Sophomore inside linebacker Henry To’o To’o did an outstanding job. Great field perception enabled him to make the incredible pick-six that turned out to be the difference in the game. He saw the opportunity and went after it. With Daniel Bituli gone, expectations were for To’o To’o to emerge, and he is off to a great start after how he played Saturday.

A huge reason for To’o To’o’s pick-six, meanwhile, was the emergence of another player. Senior outside linebacker Deandre Johnson hurried Collin Hill, which forced the interception. Johnson also had two and a half sacks in the game. Tennessee football was looking for an edge rusher to replace Darrell Taylor, and Johnson may have emerged.

On offense, fifth-year senior Brandon Johnson had a jaw-dropping play. Johnson, who returned from a redshirt, made a one-handed catch for a 30-yard gain on 3rd and 2 that kept the Vols alive on their first touchdown drive in the first quarter. If anything, this was the play that allowed Tennessee to build momentum, and people will be talking about it for weeks.

Johnson and Josh Palmer are trying to fill the voids left by Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway, and both came up huge. Palmer had the go-ahead touchdown reception in the fourth quarter that put the Vols up for good.

Then there is the quarterback situation. There were many great things that came from UT’s win over the Gamecocks, but we once again saw uncertainty from Jarrett Guarantano. It was hard to see much of a difference from the way Guarantano played last year than he did Saturday night.

Guarantano had a hard time timing his throws, and many of the passes were not even near the players he intended for them to go to. It was discouraging to see that because as a senior quarterback, he should have that under control. Those are freshman issues that need to be weeded out as the time goes on.

Don’t get me wrong, Guarantano did some really good things. He didn’t turn the ball over, completed over 60 percent of his passes and had two total touchdowns, but it’s hard to see Tennessee football being able to handle bigger opponents with those kinds of issues.

UT should consider putting Brian Maurer in against the Missouri Tigers this week. Maurer showed promise last year when he was in. He just needs more opportunities, and the way Guarantano played last Saturday really gives Jeremy Pruitt and Jim Chaney a good reason to try it out.

If he plays the way he did against South Carolina, Guarantano will not be able to handle the Georgia Bulldogs in Week Three. Giving Maurer a shot against Mizzou could at least give the coaches an idea of where to go before then.

On Saturday, Tennessee football was a much better team than the Gamecocks but played down to their level. They need to have someone who will set the tone and the level of play from the first quarter. The Vols could truly compete in the East if they work out those issues. This is a solid team that proved it has great talent. Let’s see the adjustments they make heading into Week Two.