Tennessee football: Top five performers in 35-12 win vs. Missouri

14-of-23 for 190 yards, 14 rushing yards, 3 total touchdowns

It became much harder for people to criticize Jarrett Guarantano after his performance on Saturday. Last week, against the South Carolina Gamecocks, Guarantano’s accuracy issues are why Tennessee football was one-for-11 on third downs and had a ton of trouble putting the game out of reach despite looking like the far better team.

However, Guarantano’s big arm, his toughness and his decision-making all offset those woes. This week, he had all of those things still and added the accuracy. On third down passes, he had a touchdown and only failed to complete one attempt. He once again completed over 60 percent of his passes and averaged over eight yards an attempt.

Then there’s what he did on the ground. Guarantano had 10 carries for 14 yards, but what stood out was his effective use of the quarterback sneak. Jeremy Pruitt and Jim Chaney called his number on sneaks six times, four of which were on 4th and less than a yard. He converted all four of them, including a touchdown run, and he had another touchdown run on a 1st and goal sneak.

Taking all of that into account, Guarantano belongs on this list. He has three rushing touchdowns on the year and five total touchdowns. More importantly, he has not yet turned the ball over, whether it be an interception or a fumble. As a result, he had to make the list once again.