Tennessee football restores smashmouth play

The Tennessee football Volunteers returned to their brand against the Missouri Tigers.

Remember all the times Tennessee football would get inside the two-yard line with Butch Jones as head coach and then go to shotgun for four downs? In 2017 against the Florida Gators, they were on the one-foot line and called a fade before having a delay of game and throwing it three straight times, the final one ending in an interception.

That was a staple of Rocky Top during those days. You never had faith in them to punch it in even if they had four tries to get one yard. Misdirection and trickery were more important than a smashmouth attack.

Such a style of play in the SEC is what led to Tennessee football never being physically cut out to compete with the top teams, numerous players getting hurt and the run-blocking being historically bad when Jeremy Pruitt took over. It’s also why Phillip Fulmer hired Pruitt. He noted the toughness mentality that needed to be restored to Rocky Top.

Well, after the Vols’ 35-12 win over the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, that toughness mentality has been restored. Thanks in large part to four five-stars and then a sixth-year senior starting on the offensive line, Jim Chaney relied solely on the run-game.

Pruitt decided to go for it on four fourth downs in the game, all 4th and 1 plays, and Chaney called a quarterback sneak every time. Jarrett Guarantano converted all four times, scoring a touchdown once. He also scored another touchdown on a 1st and goal sneak from the one-yard line.

On the 4th and goal touchdown, Chaney called Guarantano’s number in a sneak twice, first on 3rd and goal from the three-yard line and 4th and goal from the one-yard line. The whole time, he relied on his offensive line to get a push and Guarantano’s 6’4″ 230-pound frame to get the yard.

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As a whole, the Vols ran for 232 yards and had four rushing touchdowns. Eric Gray had 16 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown, Ty Chandler had 19 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown and Jabari Small had four carries for 27 yards. Guarantano had 10 carries for 14 yards, including those six sneaks.

This is what Tennessee football is all about. When Fulmer was head coach, the Vols had a reputation of establishing a dominant rushing attack with an elite offensive line. What else would you expect from a former offensive lineman himself who turned the Vols into a factory for All-American guards while he was offensive line coach for Johnny Majors?

Jones introduced what would be considered a smashmouth spread, in which offensive linemen maintained blocks like they were in a pro-style but the formations were in a spread formation. However, there was no smashmouth play on the goal-line. You couldn’t trust that the Vols would punch it in if they got down there.

In their prime, there was no doubt the Vols would score if they got inside the five-yard line with a first down. Pruitt had trouble getting UT back to that point his first two years, often times struggling in short-yardage situations. That didn’t happen Saturday. He had his offense line up, make it clear what they were going to do and dare the defense to stop it.

Going forward, Tennessee football could be deadly with this formula. The Vols still have a solid quarterback in Guarantano who makes all the right reads throwing the ball, and they have elite targets at receiver. Combining that with this dominant game in the trenches, and UT has restored its identity.