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Tennessee football report card in 34-7 Kentucky loss

By Caleb Calhoun

The Vols tackle a Kentucky player in the first quarter of a game between Tennessee and Kentucky at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.
The Vols tackle a Kentucky player in the first quarter of a game between Tennessee and Kentucky at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. /
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Oct 3, 2020; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is seen during the third quarter of a game between Tennessee and Missouri at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Calvin Mattheis-USA TODAY NETWORK
Oct 3, 2020; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is seen during the third quarter of a game between Tennessee and Missouri at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Calvin Mattheis-USA TODAY NETWORK /

Coaching grades

Offensive play-calling: D

Jim Chaney can’t be blamed for the pick-sixes. However, he abandoned the running game in favor of cute screens that went nowhere far too often, and he did it despite Eric Gray and Ty Chandler gaining all the yards on Tennessee football’s one touchdown drive. He also didn’t take any deep shots, which is where Josh Palmer thrives. As a result, his play-calling was bad.

Defensive play-calling: C

Derrick Ansley could have accounted better for the quick slants, and he didn’t bring pressure like he usually does. However, the defense itself did pitch a first-half shutout. Its first touchdown allowed in the second half was after a push-off that should have been called. After that, though, he quit being aggressive, and that proved costly. As a result, he still gets just an average grade.

Overall grade: D-

This comes down to head coaching. Jeremy Pruitt did not have his guys focused or ready to play. More importantly, he sent a message of quitting far too early. Pruitt, known for going for it on all 4th and shorts, punted it on 4th and 2 down 17-7 in the first half. He then punted on 4th and 1 after an eigth-yard run to open the second half.

Next. Five takeaways from Vols' 34-7 loss to Kentucky. dark

Those two punts and his lack of ability to get the guys focused are all on him. They gave the green light to the rest of the team to quit. Combine that with the play-calling issues that we brought up, and the coaching was way below average. The group is lucky we didn’t outright give it a failing grade, as it may have deserved one.

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