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Tennessee football vs. Alabama: 10 keys for Vols and Crimson Tide

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers and head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shake hands after the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers and head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shake hands after the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) celebrates with fellow quarterbacks Brian Maurer (18) and J.T. Shrout (12) after defeating Kentucky 17-13 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.Kns Kentucky Vols Football
Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) celebrates with fellow quarterbacks Brian Maurer (18) and J.T. Shrout (12) after defeating Kentucky 17-13 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.Kns Kentucky Vols Football /

1. Quarterback situation for Vols

Whether or not the Alabama Crimson Tide force a ton of interceptions could come down to what Tennessee football does at the quarterback position. Obviously, given the mistakes of the past two games, that’s the top storyline.

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Jarrett Guarantano’s wild inconsistency has continued into his fifth-year senior season, and with two pick-sixes and a fumble last week, he dug the Vols their 14-0 hole against the Kentucky Wildcats. Jeremy Pruitt then threw in J.T. Shrout for a series, and he threw an interception to make it 17-0, before putting Guarantano back in.

Then, with the game out of reach, Pruitt threw in the Vols’ five-star freshman phenom Harrison Bailey, who led the team down the field before having a turnover on downs. Pruitt’s explanation for not playing the backups more is that they had limited reps in the preseason due to infections.

That all made sense, but it leaves the situation for Saturday up in the air. There’s a fourth guy, Brian Maurer, who didn’t play last week started last year’s Alabama game and has started three games in his career. Could he be the guy to step in? Given how Alabama’s defense abuses drop-back passers and how Maurer is UT’s only mobile quarterback, he may be the best option.

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

Of course, athlete Jimmy Holiday, who is starting out at receiver, can also play quarterback, and he is a speedster who could give the Tide trouble. Whatever Pruitt and Jim Chaney do with Tennessee football’s quarterback situation could have a huge impact on this game. It stands out above everything else for obvious reasons, so it tops this list.

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