Tennessee football report card in 30-17 loss at Auburn

Coaching grades:

Offensive play-calling: D

Jim Chaney never figured out the Auburn Tigers’ blitz. All of his pass plays, which he had to call to keep the running game working, were slow-developing, and if he did try to keep the blitz honest, he tried failed misdirection plays where Auburn stayed home. Not once did he try a screen.

Meanwhile, he called the horrendous play in which Jarrett Guarantano threw a pick-six. It was a pass into the end zone on 2nd and 7 from the Auburn 12 despite UT gaining 65 yards on that drive, all on the ground. The awfulness of the call needs no explanation.

Defensive play-calling: B+

Derrick Ansley actually called a solid game. His blitz packages resulted in two sacks, five tackles for a loss, two more hurries and an interception. The blown coverage wasn’t on him, and neither was the pick-six. He still does a bad job scheming for passes over the middle, which is why this isn’t an A, but his coaching only allowed 16 points.

Overall coaching grade: C

Jeremy Pruitt didn’t make too many horrible in-game decisions, but some of the mistakes still fall on him. Also, he kept Jarrett Guarantano in the game, which would be fine, but he didn’t trust him at the same time.

When Harrison Bailey came in, it was after a drive that wasn’t even Guarantano’s fault. These decisions were the key decisions that made the overall Tennessee football coaching job just an average grade, although Jim Chaney is the one truly responsible for the failures here.