7. Quarterback situation for Vols
This will obviously be a key every game Tennessee football plays until a starting quarterback is named. Jarrett Guarantano is no longer going to play for Rocky Top, and Jeremy Pruitt will once again go with redshirt sophomore J.T. Shrout and true freshman Harrison Bailey while sophomore Brian Maurer comes in on gadget plays.
Shrout had better numbers than Bailey against the Florida Gators but played all of his minutes in garbage time. Bailey had way better numbers against the Vanderbilt Commodores, but all of Shrout’s production came when the game was still close, while most of Bailey’s came in garbage time. As you can see, it was a bit of a reverse during those two weeks.
What will Pruitt and Jim Chaney do this Saturday? In a bid to upset the Texas A&M Aggies, they could do something crazy by alternating quarterbacks on each play. Heck, Steve Spurrier did that in 1997 to upset the Florida State Seminoles, where Fisher would eventually coach.
Ok, we’re just throwing out suggestions at this point. However, this will obviously be a major factor on Saturday, and how Pruitt and Chaney handle it could have an impact on whether or not this is a close contest.