All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: Five biggest wins of Jeremy Pruitt era

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt runs off the field after a game between Tennessee and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Tennessee defeated Auburn 30-24.Auburntennessee1013 1831 RANK 10
Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt runs off the field after a game between Tennessee and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Tennessee defeated Auburn 30-24.Auburntennessee1013 1831 RANK 10 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) celebrates a touchdown during a game between Tennessee and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama on Saturday, October 13, 2018.Kns Utauburn
Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) celebrates a touchdown during a game between Tennessee and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama on Saturday, October 13, 2018.Kns Utauburn /

842. 30. 839. Final. 24

Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018; Jordan-Hare Stadium; Auburn, Ala.

Before that memorable 2019 run down the stretch of the season, before that 2020 disaster, before an NCAA investigation that got him fired, Jeremy Pruitt was seen as a coach desperately trying to rebuild a mess with Tennessee football. This game was in the heat of that.

More from All for Tennessee

The Vols came into this game with a 2-3 record, having lost to the West Virginia Mountaineers, Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs by 26 points each. However, Pruitt insisted that he saw improvement in their loss at Georgia, and they were heading into this game off a bye week. He also had experience handling Gus Malzahn’s offense.

Auburn came in at 4-2 after a loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs but still in the top 25 and heavily favored. It seemed as if they would take control early, as they took the opening drive 75 yards for a score. UT then had a field goal drive to make it 7-3, but Auburn drove back inside the Tennessee 5-yard-line on the next drive, poised to go up 14-3.

That’s when the defense for Rocky Top came to light. They had a goal-line stand to force a field goal, and although the next drive ended in a missed field goal by them, it was clear they had come to play. Bryce Thompson then set that tone with an interception, and Pruitt’s offense cashed in with a 42-yard touchdown run after a catch by Ty Chandler.

Although the Tigers scored another touchdown after another interception, the Vols hit a 45-yard field goal to only go down 17-13 at halftime. In the second half, even after a turnover on downs to open their first drive, they took control.

Jarrett Guarantano led a drive in which the Vols went 4-for-4 on third downs, three of which he completed passes, two to Jauan Jennings and one to Josh Palmer. The second one to Jennings was a touchdown to put the Vols up.

Then the defense came through, as Kyle Phillips and Alexis Johnson Jr. sacked Jarrett Stidham with help from Shy Tuttle’s rush, and Alontae Taylor recovered the fumble in the end zone. Ut was in complete control 27-17. Late in the game, they were up 30-17 and allowed Auburn to score a touchdown, but they held on after recovering the onside kick for a 30-24 win.

dark. Next. Vols' top 10 upset wins in school history

At the time, this seemed like the start of something special for Tennessee football under Pruitt. This was their win over an SEC West team since 2010, their first road win over a ranked team since 2006 and their first win over Auburn since 1999. However, as we all know, it didn’t last. In the moment, though, this win really boosted the morale on Rocky Top.

Home/Vols Football