A great coach isn’t married to one system. Great coaches are defined by their ability to adapt to different situations and different personnel, especially when taking over a program.

First-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt proved he could do that on Saturday. Instead of grinding it out on the ground, which has been Pruitt’s M.O., he decided to repeatedly take deep shots downfield. It worked. The Vols were in control throughout their 30-24 win over Auburn thanks to a vertical passing attack that seemed to appear out of thin air.

UT quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed 21 of 32 passes for 328 yards and 2 touchdowns. Instead of simplifying things for Guarantano as the Vols had done for most of the season, Pruitt and his staff put more on him. He handled it perfectly, and the nation noticed.

The SEC named Guarantano its Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Pro Football Focus named the redshirt freshman to its College National Team of the Week. His 93.3 grade from Pro Football Focus was the highest of any offensive player on the National Team of the Week.

Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee’s next opponent has proven it can adapt. Alabama coach Nick Saban had unprecedented success using a tough running game and a tougher defense. He won championships by pummeling his opponents. The scores were usually not indicative of just how badly the Crimson Tide had beaten teams. Then Saban decided he had to adjust.

Alabama’s current approach couldn’t be more opposite of what Saban had put on the field just a few years ago. The Crimson Tide are averaging 53.6 points per game. That leads the nation. As impressive as that is, one gets the feeling that Bama could average 70 points if they really wanted to. It seems like another lifetime ago, but remember when Saban complained about the speed of play that offenses were utilizing? He seems to have had a change of heart in that regard.

Tennessee’s last coach, Butch Jones, simply would not adjust, or just didn’t know how. Jones came to UT with a powerful offensive line intact, one that would have been great to play smash mouth football with. Instead, Jones stood by his allegiance to the zone read, in which those physical linemen were forced to play in a two-point stance. Fortunately, many overcame the asinine approach and have had successful NFL careers. And we all know how that worked out for the Vols.

Saban began to change his philosophy when another familiar name became his offensive coordinator: Lane Kiffin. There was no way Kiffin was going to be happy with a 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense, so he opened things up. Why? Because he knew he had the playmakers to pull off a more aggressive style. From a physical standpoint, how many defenses can match Bama’s skill players? The answer may well be zero.

To a much lesser extent, the same can be said for UT’s receivers, who were the heroes in Saturday’s upset win. There aren’t many teams that can match up with UT’s top trio of wideouts: Marquez Callaway, Jauan Jennings and Josh Palmer. All are 6-foot-2 or taller and have above-average speed and quickness.

The Vols had just 13 receptions of 20 yards or more before the Auburn game. UT completed 7 passes of 20 or more yards against Auburn.

It would be easy to criticize Pruitt for not recognizing the opportunities he had at receiver earlier in his tenure. It would be easy to say Pruitt only decided to throw deep early and often Saturday out of desperation. The Vols were looking like a team that could finish 3-9 before the Auburn game. UT has never lost nine games in a season. Never mind Pruitt’s reasoning. Whatever was behind the Vols’ sudden shift in offensive philosophy shouldn’t be overexamined. It should be lauded and embraced.

Had the Vols not beaten Auburn, it would have been another heartbreaking loss for the UT faithful. However, if they had lost while still taking shots downfield, it would have been a positive sign that Pruitt wasn’t too stubborn to adjust in the face of adversity. Pruitt did that on Saturday. It resulted in a huge upset win. It should also result in UT fans having more faith in Pruitt than they ever did before.