Tennessee football: Reasons for optimism after Georgia loss
By Dave Hooker
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Tennessee didn’t beat Georgia on Saturday but the game certainly provided hope for the Volunteers.
First, the Vols showed they have an option at quarterback if Jarrett Guarantano can’t resurrect his once-promising career. In a bit of a surprise, the Vols started freshman Brian Maurer against No. 3 Georgia. He certainly didn’t disappoint. Maurer helped lead the Vols to a 14-10 lead over the Bulldogs in the second quarter before a shortcoming of talent caught up with Tennessee.
Maurer proved more than capable. He completed 14-of-28 passes for 259 yards with two touchdowns and an interception before being knocked around and eventually replaced by Guarantano after the 43-14 loss got out of hand.
To some, the quarterback change could look like desperation for the Vols, who are now 1-4. Perhaps starting Maurer was a panic move. However, it looked like the right move. Maurer had some spark that the Vols seemed to be lacking this season. A fiery competitor, Maurer might be just what the Vols need.
However, one has to wonder what the move will mean to Guarantano, who completed just 1-of-5 passes for 14 yards on Saturday. No matter. There are bigger issues at hand than Guarantano’s feelings.
The Vols will have to pull out a miracle this season to become bowl eligible considering the daunting schedule on their hands. The Vols could be underdogs in the remainder of their games this season. Maurer should give UT fans some hope even though he struggled as Saturday’s game wore on.
Maurer’s first start was more than just a challenge. It was a monumental task. Maurer faced one of the top teams in the nation. Most expect Georgia to end up in the College Football Playoff and perhaps beat Alabama for the SEC title.
So while the score still ended up being rather lopsided, there is some cause for optimism. Maurer isn’t a huge upgrade at quarterback but his play looked promising.
There is one potential pitfall in making a quarterback change. If UT’s coaches feel the need to go back to Guarantano, then real trouble could ensue. The Vols don’t want a revolving door at quarterback. That never works. If UT’s coaches believe that Maurer is the better option, then it’s time to stay on that path. That seems to be the case.
“I thought in the first half, offensively, we created some explosive plays,” Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said after the game. “Thought Brian did a really good job. We done a nice job protecting him. We competed hard running the football. Our skill players made some nice catches for him out there, made some runs after the catch. For a while there, it was a good back and forth there.”
But things started to get out of hand. Aside from Mauer being able to play defense, there wasn’t much he could do as the Vols relinquished 33 straight points. Slowly but surely it became evident that Georgia is just on another level than the Vols, which was no shock to any college football fan.
For anyone realistic, it was obvious that the Vols weren’t going to beat Georgia. It would take a real optimist hope that UT would keep Saturday’s game close. Well, that didn’t happen but there’s reason to think Pruitt may be able to get things pointed in the right direction.
Obviously, there’s Maurer. Playing him showed the world and UT fans everywhere that no job is guaranteed and that Pruitt will do whatever he needs to do to get the Vols back on a winning track. But there was more than just Maurer.
The Vols played with pride and passion. Against a seemingly insurmountable foe, that is a huge positive. UT has lacked passion in the past. They had that much-needed passion for most of the game against Georgia.
Yes, it was still a mostly one-sided loss but there’s reason to hope. If the Vols play with the type of passion they showed in the first half against Georgia and Maurer continues to develop, then UT can make a real run at being bowl eligible. Suddenly that doesn’t just seem like a pipe dream.
A program like Tennessee should never believe in moral victories. UT is far too established for that and everyone on their roster should expect more. However, the Vols took a step in the right direction on Saturday. That should be appreciated.
Pruitt and the Vols should be even more uplifted considering what they overcame last week. The Vols had to deal with a very public dismissal of a potentially great player, linebacker Jeremy Banks. The entire ordeal was so big that it was even TMZ worthy.
Again, that didn’t seem to affect UT’s focus. The Vols should be commended for that. Pruitt should be far more appreciated than just a few days ago.
Dave Hooker started covering Tennessee in 1998. He hosts an SEC radio show out of Chattanooga and covers the SEC for Saturday Down South.
