At 3-4 on the season going into a road test at Kentucky, Tennessee found itself in a near must-win game for the sake of bowl eligibility Saturday.

Instead, Tennessee fell to Kentucky for only the second time since 1984, coming up short 29-26.

For Vols fans desperate to see a silver lining in this nightmare of a season, redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano is trying to provide one.

He completed 18 of 23 passes for a career-high 242 yards against Kentucky, spreading the ball to nine teammates. Afterward, he was looking for that silver lining, too.

“I thought we played really well on the outside,” Guarantano said. “I thought the (running) backs played really well. There were a lot of positives.”

The 19-year-old from New Jersey is trying to fill not only the QB position but also a leadership void for Tennessee.

“I talked about it to the team (before the game),” he said. “I stood up and said, ‘I’m 0-2. I’ve failed you guys.’ ”

He thought the turn-around would start this week, even with star running back John Kelly out of the lineup.

“We didn’t get it done,” Guarantano said.

Since taking over for Quinten Dormady as the starter two games ago against South Carolina, Guarantano hasn’t shied away from taking ownership of the offense, his leadership role or the team’s results.

Guarantano’s progression

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Perhaps he already has come a long way since Week 1, when he was caught on camera sulking as Dormady led a comeback victory over Georgia Tech.

Perhaps Guarantano should have been starting all along. Or at least been part of a true time-share as head coach Butch Jones had suggested in the summer.

You cannot turn back the clock and say “what if?” Jones will have to live with his decision, as will his team.

Guarantano inherited a struggling offense that, before Saturday, had continued to struggle — 14 consecutive quarters without a touchdown going into this weekend. It didn’t help the outlook when Kelly was suspended after being cited for a marijuana offense.

True freshman Ty Chandler stepped into Kelly’s role and quickly showed that he can handle the workload. Chandler tallied 120 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and reeled in two catches for 33 yards.

The ground game presence from Chandler even allowed Guarantano to go under center at times, particularly near the goal line.

Still, the offensive problems persisted. The line — which had only seven scholarship players make the trip — allowed seven sacks, costing 60 yards. (Over three starts, Guarantano has been sacked 18 times for 140 yards in losses.)

“I thought there were a lot of times I got rid of the ball quicker today,” Guarantano said of being rushed to make decisions in the pocket. “There were still some things we have to clean up.”

The Vols moved the ball Saturday — a season-high 445 yards of offense and 27 first downs. But four of their six scores were field goals rather than touchdowns.

“We’re doing things to hurt ourselves,” Guarantano said. “It’s not the coaches.”

The Vols will need to win three of their remaining four games to make a bowl.

The audition will continue for Guarantano. Is he making his case for the 2018 starting job to Jones, or to some coach he does not yet know?

Guarantano says the team “hears the outside noise” about Jones’ future (how could it not?) but remains focused on the present. Simply put, he and the offense need to keep improving, he says, and the Vols need to win some games.

“It’s hard to stay upbeat when you’re 3-5 at the University of Tennessee, but we just have to keep going to work and stay positive.”