Rapid Reaction: Jarrett Guarantano has career day as Vols top Mizzou to clinch bowl eligibility
Tennessee is going to a bowl game.
Who thought that was possible after the Vols dropped their first 2 games and started 1-4?
The Vols won their 4th consecutive game Saturday night, spoiling Missouri’s senior night with a 24-20 victory.
Now 6-5, the Vols are over .500 for the first time since Sept. 15, 2018. That was Game 3 … of last season.
They’re heading to a bowl for the first time since 2016.
They’re heading to a bowl game with Jarrett Guarantano leading the way.
Again, who thought any of this was possible?
Guarantano, the super sub, started Saturday. He completed passes, made good decisions and delivered a few timely runs, too. He had a career night when the Vols needed it most.
In the 1st half, Guarantano threw for 243 yards and a TD as the Vols headed to the break up 17-10. He finished with a career-high 415 yards.
Jeremy Pruitt has gone from the hot seat to extension candidate. He can’t receive enough credit.
Likewise for the Vols’ veterans. They again led the way Saturday night.
Jauan Jennings had 103 yards and a TD in the 1st half. Marquez Callaway made plays.
The Vols showed their resolve when Mizzou tied the score at 17 after recovering a fumble off a blocked field goal to set up a short field early in the 3rd quarter.
After trading punts, the Vols reclaimed the lead when Guarantano hit a tightly covered Callaway for a 17-yard TD to make it 24-17.
On the next series, Guarantano set a career-high for yards when he hit Josh Palmer for 33 yards on a post route. That pushed Guarantano’s total to 360 yards.
Palmer, a junior, joined Callaway and Jennings in the 100-yard club — the first time in Vols history they had 3 receivers top 100 yards in the same game.
The Vols made plays. The defense made stops.
Everything that went wrong in September has gone right in November. Just like the old days.
And the Vols are going to a bowl game.
What a turnaround this season has been for UT. Congrats to the Vols. Missouri was supposed to compete with UGA. Not so much.
Thanks LSUSMC. Also pulling for LSU to go the rest of the way undefeated….
Thank you. Geaux Tigers.
Geaux Tigers!
Go Vandy!
That one hurt tonight, didn’t it UGAlleged
Go yellow jackets! I can do that too.
They won a more recent Natty than UGA-who again won’t win, despite having perhaps the most talent rich team in football.
Couldn’t agree more. I brought this up on another article and corch or whatever his name is had a hissy fit.
They’ve got several women’s gymnastics championships, which proves that there’s at least one program associated with that university that doesn’t squander its talent and fail repeatedly.
There’s no greater insult to them than reminding them GA Tech has the more recent natty (and will through this season).
GT claims a share of the 1990 championship. They did not win it outright and weren’t the unanimous champs. Think UCF.
Your boys came on here trolling again-think on that
I was just offering clarification. And the repeated jabs you were taking exceed the one comment I see, so I thought some context might be nice. Regardless, Pruitt has done a commendable job turning this season around.
Nothing in comparison to the amount of trolling he’s done, which you take zero issue with. Notice that none of your comments denounce him. It’s your prerogative to support that behavior with flawed and highly subjective “clarification”, however.
I’ve gone on record plenty denouncing UGA trolls. It’s not my job to police every UGA’s fan comments. Also, how on earth was my clarification about GT’s “championship” flawed and “highly subjective”?
Misread the clarification as I mistakenly read that as referring to the vol responses. I realize it’s not your job to police UGA fans but you’ve taken the responsibility of arbitrating responses of opposing fans to said trolls? On the rival’s article no less?
Not trying to arbitrate, but I see your point, LOL. I didn’t mean to enter a rhetorical sparring match with you. I was ultimately just trying to throw shade at GT and their supposed “championship”. I had no intention of getting in between trash talk of UGA and Vol fans.
I don’t think I have ever seen a quarterback make such an improvement within a season. This is like Remember the Titans stuff.
The same could be said of the whole team. Pruitt, his staff, and the players deserve a lot of credit.
Not perfect but a needed win. Going bowling. Beat Vandy.
I am happy with the Win…
But if Tennessee would have lost by 1 point, our fan base would have been up in arms, by the lack of discipline…
Thank God, now maybe we will fire HC and OC
Unless Mizzou loses out including next game w/ Arky, there is no chance Odom is fired.
There’s only that game left. Lose that, and the season becomes an embarrassment.
Congrats to Tennessee for turning around what looked to be a lost season just 2 months ago. Gives me hope my Hogs can do the same soon.
Hire Houston Nutt back
No way. Did you miss his last 2 years at Ole Miss? Hiring Nutt back would be like Tenn. hiring Butch Jones back. Come on.
I agree. Nutt has already busted. Go for new blood. There are some good options out there.
Y’all need someone like Bill Clark. After what he did with UAB, building them from literally nothing, hard not to respect what he’s done. Or at least someone of that mold.
Still making incredibly dumb mistakes. Fortunately UT is playing well enough to overcome them. That won’t always be the case if they don’t stop the brain farts. Still, they played their butts off. Any doubt CJP and his staff knows what they are about?
Agree some silly mistakes and this game really shouldn’t have been that close. No offense to Mizzou. But if you only look at the numbers you would probably be scratching your head a little.
I hate losing to Tennessee, but I want to congratulate them on the win. Two teams with opposite trajectories. We’re 5-6 and haven’t improved since the first bye week. The Barry Odom show has been a train-wreck. The fact that Rountree won’t break 1000 yards, this season is one of five immediate reasons to fire him. It’s a true mockery and farce of a football program. He’s delivered more gifts to lesser favored opponents, than santa claus. Dude has zero credibility, Missouri and Tiger fans everywhere deserve better.
Felt reaaal good to beat Dooley
Not mad at ya. Dufas gonna dufas. Dooley is as dumb as the boss that hired him. That’s double dumb.
UT has one of the best group of receivers in the country…probably top 5. Too bad they haven’t had consistent qb/o-line play all season. Happy for the win though.
Thank you sir!!!! Amazing turnaround to the season!!!! Pruitt has the team focused and playing hard every week!!!!! Vandy next
Great game by G. Still missed some throws but still a great game and he is making progress. Still need work on the run game. Just happy to get the win.
He’s improved greatly. You can tell in how he’s checking down and hitting the 3rd receiver and back. He also appears to be making reads appropriately. He deserves the credit for his tenacity.
Hope he stays next year helps H Bailey
Congrats vols, way to turn the train wreck start of the season around
Thanks. This game almost gave me a stroke. Mistakes almost killed us. Shouldn’t have been close.
Congrats Tennessee! You made bowel eligibility!
Must suck being a Georgia fan! They can’t even really claim to be the true SEC champs in 2017 after going 50/50 with a better Auburn team, who had to play Alabama the week before while Georgia played a weak Georgia tech. Auburn was banged up going into the SEC championship game otherwise they would have beaten the Dawgs twice that year,but Alabama proved in the NCG that Georgia was a poser! Georgia should have sent their SEC championship rings to Alabama because they weren’t the best team in the conference that title belongs to NC Alabama for that season!
What a load of crap. You really believe that nonsense? Nothing like a win over hapless Missouri to really get the juices flowing, I guess.
These are all in response to your fellow troll, who posted his usual trolling for no reason. If you read, you’d see that.
“If you read, you’d see that”
Oskie, slow your roll. The above comment is an unmitigated load of crap of such astounding stupidity that it deserves to be called out irrespective of who it may or may not be intended for.
If you and your boys didn’t come trolling so often, it wouldn’t offend you, would it? I have no idea what’s said on the UGA boards because, while I read the articles, I don’t care what your fans think of UT
“If you and your boys didn’t come trolling so often”
1. He’s not “my boy”
2. I’m a troll?
It’s bordering trolling when you disregard the initial trolling and harp on the responses. Nothing inappropriate was said, just banter back. You, without solicitation, took it upon yourself to police UT fan conduct on a UT fan article. No one mentioned your team until the troll from your team had to post his regular harassment.
You then took it upon yourself to attempt to police Vol fans. Not your job, not your argument.
“Not your job, not your argument.”
I concede you are correct. But I absolutely assure you trolling was never my intention.
Just remember the doubters that Pruitt had last year. To me it looked like he was making steady progress.
As for the TN passing game. For a long time it has been growing the accuracy and catching power to win at a higher level, there was nothing new last night. Congratulations on bowl season 2019 for the Vols. It’s been refreshing all year to hear less crying coming out of Knoxville. If you re-watch the game you will also be reminded that the running game came thru on numerous occasions.
Kind of like all the crying coming from you and Columbia now, eh wolfie.
Prune is winning with Butch Jones recruits
Give Jones the credit for the talent on UT s aquad
Not so much.
Half of our guys are freshmen.
He had to hand make that O-line
Good luck on trying to keep Stoops though because im pretty sure if he leaves your either getting a no one(who will most certainly suck for at LEAST 3-5 years)
Or hey you might get Joker P back who knows fingers crossed
poor 70. He tries so hard. Alas the boy is just too dumb to troll like the pros, corch…
70 here is today’s lesson: jones had the same players and could not win so Pruitt took jones players and coached them and is winning with them so Pruitt gets the credit.
Glad y’all could finally win a game with that dynamic wing T offense. Good thing it was UT Martin and not Evansville.
Another very satisfying win. Exorcising a few demobs this season. We still have a very long way to go to compete with the hierarchy of the sec but I like trajectory. I thought Mizzou was handcuffed with Bryant he clearly was still struggling with that injury. But he also is just not a very good downfield thrower. Now let’s bury Vandy and enjoy the resurrection this season.
So the Vol trolls are back eh? Good to see how their fanbase handles success. Woo hoo, we may be 7-5 so let’s smack talk. Can’t make this stuff up, seriously
A UGA fan accusing others of trolling when one of yours trolls within the first few posts. You’re confused.
They are in the middle of a great turnaround and Pruitt has them playing hard. So how do some respond? By talking stupid trash.
You’re referring to UGArmy right? That’s what he did. Pretty comical you think we sit around and think of rivals after a win.
No, that’s not what I think. I was actually giving you all the benefit of the doubt in thinking a lone and simple “go vandy” comment couldn’t possibly incite such over-the-top responses.
He’s a constant troll-it’s not just that. Even if, it merits a response. Pretty telling how much you defend him
I’ve literally not offered a single defense of him. This whole stupid thing started because I added missing context to your statements about GT’s “championship” and I called out a horrendously stupid comment above. I’m not endorsing or defending anything. I’m not obligated to call out everytime you think someone is trolling UT. You’re reading way too far into my comments.
But you’re obligated to police my responses, as you did above by telling me to slow my roll? What is your role here? Moderator?
And yes-stating our reposes to him were disproportionate is indeed defending him.
*responses
The “slow you roll” comment was not an attempt to police you but was an attempt to let you know my beef wasn’t with you. My comment to RichNasty was focused only on the outlandish claims of their comment, without respect to any other comment. I wasn’t attempting to moderate anything other than calling out a dumb comment in and of itself. I do disagree however with your claim that calling out the disproportionate response is tantamount to defending the initial comment.
You’re welcome Tenn fans. It all started with the South Carolina win. We made your program legit again…it’s what we do.
We may not have won a natty since 1980 and maybe not this year. But we haven’t had massive rebuilds like some of our rivals. We have remained a remarkably winning program over many decades. I am thankful that we haven’t experienced the despair others have had. We may not be great every year but we are good every year. Stability, great fan base, and history of winning over the long haul is much more important than a win here, loss there.