Tennessee’s 40-14 loss to West Virginia on Saturday isn’t a reason to panic. However, it is a reminder of how far the Vols have to go to become an elite program.

The Vols made plenty of mistakes against the Mountaineers. Perhaps most surprising, however, was the fact that UT’s defense was torched so thoroughly, especially in the third quarter. After a stout second quarter, the Vols helped West Virginia look like they were well worth all of their preseason accolades.

I know that Tennessee’s roster isn’t as talented as first-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt would like it to be. I also know that the players don’t necessarily fit his style, but giving up 429 passing yards and 5 passing touchdowns to West Virginia quarterback Will Grier wasn’t supposed to be a part of the plan.

The Vols showed their lack of maturity after a the long weather delay in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers showed they were all about finishing their opening day task of dismissing the underdog Volunteers. Welcome to big boy football. West Virginia is playing with a national title bid on the line. The Vols are hoping to be bowl eligible one day.

It seemed as if the Vols were happy just standing toe-to-toe with West Virginia in the first half. Would finishing off the Mountaineers just have been icing on the cake? That’s how Tennessee played.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to fault this roster of Vols for not knowing how to handle adversity against a good team. When is the last time they’ve overcome significant hurdles against a quality opponent. It never happened last season. The Georgia game in 2016 comes to mind — and that took a Hail Mary touchdown pass to best the Bulldogs.

It’s a far too often used phrase, but the Vols have to learn how to win. They have to be able to stay mentally focused through a weather delay. They have to know that playing well against a quality opponent for two quarters isn’t nearly enough. They have to know that a quality opponent is only going to turn up the intensity when the time comes.

There were certainly some bright spots for the Vols in Pruitt’s first game. Tennessee’s coaching seems set on Jarrett Guarantano as the starting quarterback and the leader of UT’s offense. Guarantano completed 19-of-25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t a stellar performance, but it was steady and showed that the Vols have a direction on offense despite not naming Guarantano the starter before the game, which seems to be a new tradition in college football. The Vols also seem to have a strong set of receivers, which was a bit surprising.

UT seems to have some semblance of the power running game that Pruitt wants to build around. Running back Tim Jordan was the unlikely star for the Vols with 118 punishing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. However, Jordan’s effectiveness was limited once the score got lopsided and the Vols had to pass to get back in the game.

The most disturbing aspect of UT’s loss to West Virginia and the fashion in which it unfolded is that Pruitt could do nothing to stop it — despite his rich pedigree as a defensive coach. Either Pruitt had a off day, UT’s defenders are not as talented or West Virginia is just so good. The rest of the season will determine that, but it’s hard to defend the banner day that Pruitt gave up to the Mountaineers.

The West Virginia game was considered a game that Tennessee could win. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit even picked the Vols in an upset. Now, every analyst had to re-assess just where the Vols stand. The Vols face ETSU and UTEP in their next two contests. Those should be easy wins. The Vols play Charlotte in November. That should be an easy win. Other than that, well, things get rather iffy. Finding another guaranteed win on the schedule is pretty much impossible.

I’ve argued all along that the Vols were more talented than what they displayed last season, that coaching was worth at least two wins and that would get them to 6-6 and being bowl eligible. While I’m not discounting Pruitt or the coaching impact on this team, it is fair to wonder just how much effect he can have in one offseason.

When this group of Vols have faced adversity, they have failed more times than not during their UT careers. West Virginia showed that stark reality on Saturday. So did the weather. The Vols were either so unprepared to handle the environment or too inept to cope. Either way, that makes a bowl game look like a lofty goal.