Goals for Arkansas Week
As Tennessee gets set to take on Arkansas on Saturday night, they seem to be at a tipping point in their season. The Vols are coming off a bye week, and there may not have been another team in the country that needed it as badly. The Vols are on a three-game losing streak, and they desperately need to turn things around against the Razorbacks on Saturday to get their season back on track. The bye week and this week of practice may potentially be the most important weeks of the season for Tennessee, with some serious questions that they have to get answered correctly to get back in the win column.
So, let's get this out of the way at the top, yes, the Tennessee defense struggled against Alabama. They needed to play better for the Vols to have a chance to win, and they didn't. That said, there are a lot of teams that have and are going to struggle against the Crimson Tide offense. Alabama might have the most explosive and difficult to defend offense in the country. The Vols have lots of room to improve, but they are far from the last team that Alabama will torch in 2020. The two specific areas that the Volunteer defense needs to focus on are defending the intermediate slant route and getting pressure on the quarterback. Arkansas is ahead of schedule under Sam Pittman, but they don't have near the offensive firepower of Alabama. The intermediate slant route has killed Tennessee for weeks, and the Vols have to find a way of taking that route away, especially on third downs. It is an easy throw for opposing quarterbacks to keep the chains moving. The biggest way to defeat that route may come in the form of generating more pass rush. This feels like it could be best achieved with a personnel change. Freshman Morven Joseph has earned praise from Jeremy Pruitt this week, and he has flashed his incredible athletic ability when placed on the field. If Joseph, fellow freshman Tyler Baron, or Roman Harrison could infuse some speed into the Tennessee pass rush, it would allow their corners to play more aggressively against the short routes that have hurt them so much this season.
For all that can be said about the defense, however, Tennessee's problems stem from the offense. In the last 10 quarters of football, the Vols have been outscored 28-24 while their offense was on the field. They have allowed a defensive touchdown in three straight games. For a unit with the kind of talent and experience that Tennessee has, this is simply unacceptable. The ineptitude of the Volunteer offense has led to the Tennessee defense staying on the field and ending up entirely gassed. They have also had to play in a hole due to the turnovers for scores the offense has given up. Despite all the coach-speak and wanting to talk about team, one position has crippled the Tennessee offense this year, and that has been the quarterback spot.
Many fans have called for the firing of Will Friend and blaming the offensive line. While the Vols did struggle up front against Georgia, especially in the second half, they played plenty well enough to win against Kentucky and did a good job against Alabama. Highly questionable play calling has also made life hard for the offensive line. Against a good Kentucky defense, the Vols averaged over 5.5 yards per carry, running mostly into 8- and 9-man fronts. Against Alabama, it was more of the same, slamming into a good defense that was stacking the front to stop them. That the Vols have been able to run as effectively as they have over the last two games is thanks to an impressive effort from the line. When Jarrett Guarantano threw two pick sixes against Kentucky, he was well protected with plenty of time. When he fumbled against the Wildcats, it was on a play where he failed to identify an overload blitz and held the ball far too long. While Guarantano had two touchdowns against Alabama and no turnovers, he completed barely over fifty percent of his passes against an Alabama defense that was daring him to throw the ball deep. Georgia, Kentucky, and Alabama loaded the box to attack the Tennessee run game, unafraid that Guarantano could beat them with his arm. All three teams played a defense that felt Guarantano was not a consistent threat, and that even if he hit some throws, he couldn't continue to do it or the mistakes they forced him into would overshadow any good he did. And that was the correct call in each game. The Vols play calling looks as if they are afraid to have their fifth-year senior throw the ball, especially after he has made a mistake. Tennessee coaches can say all they want about their quarterback to the press or what he does in practice, but the way they handle him on game day is an entirely different story.
All that is to say this, the Vols have to make a decision at quarterback. They can continue with Guarantano, who is a known commodity, and frankly, is not very good. On his best days, he is a game manager that will make a couple of impressive throws a game and may get away without a turnover. Most days he looks afraid to push the ball downfield or over the middle of the field, is prone to missing open receivers, holds the ball too long, and makes turnovers. On his worst days, Guarantano makes a crucial mistake early, and then snowballs, unable to shake off his mistake. He follows a terrible mistake with more back breaking errors. Those are the kinds of outings where he is entirely ineffective and can single handedly lose football games. The decision to go with the fifth-year senior this far, given his lack of improvement and frankly low ceiling in the field, has been baffling. Tennessee has multiple quarterbacks on the bench, chiefly five-star recruit Harrison Bailey, that need experience. The refrain from offensive coaches has been that none of the other quarterbacks are, “Ready.” First, this becomes an indictment of the coaches that were supposed to prepare these players. Second, Guarantano has looked far from ready for most of the season. After watching the Kentucky outing, then seeing the Vols call run plays on over half of their third and seven or longer situations against Alabama, how much worse could Bailey, or even Brian Maurer, actually do? The offense Jim Chaney is calling has been hyper conservative and looks scared to throw the ball, even with a stable of talented receivers. It is hard to imagine a passing game more simplified or a game plan designed to protect and hide a quarterback more than what we have seen from Tennessee. This is for a fifth-year senior. Why not make the move to get experience for players that will be the future of the program in a year where they don't lose eligibility? Guarantano has been ineffective in the extreme, the SEC East is out of reach, and the offense Tennessee has been calling would work for a young quarterback, could even be effective if he made a higher percentage of throws.
The single most important goal for Tennessee ahead of their contest with the Razorbacks is to get the offense fixed. This feels like the obvious choice is to make a quarterback change, as fans could more easily accept struggles if they came from a freshman rather than a senior. There is also a chance that a freshman could provide a spark and get the offense on track. If the Vols go with Guarantano, expect the same type of sputtering, stalling offense we have seen when he is at the helm for his entire career. It will be another outing where everyone in orange is hoping he doesn't make a critical mistake, and if he does, they will be hoping he doesn't make three or four. The Vols have to fix their offense and their quarterback position, and this is the week to do it. If Jeremy Pruitt decides Guarantano is that solution, then his Vols will desperately need to win on Saturday, as each loss with the senior at the helm is only leading to his seat getting warmer.
