Goals For Auburn Week
Tennessee saw themselves handed an unexpected bye week after their game with Texas A&M was postponed due to a COVID outbreak for the Aggies. This means that the Vols have two weeks to get ready for their trip to the Plains to square off against the Auburn Tigers this Saturday. The Vols entered their regularly scheduled bye week before the Arkansas game with a list of clear goals that they needed to correct in order to get off their losing streak against the Hogs. It felt that the bye came at a time when Tennessee desperately needed it, and it was clear that how the Vols made use of the bye would have a major impact on the rest of their season. Unfortunately for Tennessee, they left their loss to the Razorbacks with basically all the same questions that they had going into the contest. Rather than trying to get off a four-game losing streak against A&M, the Vols were given a mulligan on their failure to make corrections during the first bye week. After a week of practice already, there are still several goals for the practices leading up to the Auburn game.
Just like it was in their first bye week, the biggest issue facing the Vols leading up to their contest with the Tigers is the quarterback position. Jarrett Guarantano was the starter against Arkansas, and despite continuing to look ineffective as a passer, was in the game until he left with an injury in the middle of the third quarter. Guarantano left the game with a head injury and was listed as day-to-day last week. Jeremy Pruitt did confirm that the fifth-year senior did miss some practices last week. Before his injury, Guarantano had attempted only 8 passes in two and a half quarters of play for just 42 yards. It remains clear that Jim Chaney does not trust Guarantano to throw the ball by simply looking at his play calling, which was nearly a 4-to-1 run to pass ratio. Teams are going to defend the Vols going forward the same way that Arkansas and Kentucky did, by stacking 8 to 9 defenders in the box, selling out to attacking the run, and daring Tennessee to beat them throwing the ball. This means the Vols have to find some efficiency throwing the ball, something they simply have not had this season with Guarantano. After Brian Maurer entered the game in relief of Guarantano and looked ineffective, he was pulled in favor of Harrison Bailey. Despite Bailey being put in an awful situation by his play caller and head coach, and a missed pass interference call on his first throw, Bailey still led the Vols in passing yards. Bailey took what the defense gave him, and had the game been managed better by his coaches, played well enough to give the Vols a shot to win the game. Now that most all of the pre-season goals for the 2020 season have gone by the wayside, it is time for the Vols to look to the future. Bailey is the future of the position for Tennessee, and it is clearly time to give him more reps, not just for his development in the future, but to try to win games this season. The Tennessee running game is playing plenty well enough to win games, running into stacked boxes over and over. A passing attack that could threaten defenses downfield, backing a safety out of the box, would see the ground game improve further. At this point in the season and in his career, Jarrett Guarantano simply does not supply that to the Vols. In a season where eligibility doesn't count against players, and with the Tennessee offense floundering, off a bye week, it is time for the Vols to answer their quarterback question with Bailey.
While quarterback is the biggest single position of concern for Tennessee, it is far from their only issue to seek to correct leading into the Auburn game. Defensively, Tennessee has faced two problems consistently throughout the season. First, the Vols have struggled all season long to generate any kind of a pass rush. Second, and perhaps in part due to the previous issue, the Vols have been vulnerable in the passing game, particularly being victimized by the slant route. Simply sending more blitzers to create pressure will not remedy the Tennessee defense, as the slant specifically is a blitz-beater route. Part of Tennessee’s problem has been an inability to replace Darrell Taylor. Taylor led the Vols in sacks for three years in a row, but in his senior campaign, he was a disruptive defender even when he was unable to bring down the quarterback. Taylor affected plays by regularly hurrying quarterbacks, forcing them to move off their spot, scramble, throw on the run, and miss out on timing throws. The disruption by Taylor not only flushed opposing signal callers to his teammates, it created one-on-one opportunities for them to take advantage of when teams prioritized containing Taylor. This year, Deandre Johnson has replaced Taylor, but outside of a strong outing against South Carolina, he has struggled to regularly impact opposing offenses. As a result, the Vols have struggled to generate pressure this season. In a situation similar to Bailey, it feels like it is time for Tennessee to get some younger players ready for larger roles in the lead up to Auburn. Morven Joseph and Tyler Baron have played well when given opportunities this season, and Quavaris Crouch has looked more comfortable and effective in a pass rushing outside linebacker role than playing inside. A new rotation more prominently featuring younger talent could help the Tennessee pass rush. A better pass rush would allow the Vols to be more aggressive on the outside, working to force more difficult throws from opposing quarterbacks.
Across the Tennessee roster, it feels that it is time for Jeremy Pruitt to simply play many of the talented, young players he has brought in. The Vols need different results, the current lineup is not getting the job done, and, in a lost season where eligibility in unaffected, it just makes sense to get meaningful experience for younger players and develop them. That said, some players are on the field, but the Vols are not getting enough out of them. The specific player in this example is Quavaris Crouch. As a junior in high school, Crouch led his team to a State Championship in North Carolina. In that season alone, Crouch ran for over 3000 yards and tallied 14 sacks. Crouch is one of the most talented players on the Tennessee roster, and by all accounts, is one of the hardest workers as well. Still, the Vols simply are not getting enough impact from a player as special as Crouch. Over the bye, it may be time to move Crouch back to where he played most of his freshman year on defense, to the outside linebacker spot, a more natural fit for him where he can focus on getting after opposing quarterbacks. This move would put Crouch in a role he is perhaps more natural in while helping to address a major need for the Vols. Whatever the case, whether it is a position change, development, a scheme change, or moving him back to running back later on, the Vols have to get more impact from the incredibly talented Crouch.
Tennessee has the same main issues they did going into the Arkansas game, and after spending two weeks to mostly prepare veterans for a contest with the Razorbacks, the Vols left with a loss and showed little to no progress. They were given another two-week window in which to prepare for Auburn, and after the results they saw against Arkansas, the logical move is to attempt to prepare younger players for larger roles, seeking to create a different outcome. At this point in the season, there is more than enough data to show that what Tennessee has been doing is not working. The offense has been too one dimensional to win in the SEC, and the defense has struggled to create pressure or mistakes from opposing offenses. The Vols have to make changes personnel and scheme wise if they want different results, and this is probably past time to make them. Still, the Vols were gifted another bye week when they desperately needed it, and they must take advantage of it this time. It is also worth noting in an environment that is becoming more contentious regarding Jeremy Pruitt, many fans are far more accepting of losing with young, developing players than they are with seniors. This bye week was the time to turn the focus to the future, trying to compete and create changes with younger players. If Pruitt and his staff decide to continue on as they have this far this season, they will be facing serious questions in regards to the logic behind their decisions, likely after a result similar to the last four games.
