Unplanned Open Week Allows Jeremy Pruitt Another Opportunity to Flip the Script, Rectify 2020 Season

COVID continues to impact everyday life, and that includes the world of college football. Covid has hampered Tennessee’s 2020 season on more than one occasion, but, this week, an outbreak at an opposing school has handed Tennessee another prime opportunity to halt their four-game losing streak and make an attempt to salvage the 2020 season.

On Saturday night, Tennessee squandered a 13-0 first-half lead and fell 24-13 to Arkansas. The loss was magnified by a confounding decision to go for it on fourth and four despite the opportunity to kick a field goal and cut the game to a single position.

Tennessee played roulette at the quarterback position on Saturday night, and when it did opt for Harrison Bailey, they set the true freshman up for failure. But overall, there were not many opportunities for any Tennessee quarterback to succeed on Saturday night.

The Vols defense continued to struggle to defend the slant, although Pruitt says they had bigger issues to deal with in the passing game on Saturday night.

This unplanned open date provides Tennessee with another opportunity to salvage the 2020 season. Now, on the heels of another second-half meltdown, Tennessee gets another opportunity to add reps for younger guys, create competition, and add more emphasis towards Auburn, instead of trying to scramble to get something into place for fifth-ranked Texas A&M.

For Jeremy Pruitt, it still starts at the quarterback position. Jarrett Guarantano suffered a head injury against Arkansas, and we believe he was unlikely to start this week, which meant Harrison Bailey was most likely to get the nod. If that was the case, I believe Bailey still has to get the nod even if Guarantano gets healthy before next week. Tennessee likely started repping Bailey before the game was cancelled. Now, they have extra time to prepare him, find his comfort zone, and give him a chance to succeed heading into Auburn.

However, Pruitt has repeatedly stated, “Jarrett gives us the best opportunity to win.” That may be the case. I am not paid to make those decisions, and Pruitt could opt for the fifth-year senior again. It would not be shocking if he did. If Tennessee does opt for Guarantano, then what Pruitt said on Monday about being more aggressive and driving the ball down the field has to hold true. Guarantano did not cost Tennessee the game against Arkansas or Alabama, but the offense looked limited. There is absolutely no reason for this Tennessee offense to look so vanilla with a fifth-year quarterback. It seems unlikely Jim Chaney forgot how to call plays, so if the disconnect lies with Pruitt, a defensive-minded head coach, it has to be corrected. Pruitt’s tone on Monday suggests that things will look different offensively moving forward, now given the extra week, it has to. If it does not after another open week, outside optics are only going to become increasingly negative and detrimental to Pruitt's third-year program.

Secondly, a youth movement of some sort has to occur. Tennessee’s season goals are over. They are not competing for championships. It’s easy to see why a coach would want to stick with his veterans, especially given the off-season that these younger players had to endure. However, now more than ever, with eligibility being a non-issue, Jeremy Pruitt has to get his young players more involved to instill confidence in them, and at least tease what the future could offer. Tennessee had an open date before Arkansas to increase reps, and now they get another couple of opportunities to do so. It’s easy to say that the young guys were limited because of COVID, but at this point, in week seven, it becomes your job to coach them up and get them ready. I am not saying throw a guy if he is not ready, but opportunities have to be increased for these younger guys in some way.

Lastly, this is another chance to get the team right mentally to attempt to finish the season. Jeremy Pruitt is unlikely to get walking papers at the end of this season, barring a catastrophic meltdown and a loss to Vanderbilt, but it is imperative for him to show that he has not lost control of the building and his football team.

That is the most important thing at this point. If the two points made above this one workout for Pruitt, he should have no issue doing this, and he should turn some of the heat off of his seat. I am firmly in the camp that Pruitt has an opportunity to fix the issues. This opportunity will prove pivotal for his future on Rocky Top, though. Now, with Auburn and Texas A&, two of the four teams left on the 2020 schedule dealing with COVID issues, and dates being pushed around, anything is possible. It was likely Tennessee was going to be catching them both at the worst time, now who knows?

The Vols are now scheduled to travel to Auburn on November 21st at 7:00 p.m. for their next game. The Tigers are dealing with multiple COVID issues of their own, which could cause issues of its own for the matchup with the Vols.