KNOXVILLE – Jeremy Pruitt stepped away from the microphone and leaned in to better hear the question. Tennessee’s football coach was navigating the new normal during a post game interview on the field following the Vols’ 31-27 victory at South Carolina.
The SEC Network reporter was standing several feet from Pruitt and was wearing a mask.
The arrangement was mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pruitt was being asked specifically about UT’s offense. His reply might bear repeating in such settings. It might echo throughout this unusual season.
“We’ve got to go back and figure out where we are offensively,” he said. “Try to find some consistency.”
Pruitt was referencing a unit that was 1-for-11 on third down conversions but still managed to produce 24 points. He could’ve been speaking, however, about all three phases of Tennessee’s play.
The defense, for example, surrendered 187 yards and 14 points in the third quarter alone. Yet it also contributed a crucial touchdown to the cause when linebacker Henry To’o To’o returned his second-quarter interception 32 yards to the end zone.
Special teams opened with a low snap and a botched first-quarter punt. The unit closed with an opportunistic punt inside the game’s final two minutes. Paxton Brooks’ kick bounced off the leg of a South Carolina player and was recovered by UT freshman Jimmy Holiday. The turnover deprived the Gamecocks of a final chance at a comeback victory.
The sum of these efforts was a victory that extended Tennessee’s win streak spanning two seasons to seven games.
Pruitt addressed the big picture later during his postgame press conference on Zoom.
“We played about like I thought we would play,” he said. “Being in this business for awhile, you know when a team’s ready to play. After the circumstances we dealt with in fall camp, we knew we weren’t ready to play at a high level.”
Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, as usual, was the focal point of UT’s uneven play on offense. He was high on several of his passes, inspiring one social media poster to suggest that he aim for his receiver’s feet to improve his accuracy.
“I leaned back on too many throws tonight,” he said. “Missed too many high. I have to be better.”
Still, his 32-yard touchdown pass to Josh Palmer for the decisive score couldn’t have been thrown any better. For the opener, Guarantano was good enough.
The defense might have been dealing with the effects of the pandemic. Starter Shawn Shamburger did not make the trip. Pruitt said afterward the fellow defensive backs Warren Burrell and Jaylen McCollough had been “out plenty” during preseason practice.
As a result, Bryce Thompson, a two-year starter at cornerback, started at safety. Freshman
Doneiko Slaughter saw action early.
Against Tennessee’s reconfigured secondary, South Carolina’s Shi Smith caught 10 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.
The Vols might be mixing and matching lineups from week to week and searching for consistency during every game. They’ll have to lean in to the prevailing circumstances.
No Mays: Offensive lineman Cade Mays, who transferred from Georgia in the off season, was not cleared to play Saturday by the SEC.
“My grandmother always used to say, ‘If you ain’t got nothing nice to say, don’t say nothing at all,’ ’’ Pruitt said, “so I’m not going to say anything else.”
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who covered University of Tennessee athletics from 1988-2019. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.