This was Tennessee’s most important game of the season, and when it mattered most the Vols couldn’t find a way to win. It was frustrating, more than anything. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt’s squad had opportunities to win this game. This wasn’t the collapse of Florida or Alabama. It was a game that Tennessee could have won.
In the end, it was the mental mistakes that cost the Vols in Columbia. The product on the field was good enough; the mental game was extremely lacking.
Tennessee Vols Game Grades South Carolina Edition
Offense: C+
Tennessee’s offense looked good for large chunks of time. The Vols had methodical drives and held an edge in time of possession of 38:33 to 21:27. But five false starts and an inability to close in key situations cost Tennessee a chance to win on the final drive.
Offensive Stat of the Game: 9 penalties for 75 yards, including five false starts.
Quarterback: B-
Jarrett Guarantano continued his leadership of the Vols offense, but wasn’t quite as effective as previous games. Specifically, Guarantano was inconsistent in the vertical passing game, especially on the sideline routes and go routes deep downfield.
His 27-for-39 (69%) completion rate is inflated due to the reliance on the short passing game. That’s not a bad thing–Tennessee was playing to what South Carolina gave them. But Guarantano sailed three passes that would have produced first downs, and missed Wolf, Palmer, and Callaway down field at times. And while Guarantano has been the force behind the offense this season, his last-play sack was squarely on him. It’s an unfortunate, and frustrating, way to end a promising opportunity.
Running Backs: A-
For the first time all season, the running backs were the strongest unit on the field. Both Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan ran hard, made the right cuts on almost every play, and contributed mightily in the passing game. In addition to 144 yards of rushing, Chandler and Jordan combined for 11 catches for 58 yards. To top off the night, they both played well in pass protection when required.
Receivers: C
This group has led the offense all season, but slipped on Saturday night. Marquez Callaway had two uncharacteristic drops, although neither was egregious. Josh Palmer had a deep ball fall out of his breadbasket in the second half. And as much as Vols fans love Jauan Jennings, his personal foul late in the first half likely enabled a late Gamecocks score. Callaway’s personal foul in the third quarter, while questionable, took Tennessee out of a touchdown opportunity and the Vols had to settle for three rather than seven. That’s pretty big when the final tally was just three points.
Those two personal fouls, in addition to the five false starts, were the difference in the game. Disappointing. And frustrating.
Offensive Line: C-
Sometimes you’re taking a quantum mechanics test, and sometimes your taking introductory algebra. Before people get too excited about the offensive line, one should consider rarely faced anything more than a four man rush. And when they did, Guarantano paid the price. And have we mentioned the five false start penalties?
But they graded out better than any other conference game all season. The game plan helped, with quick passes and a rushing attack that focused on the edges. The undersized lineman were able to use their speed to get to the edge. It was better, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Call it an OL203 test rather than an OL422 test.
Defense: D
South Carolina looked like an offensive juggernaut in the second half. Tennessee’s defense couldn’t stop the Gamecocks offense. Their last four drives went touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal. South Carolina exploited Tennessee with an up-tempo style and the Vols defense–from the coaches calling the plays to the players getting in alignment–looked utterly confused.
Defensive Stat of the Game: Tennessee only forced two South Carolina punts.
Defensive Line: C
The defensive line couldn’t get any sustained pressure on Jake Bentley without pressure. And there were far too many running lanes. Shy Tuttle had a workmanlike game, with a blocked extra point and an interception. And Kyle Phillips showed a flash of excellence a few times. Alexis Johnson also had a few good plays here and there. But the group up front simply didn’t win the line of scrimmage, and South Carolina was able to do what they wanted after the first quarter.
Linebackers: C
No one exemplified the frustration of the night’s loss more than the linebackers. Will Ignont consistently got caught over-playing running lanes and giving up ten yard rushes. And Darrell Taylor wasn’t able to get much of a rush from the outside linebacker position. Quart’e Sapp, Darrin Kirkland Jr., and Daniel Bituli looked better on the edges tonight, but couldn’t stop the inside running game from pounding the football for big chunks of yards.
In Pruitt’s defensive scheme, the linebackers must be dominant. While Sapp, Kirkland, and Bituli looked decent tonight, Tennessee needs more from them to win conference games.
Defensive Backs: F
Tennessee’s defensive backs were exposed on Saturday night. Todd Kelly, Jr., was beat badly twice for deep passes by South Carolina; although one was reversed on review. And Alontae Taylor was playing with energy, but made several key assignment mistakes. Kelly and Nigel Warrior was relied upon too much in the run defense, but played well in that aspect. Had Tennessee stopped just one big pass attempt, South Carolina’s rushing punishment would have been useless.
Special Teams: C-
Tennessee’s special teams continue to be average. Brent Cimaglia had a nice field goal and Joe Doyle did what he needed to do punting. But Tennessee’s return game, on kickoffs and punt returns, is non-existent. South Carolina averaged over 26 yards on kickoff returns and was one arm away from breaking one on two different occasions.
Coaching: C
Tyson Helton’s offensive play calling helped cover for some of the offense’s deficiencies. The defensive coaches, however, had no answer for South Carolina’s tempo. The defense’s inability to get set and organized against the Gamecocks attack is squarely on the coaching staff.
There’s no doubt this team looks different now than it did in September. But looking better isn’t the standard in Knoxville. Winning SEC games is. And time is never on a coach’s side.
Looking Ahead
Tennessee gets a respite as it hosts Charlotte next week. The Vols will come out of that game with four wins. That means they’ll need to win two of their last three against Kentucky, Missouri, and Vanderbilt to get to a bowl. The Vols have squandered their Auburn upset, and now have their backs against the wall to stay out of the SEC East cellar.
The Vols need to take care of business with Charlotte, and then take some of their frustration out on the remainder of their SEC foes.
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