Tennessee Vols: Jeremy Pruitt explains why he changed quarterbacks against Florida
Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt made a bold, but necessary, move on Saturday when he benched starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano in the third quarter of UT's loss to the Florida Gators. The Vols weren't able to move the ball efficiently with Guarantano under center, so Pruitt inserted true freshman Brian Maurer into the game. […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt made a bold, but necessary, move on Saturday when he benched starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano in the third quarter of UT's loss to the Florida Gators.
The Vols weren't able to move the ball efficiently with Guarantano under center, so Pruitt inserted true freshman Brian Maurer into the game.
After the 34-3 loss to the Gators, Pruitt explained why he removed Guarantano from the game.
The offense certainly looked more "alive" with Maurer under center. The true freshman immediately led the Vols down the field to their only points of the day.
But it was also clear that Maurer probably isn't ready for SEC play just yet. On his subsequent drives, Maurer missed open receivers by a considerable margin.
Guarantano reentered the game in the fourth quarter, before Maurer took snaps on the Vols final drive (when the game was already decided).
While I thought Maurer looked like he has some potential, I'd be surprised if he's named the starter moving forward.
Though it's worth noting that Pruitt left the door open by not committing to Guarantano on Saturday.
Tennessee is off next Saturday before taking on Georgia in Knoxville on October 5.
Featured image via © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
