Quarterback
Nathanael: B+
Jarrett Guarantano wasn’t asked to do too much against West Virginia really, but he did a great job at what he was asked to do. His passes had much more zip on them than last year, he looked more confident in the pocket, and he had better awareness and precision passing the ball. He made a few clutch throws and only had one or two bad passes. It remains to be seen how much of that was because he improved a great deal or because West Virginia’s secondary was a weak point, but all in all Guarantano looked like a different quarterback than he did last season.
Ben: B+
I want to give Jarrett Guarantano an A, but because the offense only scored 14 points, it’s hard to justify just about anybody receiving an A. However, Guarantano had his best game for the Vols on Saturday. Against the Mountaineers, the redshirt sophomore was 19-of-25 for 172 yards and a touchdown. In his first game under Tyson Helton, Guarantano appeared to have a firm grasp of the offense. Each of his throws had a ton of zip on them. Not only that, but they were accurate. With a little bit more time to throw the ball, Guarantano likely throws for 250 or more yards with a couple of more touchdowns.
