The Vols went on the road on Saturday and handed No. 21 Auburn their second consecutive loss as Tennessee prevailed 30-24 to get their first SEC win since 2016. Tennessee exorcised plenty of demons during the victory, and they found a way to win away from home against a ranked opponent.
Tennessee Athletics Director Phillip Fulmer celebrated with UT players after the game, and after the celebrations died down, he took to Twitter to show his appreciation for Vol fans and to voice his support of first-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
It was great to see the continued fight in our players today. This team is getting better and making progress, and I’m proud of Coach Pruitt and his staff. All of us are extremely thankful for the Tennessee fans who traveled to support the team.
— Phillip Fulmer (@phillipfulmer) October 14, 2018
Fulmer was named UT’s AD on December 1st of last year after the suspension and eventual firing of John Currie as Tennessee’s AD. Fulmer took less than a week to go out and hire Pruitt as the Vols’ next head football coach. Prior to serving as AD, Fulmer was one of Tennessee’s most successful head football coaches in program history. He helped lead the Vols to the 1998 National Championship and has the second-most wins in school history with 152 during his 204 games he coached as UT’s head man.
Get all our in-depth analysis of Tennessee football, recruiting, basketball, and more by becoming a member of RTI Premium today!
The Vols’ starting quarterback, redshirt sophomore Jarrett Guarantano, also shared his thoughts on Twitter after Tennessee’s win. He posted a few hours after Tennessee’s victory an inspirational message to Vol fans about the Vols’ journey to this moment.
Incredible love for this state, for this team, and for our fans. Tough times never last, but tough people do.
— Jarrett Guarantano✞ (@BroadwayJay2) October 13, 2018
Guarantano was instrumental in Tennessee pulling off the upset over Auburn on Saturday. He threw for a career-high 328 yards and tossed two touchdowns while completing 21 of his 32 passes. His 32 pass attempts were also a career-high in a single game, as were his 21 completions.
On the season, Guarantano is now completing 64 percent of his 125 pass attempts for 1,129 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions.
