Quarterback
Nathanael: F
I thought about giving the “F” here a plus because I thought Brian Maurer showed some potential, but after further thought, I don’t think the promise he flashed is enough to warrant that slight bump in the grade. Tennessee’s quarterbacks were just downright bad on Saturday. I don’t know that you can argue it any other way. From Guarantano’s missed throws and awful interception to Maurer trying to do too much and playing like a true freshman — which at least is more understandable than Guarantano’s mistakes — it was a day to forget for UT’s quarterbacks.
Ben: F
Yet again, Tennessee didn’t receive good quarterback play. Had Jarrett Guarantano performed well, the Vols would have had a chance to pull one off in the Swamp. Guarantano played decently in the first quarter and ran into bad luck when Jauan Jennings failed to haul in a touchdown pass, but the second quarter was abysmal. He missed Dominick Wood-Anderson for what would have been an 83-yard touchdown and threw a bad interception because he and Marquez Callaway weren’t on the same page. Guarantano was benched to begin the second half as a result of his play, though he re-entered the game late in the third quarter.
Brian Maurer entered in relief and showed great passion, as well as fight. His energy picked up his teammates, and though he made two really nice throws, his overall performance wasn’t the best. Maurer found Brandon Johnson for a 22-yard gain and then made a terrific throw to Josh Palmer on a 3rd-and-12 to pick up the first down. But he was also errant at times with his passes and threw into heavy coverage on multiple occasions.
2 Responses
I have been a vol fan since I was 5 or 6 years old and am approaching 70. This MAY be the worst I have ever seen a Tennessee team look.
I totally agree that at some point the players have to make the plays that are there in front of them. If we just make the simple plays and execute when the scoring opportunities were there, we go in to the 4th quarter with a chance to win this game.