Quarterback
Nathanael: B
I’m grading on a little bit of a curve here for Brian Maurer. That start he had in the first 20 minutes or so was the kind of quarterback play the Vols have been missing since Josh Dobbs graduated. But then things slowed down, and Georgia swarmed him. I put that more on the Bulldogs just being phenomenally good rather than Maurer playing poorly. Plus, he was a true freshman making his first career start against the No. 3 team in the country. Maurer more than held his own, and though he still made plenty of mistakes, he did more to give UT a chance to win than I think Jarrett Guarantano would’ve had he started the game. I would’ve liked to have seen Maurer use his feet some more, but I thought he did a good job moving in the pocket and extending plays even if he didn’t scramble often.
Ben: C+
Brian Maurer really impressed at times in his first career start for the Big Orange on Saturday night against No. 3 Georgia. Maurer was 14-of-28 for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw one interception, though. Maurer threw a beautiful 73-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Callaway and a dart to Jauan Jennings for a 12-yard touchdown. The freshman showed great poise and energized the team. The last three and a half quarters weren’t as pretty as the opening 17 minutes, but Maurer made plenty of great throws to give the Vols hope for the remainder of the season.
