Coaching
Nathanael: A
Defensively, Jeremy Pruitt and Derrick Ansley called a brilliant game with their blitzes and other packages. Jim Chaney got a little pass-happy at times, especially in the red zone, but the Vols haven’t been able to run effectively in the red zone all season, so I can also understand that to an extent, too. But overall, I think the coaching in this game was great (aside from some baffling timeout usage, but both teams had that). Time and time again, UT’s coaches had the players set up to succeed.
Ben: A
Even when Tennessee was losing, it wasn’t for a lack of coaching. Jeremy Pruitt and his coaching staff were putting the Vols — particularly on offense — in a position to succeed, but the execution wasn’t at the level it needed to be. Pruitt made the smart decision to sit Guarantano down for a series in order to settle him down, and it paid off as his quarterback orchestrated two drives in the fourth quarter to produce touchdowns. The onside call was brilliant, as Indiana was expecting Tennessee to kick it deep. It proved to be the difference in the Vols’ win.
