Quarterback
Nathanael: D+
Neither Jarrett Guarantano nor Brian Maurer played particularly well against Indiana. In fact, much like the Vols’ contest against BYU, Tennessee left a ton of points on the field in the first half because of quarterback play. Guarantano ended up throwing a pick-six and finished with two interceptions, both bad ones. But I give the group a plus because of the way Guarantano responded in the fourth quarter and was able to help lead Tennessee’s offense down the field. Guarantano was 6-for-6 at one point on the Vols’ first touchdown drive, and he made a nice throw to Palmer on the last touchdown drive.
Ben: D
Tennessee was able to beat Indiana despite poor quarterback play on Thursday night. Jarrett Guarantano started off 11-for-16 but finished 18-for-32 with two interceptions. He threw for 221 yards. Guarantano was benched midway through the third quarter following a pick-six, and Brian Maurer entered the game. But the true freshman lasted one series after throwing nearly two interceptions. Credit Guarantano for orchestrating Tennessee’s two touchdown drives to win the game, but he struggled most of the night. He was late on far too many passes.
