https://tennessee.rivals.com/news/four-quick-takes-on-the-close-of-spring
Tennessee wrapped up spring practice today in Neyland Stadium with Jarrett Guarantano leading the Orange squad to a 34-7 win over the White team today. Here are four quick takes on what we saw.
1 — Second team offense, not surprisingly, struggled, first team offense, surprisingly didn’t — With the well documented lack of depth on the offensive line the second team offense had a rough day of it, which was to be expected when you have multiple match-ups that feature walk-ons trying to block veteran defensive linemen.
Will McBride dealt with near constant pressure all day long and running room between tackles was hard to come by, the result being that the game wasn’t competitive for very long.
The White team didn’t even pick up a first down until the third quarter, and that one came via penalty. That’s not to be critical of anyone, and more than anything the lopsided nature of the game really seemed to be attributable to the simple lack of bodies on the offensive front.
The bigger surprise was how much the first-team offense had its way with the first team defense for much of the day.
Jarrett Guarantano led his unit on three touchdown drives, didn’t make any glaring mistakes and did a solid if not spectacular job in the passing game.
The Orange offense averaged 6.0 yards per play during the first three quarters before back-ups began getting a lot of run.
You probably don’t want to make too much of that, but generally in spring conventional wisdom tells you that the defense will be ahead of the offense. That would seem to especially true when you’re installing completely new systems on both sides of the ball.
That wasn’t the case today for the Vols. Maybe the offense is better than we all expected? Maybe the defense doesn’t have the kind of talent in the front seven many of us thought?
Too soon to say but I lean towards thinking the Vols are benefitting from having a quarterback with some experience.
2 — Quarterback talk — During an up and down freshman campaign one admirable trait that Jarrett Guarantano displayed was a penchant for avoiding turnovers by refusing to force throws.
The flip side of that trait was that he sometimes appeared to err on the side of caution, holding onto the ball too long at times and either missing guys, taking a sack or being forced to throw the ball away.
He didn’t get enough pressure today to make much of a judgement on how much progress he’s made in that department.
Guarantano didn’t have a perfect day by any means but he did flash some arm talent and looked like someone with a solid grasp of the offense. He also seems much more comfortable being a leader this year. He never shied away from that role last year, but with entering his third year in the program the mantle seems to fit a little better.
His touchdown pass to Callaway to start the game was a well-timed jump ball in the back corner of the end zone. His best throw of the game, which he zinged into a tight window on the sidelines between the corner and safety to Josh Palmer, was wrongly ruled incomplete when the official incorrectly deemed Palmer came down out of bounds.
Guarantano did miss a couple of open people, most noticeably in the first quarter when he had Josh Palmer open in the end zone on a deep ball, but held the ball too long and allowed the defensive back to catch up.
He finished the day 15-of-27 for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
McBride just had a rough day, finishing 6-of-18 for 71 yards but he was only 2-of-12 going into the fourth quarter before seeing a defense comprised of a lot of walk-ons. He was severely handicapped by a patchwork offensive front so it’ hard to know what to make of his afternoon. He had very little time to work but on a couple of occasions he did miss noticeably open receivers.
3 — Pretty clean game in terms of turnovers—One of Jeremy Pruitt’s consistent complaints this spring has been that his defense has generated enough turnovers for his liking.
Sophomore safety Theo Jackson wasted no time in changing that narrative when he picked off Will McBride on the first offensive possession for the White team. Jackson returned the pick 49 yards to set the Orange team up for the game’s first touchdown.
The first team defense forced a second quarter fumble but didn’t recover it.
There were two turnovers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter (one fumble, one interception) when there were a hodgepodge of walk-ons and back-ups on the field.
There’s two ways to look at that obviously, the first is to deem it a real positive that in a setting that often produces some ragged football, Tennessee did a nice job of taking care of the football.
The flip side, of course, is that the defense didn’t generate the kind of momentum changing plays you like to see from that side of the ball.
It’s a safe bet that Pruitt, who looks at things from a defensive perspective, won’t be pleased by that.
I’ll lean more towards viewing it as a positive though, especially in regards to Guarantano who looked poised and comfortable all afternoon.
4 — Random odds, ends and impressions — The Vols lined up under center the vast majority of the time today, even on the goal line!! Tennessee also played with a fullback at times (Austin Pope), something that hasn’t been seen around here in ages.
Austin Pope flashed a little, turning his one catch into a 17 yard gain that featured one steamrolled defender and set up a Ty Chanlder touchdown.
Marquez Callaway showed some nice skill and looks like he’s going to settle in as Guarantano’s top target.
An underrated aspect of the afternoon was that 2-for-2 on a pair of field goals from 41 and 43 yards. That’s not to be taken for granted given all the struggles the Vols have had on field goals outside of 40 yards in the last four years.
I thought Tim Jordan (9 carries, 57 yards) and Ty Chandler (11 carries, 53 yards) both had some nice moments. Jordan had the longest run of the game (29 yards). He also juked Quarte’ Sapp out of his cleats on a short touchdown run when Sapp had him in the hole.
Theo Jackson had a nice day at safety and looks like he’s going to push for playing time.
No receivers on the white team put up big numbers but Latrell Williams flashed late when he turned a short slant route into a 35 yard touchdown. Williams has never been healthy long enough to show what he can do here if given a chance, but he displayed some real quickness and ability to run after the catch in that small sample size.
Tennessee wrapped up spring practice today in Neyland Stadium with Jarrett Guarantano leading the Orange squad to a 34-7 win over the White team today. Here are four quick takes on what we saw.
1 — Second team offense, not surprisingly, struggled, first team offense, surprisingly didn’t — With the well documented lack of depth on the offensive line the second team offense had a rough day of it, which was to be expected when you have multiple match-ups that feature walk-ons trying to block veteran defensive linemen.
Will McBride dealt with near constant pressure all day long and running room between tackles was hard to come by, the result being that the game wasn’t competitive for very long.
The White team didn’t even pick up a first down until the third quarter, and that one came via penalty. That’s not to be critical of anyone, and more than anything the lopsided nature of the game really seemed to be attributable to the simple lack of bodies on the offensive front.
The bigger surprise was how much the first-team offense had its way with the first team defense for much of the day.
Jarrett Guarantano led his unit on three touchdown drives, didn’t make any glaring mistakes and did a solid if not spectacular job in the passing game.
The Orange offense averaged 6.0 yards per play during the first three quarters before back-ups began getting a lot of run.
You probably don’t want to make too much of that, but generally in spring conventional wisdom tells you that the defense will be ahead of the offense. That would seem to especially true when you’re installing completely new systems on both sides of the ball.
That wasn’t the case today for the Vols. Maybe the offense is better than we all expected? Maybe the defense doesn’t have the kind of talent in the front seven many of us thought?
Too soon to say but I lean towards thinking the Vols are benefitting from having a quarterback with some experience.
2 — Quarterback talk — During an up and down freshman campaign one admirable trait that Jarrett Guarantano displayed was a penchant for avoiding turnovers by refusing to force throws.
The flip side of that trait was that he sometimes appeared to err on the side of caution, holding onto the ball too long at times and either missing guys, taking a sack or being forced to throw the ball away.
He didn’t get enough pressure today to make much of a judgement on how much progress he’s made in that department.
Guarantano didn’t have a perfect day by any means but he did flash some arm talent and looked like someone with a solid grasp of the offense. He also seems much more comfortable being a leader this year. He never shied away from that role last year, but with entering his third year in the program the mantle seems to fit a little better.
His touchdown pass to Callaway to start the game was a well-timed jump ball in the back corner of the end zone. His best throw of the game, which he zinged into a tight window on the sidelines between the corner and safety to Josh Palmer, was wrongly ruled incomplete when the official incorrectly deemed Palmer came down out of bounds.
Guarantano did miss a couple of open people, most noticeably in the first quarter when he had Josh Palmer open in the end zone on a deep ball, but held the ball too long and allowed the defensive back to catch up.
He finished the day 15-of-27 for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
McBride just had a rough day, finishing 6-of-18 for 71 yards but he was only 2-of-12 going into the fourth quarter before seeing a defense comprised of a lot of walk-ons. He was severely handicapped by a patchwork offensive front so it’ hard to know what to make of his afternoon. He had very little time to work but on a couple of occasions he did miss noticeably open receivers.
3 — Pretty clean game in terms of turnovers—One of Jeremy Pruitt’s consistent complaints this spring has been that his defense has generated enough turnovers for his liking.
Sophomore safety Theo Jackson wasted no time in changing that narrative when he picked off Will McBride on the first offensive possession for the White team. Jackson returned the pick 49 yards to set the Orange team up for the game’s first touchdown.
The first team defense forced a second quarter fumble but didn’t recover it.
There were two turnovers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter (one fumble, one interception) when there were a hodgepodge of walk-ons and back-ups on the field.
There’s two ways to look at that obviously, the first is to deem it a real positive that in a setting that often produces some ragged football, Tennessee did a nice job of taking care of the football.
The flip side, of course, is that the defense didn’t generate the kind of momentum changing plays you like to see from that side of the ball.
It’s a safe bet that Pruitt, who looks at things from a defensive perspective, won’t be pleased by that.
I’ll lean more towards viewing it as a positive though, especially in regards to Guarantano who looked poised and comfortable all afternoon.
4 — Random odds, ends and impressions — The Vols lined up under center the vast majority of the time today, even on the goal line!! Tennessee also played with a fullback at times (Austin Pope), something that hasn’t been seen around here in ages.
Austin Pope flashed a little, turning his one catch into a 17 yard gain that featured one steamrolled defender and set up a Ty Chanlder touchdown.
Marquez Callaway showed some nice skill and looks like he’s going to settle in as Guarantano’s top target.
An underrated aspect of the afternoon was that 2-for-2 on a pair of field goals from 41 and 43 yards. That’s not to be taken for granted given all the struggles the Vols have had on field goals outside of 40 yards in the last four years.
I thought Tim Jordan (9 carries, 57 yards) and Ty Chandler (11 carries, 53 yards) both had some nice moments. Jordan had the longest run of the game (29 yards). He also juked Quarte’ Sapp out of his cleats on a short touchdown run when Sapp had him in the hole.
Theo Jackson had a nice day at safety and looks like he’s going to push for playing time.
No receivers on the white team put up big numbers but Latrell Williams flashed late when he turned a short slant route into a 35 yard touchdown. Williams has never been healthy long enough to show what he can do here if given a chance, but he displayed some real quickness and ability to run after the catch in that small sample size.
