Author Archives: Brad Shepard

After a late-game collapse made a close Georgia loss a virtual runaway a couple of weeks ago, Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt nearly was moved to tears talking about how much better his guys were getting when talking in the postgame press conference.

Perhaps expecting a little more emotion from Pruitt, the SEC Network crew caught up with the first-year Vols front man after Saturday’s resounding 30-24 signature victory over Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

But instead of getting misty-eyed, Pruitt talked about how much better his players were getting. He then took the opportunity on regional television to complain a little about Tennessee’s inability to finish games, referring to the Tigers’ late touchdown that allowed them to kick a potentially worrisome onsides kick. Afterward, in his coach’s show with Bob Kesling, he mentioned every assistant coach by name and talked about the unselfishness of some of his players to play out-of-position because of depth issues.

All three responses were vintage Pruitt.

On a week where negativity could reign against UGA, Pruitt stood up for his guys. After the Vols could trumpet so much happiness following what obviously was a huge win, Pruitt kept things grounded.

The buttons he’s pushing are working. In today’s Sunday Best — a column designed to point out the positives from the prior day’s game — there are tons of things to discuss. But it all boils down to one thing: the Vols are responding to Pruitt’s teaching methods, and the confidence they’re finally getting in themselves is showing on the field. Saturday, for the first time in 12 tries against a league foe, it showed up in the win column.

Improvement is something we’ve not seen much of over the tenures of Butch Jones and Derek Dooley before him. But Saturday was a start. Now, it’s just a matter of whether the Vols can capitalize. They’ve flipped the script on the season’s possibilities — a bowl game no longer is out of the question — but can they finish?

Remember, Jones led Tennessee to a win over a ranked South Carolina team at Neyland Stadium coming off a bye week in his first year as a head coach. UT couldn’t parlay that into a postseason appearance, losing the season-ender to Vanderbilt.

Pruitt knows the margin for error for this team is razor thin, so the teaching moments are vital.

So are the responding moments, and we finally got one of those Saturday, trumping a reeling Auburn team. Tennessee got AU at the right time, and, guess what? The Vols took advantage of it, erasing a halftime deficit against a team that was favored by double-digits.

Now that we’ve discussed the overarching theme of Sunday’s Best, let’s be a little more specific about some of the stuff that went right.

1. Jarrett Guarantano and the Incredible Leaping Vols

It’s been a long, hard road for redshirt sophomore Guarantano, going from highly regarded recruit to an ugly first few games as a starting quarterback a season ago to getting mauled this year and continuing to stand strong in the pocket.

All the while, he’s learned, he’s developed and he’s improved.

Saturday, we saw the fruit in a 21-of-32 performance for 328 yards and two touchdowns. Equally as important, he didn’t have a turnover. As a sub-bullet to this bullet, he also led UT to 10-of-19 in third-down conversions, and he had multiple strategically-placed balls downfield to his dynamic receiving corps.

They made him look good by catching them, too.

Tennessee’s most talented players are its receivers, and they dominated Auburn’s secondary in the win. Josh Palmer had three catches for 84 yards, Jauan Jennings awoke from his season-long slumber to finish with five grabs for 71 yards, and Marquez Callaway had two grabs for 55 yards. After vowing to try to get running back Ty Chandler more touches, it happened Saturday, as he had five grabs for 62 yards, including a big 42-yard touchdown strike.

It was a banner day for Guarantano, who has taken a lot of flak from Vols fans. Yet here he is, improving, learning, developing. Saturday, he was dominating.

2. Extra! Extra!

Not only did the Vols play a spotless, turnover-free game, they also wound up with three takeaways of their own. They needed every single one of them, too.

Bryce Thompson and Jonathan Kongbo grabbed interceptions — though on Kongbo’s, UT offensive coordinator Tyson Helton struggled with his play-calling and the Vols were forced to punt three plays later. Needing that game-changing play, though, Tennessee’s defense got it.

Moments after taking a stunning 20-17 lead to momentarily quiet the Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd, Tennessee pressured Jarrett Stidham, who fumbled the ball. After a scrum deep in AU territory, the ball squirted free from underneath a Tigers player into the hands of Tennessee freshman cornerback Alontae Taylor who wound up with an 8-yard touchdown.

The massive turnover made it 27-17, and that gave the Vols some breathing room.

Prior to the pair of picks, Tennessee was 106th nationally with just two interceptions this season, and the opportunistic plays had been lacking. There are still defensive issues with missed tackles and blown coverages, but you can cover a lot of that up with momentum-shifting plays, and that’s what the Vols did against Auburn.

3. Second-Half Response

The 448 Auburn yards you see in the box score isn’t pretty; that’s still too much [usually] to win. But you’ve got to give the Vols credit for some big-time halftime adjustments by Pruitt, defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer and Co.

Give the Vols credit for executing them, too.

The Tigers were shut out after the break until their final drive, which made things interesting as they quickly gashed Tennessee with some big passing plays. It was a disappointing finish to an incredible defensive performance after halftime, and Pruitt didn’t let his guys skate on that, either.

Still, there are reasons to be excited about the way Tennessee looks on that side of the ball, overall. Hopefully, Jonathan Kongbo is OK because he was playing at a high level Saturday against the Tigers before going down with an injury. Alexis Johnson is UT’s most disruptive defender so far this season, and while the Vols wish he had another year, the senior’s development is encouraging.

The defensive front got after Stidham, forcing multiple mistakes. When they had to bow up and get off the field, they did on a couple of vitally important occasions, notably forcing the Tigers into a 54-yard missed field goal in a drive that could have shifted momentum.

Injuries and a lack of speed are big concerns for UT on that side of the ball, but the Vols are playing with heart, they’re making plays and they’re in position to make others. They’ve just got to do a much better job tackling. If that happens, this can close and be as surprising of a unit as John Jancek’s group wound up being in 2015.

4. You Get An Improvement! You Get An Improvement!

It’s all over the field, and that is encouraging.

We talked about Kongbo and Johnson, two guys who nobody thought much of entering this season. Instead, both are making major impacts, and that bodes well for the future of this defense, even though they’ll be graduating. It means kids are responding, and we’re seeing that, too.

Thompson and Taylor look like they’ll be manning the secondary for years to come, and Trevon Flowers was improving, too, before breaking his collarbone in practice last week.

Guarantano, Ty Chandler, Will Ignont, Quart’e Sapp, all are getting better. Saturday saw Nathan Niehaus plugged in at guard for an injured Jahmir Johnson, and he held his own against a vaunted Auburn front. Josh Palmer is playing confident football, and he’s making plays. Jennings is finally healthy and playing like he’s got that “dawg” in him again.

This team is beginning to take on a mentality, beginning to establish a hard-nosed mentality. Can it continue, though?

It’s a huge question that remains to be answered. There is still much football to be played, and the Vols need to split the games against South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Vanderbilt to get bowl-eligible. Honestly, it still probably shouldn’t be expected.

But it’s at least attainable. Saturday made that possible.

This team and this program are heading in the right direction, and Pruitt continues to press all the right buttons, even though he’s still learning how to call plays within the framework of a game, still learning how to handle internal situations, still learning how to balance practices, film study, rotations, adjustments.

The Vols are learning how to win games, and Pruitt and Co. are learning how to run their brand new program.

Saturday was progress for all in a huge, huge win.

The rumor mill hasn’t been kind to the Vols this week as there are whispers that freshman safety Trevon Flowers has a collarbone injury and is walking around campus in a sling after getting hurt in practice.

It seems even when Tennessee doesn’t play, it loses.

The Vols need to get healthy this week before the Auburn-Alabama-South Carolina gauntlet, but it appears the opposite is happening. The Vols hopefully used this off week to work on fundamentals, and the coaches needed to use it to get a head start on Auburn.

Believe it or not, the Tigers are beatable. Sure, UT should (and will) be double-digit underdogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but AU isn’t explosive. It’s defense is really, really good, but the offense isn’t going to scare anybody. This weekend’s game against Mississippi State will be a rugged tilt, and the Tigers could be banged-up heading into the game. Let’s look at just two things Tennessee should have done in the bye week.

KEYS

Develop the youngsters who look like possible difference-makers

It’s going to be interesting to see if there are any players we’ve not seen much of yet this year who can get on the field during the second half of the season. Star prospect linebacker JJ Peterson came in out-of-shape long after practice began, but the Vols would be thrilled if he was coming along and was able to provide valuable snaps.

Will that happen? If it does, we’ve not heard anything about it yet.

Beyond Peterson, though, there are some good, young players who’ve shown flashes this year. If they can emerge and get more consistent, Tennessee will be a better, more athletic, more talented team. Some of those guys are:

Linebackers Will Ignont and Quart’e Sapp. Ignont is a sophomore who is earning more and more trust and playing time. It doesn’t look like he’d always grade out well and isn’t always in the right place, but he plays fast and makes tackles. He just needs to be more consistent. A week after the rumors of Sapp leaving the sideline against Florida, he played his most snaps against Georgia and was a playmaker. It’s obvious the junior needs to be on the field. The Vols need to keep him there.

Of course, defensive backs Bryce Thompson, Alontae Taylor (and Flowers, if he’s healthy) upgrade the back end. They needed to spend the off week learning and playing faster. If Flowers is out, it’s time for Shawn Shamburger to get out of the doghouse and back on the field.

Defensive lineman Matthew Butler, wide receiver Jordan Murphy and running back Jeremy Banks are other guys who need to be more disciplined, get more consistent and earn snaps. The Vols need to be looking to the future while playing in the present.

Find important depth

Coach Jeremy Pruitt made a couple of position switches this week, moving fullback Ja’Quain Blakeley and tight end LaTrell Bumphus to the defensive line where UT needs depth and athleticism.

What if one of those guys stick and is able to provide snaps? They aren’t really contributing where they were, so it doesn’t hurt to try them there. Both are excellent athletes who need to work their way onto the field somewhere.

Will there be other guys emerge, too? UT hopes so.

LOCKS

Meh, we went 3-4 last week as the early-night games killed us. Thanks for nothing, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, BYU and Hawaii. You’d been good to us until last week, and this is the thanks we get? Thankfully, the Ohio State-Penn State under, Purdue and West Virginia saved us from total disaster.

We are at 19-16 ATS on the year. Yeah, that needs to be better. This week, we’re going 7-0.

• Missouri -1.5 over South Carolina: This line has moved so much in the Tigers’ favor this week, and rightfully so. Yes, I know this is in Columbia, S.C., but Drew Lock and Co. are coming off a bye week and that offense will be clicking. They cover easy.
• Alabama/Arkansas over 58: Alabama could hit this number on its own, even though the Hogs’ defense isn’t bad at all. It won’t go way over, but the Hogs will add some late points against UA’s third-team defense to go over.
• Syracuse -3.5 over Pittsburgh: This definitely has letdown game written all over it after the Orange’s near-upset at Clemson a week ago. But the Panthers aren’t great, and Dino Babers’ team is solid and on the come-up. Syracuse wins this one by a touchdown or more.
• LSU -2 over Florida: Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t understand this line at all. Both defenses are strong, but Feleipe Franks against that LSU secondary? Ugh. Tigers will win by double-digits in the Swamp.
• Miami -13 over Florida State: If there’s one I’m not sure about out of these seven, it’s this one. But the Seminoles are awful, and Miami is resurgent with N’Kosi Perry at QB. Turnover chains jangle against Deondre Francois.
• Ole Miss/Louisiana-Monroe under 75.5: Ole Miss may have the worst defense in the Power 5, but it isn’t bad enough to get trounced by Monroe. The Rebels are going to work on some things in this one that will slow things down a little. This one won’t approach the number.
• California -2.5 over Arizona: Free money. Kevin Sumlin-Khalil Tate is a dreadful marriage, and the Wildcats just can’t score enough. Justin Wilcox still has things moving in the right direction at Berkeley even after last week’s bad showing against Oregon.

 

We all got through the moral victories phase long ago, so it’s hard to come out of the second-consecutive 26-point loss feeling anything warm-and-fuzzy about the Vols.

This year isn’t going to go like any of us hoped, and we’re just going to have to deal with that.

But, despite being overmatched and despite not getting Georgia’s best effort in what resulted in a 38-12 loss in Athens on Saturday, there were some definite positives if you’re looking through your orange-colored glasses. There were players who responded after last week’s six-turnover fiasco in a disastrous loss to Florida. There was fight all the way to the end when UGA did what it was supposed to do and took a Tennessee turnover and tacked on a shove-it score.

Jeremy Pruitt was almost defiant afterward, standing up for his players and getting emotional about just how far the program has come under him. Yes, the Vols are 2-3 with difficult games against Auburn, Alabama and South Carolina following the bye week, and yes, making a bowl game still looks like a glimmering light far in the distance, but the strides are still evident.

I’ve preached so many times already this season that we’ve got to take pride in the strides, and that is so hard to do when you’re not overly competitive with your rivals. But we still need to. I think it’s becoming quite clear just how far away we are from a talent perspective.

Georgia big-boyed us on that final touchdown drive before the turnover tack-on, and that was tough to see for a team that wanted — maybe even needed — the good vibes that come with keeping it respectable on the scoreboard. But, until then, Tennessee traded punches pretty well.

Take this into consideration: Seven of Georgia’s points came on a fluke fumble recovery by Isaac Nauta after Nauta missed his block on Darrell Taylor, who stripped Jake Fromm of the ball. Nauta picked up the ball and raced 31 yards for the game’s first score.

When the Vols finally put the ball on the ground at the end of the game, UGA marched right down and scored then, too.

But if you take away those two bad bounces/mistakes, UT was schematically fine, at least on defense. It’s very encouraging to see how well Taylor rushed the passer, forcing two fumbles and registering a sack. It was great to see sophomore Will Ignont flying around out there, and though he had a couple of run fits that will hurt his grade in final film study, he’s the type of athlete the Vols need on the second level, and he’s developing.

At times throughout Saturday’s game, Tennessee had three true freshmen playing together in the secondary in Bryce Thompson, Alontae Taylor and Trevon Flowers, and those guys are getting more dependable, too.

The defensive line isn’t great, but they’re making strides. The massive chunk-yardage plays the Vols were allowing a year ago aren’t as frequent anymore, and within the framework of drives, UT was strong, riding the ebbs and flows and getting off the field against a superior team.

Sure, Georgia wound up laying the hammer down, but it was more of situation of being gassed rather than outclassed.

It’s easy to see where the maturity needs to come. Offensively, I’m still frustrated with Tyson Helton’s play-calling, and I’m not excited about Pruitt’s decision to punt near midfield late in the game still down multiple scores. At that point, you gamble because you need to try to win. It was almost as if he was content to keep it close, and that’s not the killer instinct you want. The decision to go for two after the second touchdown was puzzling too, but that’s understandable, and it’s erring on the side of aggression, which will always get you a free pass with me. Those were snafus from which he’ll grow, and, like his team, he’s learning on the fly, too.

Jarrett Guarantano’s toughness is evident, and though he still isn’t where he needs to be, he’s getting better. I thought the offensive line was much better at times against Georgia, even though the running game still struggled to get traction. Ty Chandler in space is something we need to see more of; and it’s disappointing that he only got five carries and five catches. To beat teams like UGA, you must get the ball in your playmakers’ hands, and Helton has to do a better job of that.

Scheming around the inefficiencies of the offensive line hamstrings Helton and UT’s offense, and until that improves dramatically, we’re all going to be frustrated with the results.

But the best thing coming out of Saturday is we aren’t the team that laid an egg against Florida. If that’s our identity, we were going to be watching the worst Tennessee team in school history, and it’s encouraging to see the Vols clean up some of the mistakes, even if there are reams more to fix.

Looking ahead, this team isn’t hopeless for 2018, and I’m very encouraged by the groundwork being laid for the future. It will take two recruiting classes, but the defense will ultimately continue to improve. The Vols must get better offensive playmakers, but, again, that can be fixed by recruiting. Helton needs to get in a better groove and earn his money, but that also should be better with better players. (Doesn’t that cure all?)

We know two things about this year’s Vols: 1) we can’t afford to make mistakes like turnovers and penalties because we aren’t good enough to give anybody extra possessions and win, but 2) when we don’t make those mistakes, we’ll be in football games because they’re well-coached and well-prepared, even if they’re not well-equipped from an athlete standpoint to hang with the elites.

Kentucky looks like a difficult game, but it’s not unwinnable. While Missouri looks like a matchup nightmare because of its passing game, the Vols could be much-improved by then. There’s also no reason right now to mark off the Auburn, South Carolina or Vanderbilt off the list now. The Tigers have some issues, and though the Vols will be double-digit underdogs, it could help to have an extra week to prepare. South Carolina has better talent, too, but the Gamecocks have underachieved.

Six wins still seems like a long ways away, but it’s not impossible. Last week, I thought it was impossible.

That may be the smallest inkling of hope, but at least it’s some. This Tennessee team is beginning to learn how to play football the right way, and even though it won’t always do it, we’re starting to see the Vols being in position to make plays on defense and hitting a few things downfield on offense.

If you can’t see Pruitt’s passion for this team and this program, you’re not looking hard enough. This year is tough on us all, but it’s toughest on him and the players. Let’s just keep watching them improve. Maybe, by the end of the year, it will show in the win column.

If not, at least the frustration of building a foundation will be over.

I have never felt the way I did sitting in Neyland Stadium last week. Ever. It was a hopeless, helpless feeling. Being competitive feels so far away as everything fell apart in what wound up being a 47-21 loss to Florida.

I didn’t even see the last touchdown because I left early for just the third time in all the years, all the games I’ve been to. I was disgusted and disgruntled. And here’s the thing: It’s likely going to be worse this week. It probably will be worse against Auburn. It absolutely will be cringe-worthy worse against Alabama.

We’re fans, though. We’ve got to suck it up and hope. This weekend, the Vols head to Athens where they are more than 31-point underdogs. That’s unfathomable to me, especially considering we’re just a couple years removed from this game traditionally being decided by a score or less.

But things have changed. UGA is one of the top teams in the nation, coming into this tilt with the Vols ranked No. 2. Kirby Smart is recruiting as well as anybody in the nation. Not only is it going to hurt seeing former 5-star commitment Cade Mays playing in the red and black, he’s starting and shining as a true freshman.

It’s enough to make you sick, on top of everything else.

Nobody expects Tennessee to be anywhere near in this game, so — look on the bright side — if the Vols come out and surprise everybody, it could make us feel much better about the direction of the season.

Again, though, don’t expect it. Not this week.

KEYS

Stop the slow

I know that every week this is on the list, and it will be until the Vols stop it. They absolutely cannot get off to a slow start every week; they aren’t good enough to overcome it.

Against West Virginia, the Mountaineers punched them in the mouth right away, and UT never recovered. Against two awful teams in ETSU and UTEP, the Vols sputtered at the front. Then, against the Gators, UT turned the football over on the first two possessions, watched Florida convert them into touchdowns, and it was never close.

Shawn Shamburger even fumbled the second half’s opening kickoff leading to a one-play Gators scoring drive, proving that there’s something about layoffs that is killing the Vols.

Jeremy Pruitt must do something about that. If it happens this week, the Dawgs will blow them out of Samford Stadium.

Squeaky clean

Say what you want about last weekend’s embarrassment, and there’s plenty to say about how thoroughly ugly it was. But UT turned the ball over six — SIX!!!! — times.

The Vols literally handed Florida 28 points on a silver platter. Two of Jarrett Guarantano’s turnovers were directly turned into touchdowns. Shamburger’s second-half special teams blunder led to another touchdown. Then, we won’t soon forget Austin Pope fumbling through the end zone on another would-be score for the Vols.

That’s 21 points for Florida and -7 points for the Vols.

Tennessee lost by 26.

You do the math.

The Vols aren’t good enough to overcome those mistakes. Against a team like Georgia, the Bulldogs will make things ugly quickly if it continues. Tennessee has to take care of the ball.

Keep Guarantano clean, too

There’s nothing wrong with the way redshirt sophomore Guarantano has played this year. Those calling for somebody else to start are being ridiculous.

But he still hangs onto the ball too long, and he still gets shaky when defenders are breathing down his neck. Yes, Guarantano is a super-tough kid, but he also isn’t the biggest quarterback, and Cece Jefferson knocked him out of the UF game [albeit with a cheap shot]. The Vols can’t afford to A) get him hurt or B) let him operate under as much duress as he has so far.

Guarantano needs to do a better job of moving the pocket, and if offensive coordinator Tyson Helton was smart [which is still far up in the air at this point] he would design some plays to help him do that. But Tennessee’s offensive line is horrible, and it can’t continue that way.

If what is trotting out there isn’t working, change it. Give K’Rojhn Calbert a shot. Give Marcus Tatum an extended look. Move Trey Smith back inside. Do SOMETHING (anything?) to make things easier on JG.

The kid isn’t good when he’s being pressured. Think Georgia and Mel Tucker don’t know that? You’re crazy.

Turnover time

Tennessee’s defense was not bad against Florida, and it’s obvious the Vols are improving on that side of the ball. They were excellent in third-down defense, and when Florida had long fields, they didn’t do all that well.

Yes, there were too many big plays, but the Vols weren’t bad. It needs to get better and better.

One thing UT needs to do is generate more big plays. Pruitt’s defense needs to create game-changing plays, helping its offense out in this one. Without them, Tennessee cannot win.

Color blind

I fully believe the Vols aren’t as awful as they were last Saturday night. If they are, it’s going to be at least three years before they’re back; plain and simple. Instead, I think it was just too many mistakes, and once they got down against Florida, nobody expected they were going to beat Florida.

That jersey holds sway over UT. Always has.

The red-and-black jerseys haven’t, and they don’t need to start now. If the Vols play scared football, they’ll get killed because UGA is a much, much better football team with far more talent. The Vols need to play with swagger, and they need to play with a clean slate. It’s the only way to have hope.

Prediction: Georgia 41, Tennessee 14

LOCKS

We. Are. Back!

After an awful week last time out, we rebounded with a 5-2 slate to improve to 16-12 for the season. That’s makin’ money, y’all! That’s a good thing, too, because we need to stay hot. Because, you know, the Vols ain’t. And we’ve got to have some reason to watch college football.

Here is this week’s lucky seven.

1. West Virginia -3.5 over Texas Tech: I will forever believe that a Will Grier-led team will obliterate a team with zero defense. Texas Tech can score, but the Red Raiders will not score enough to win this game. At least the Mountaineers play a little bit of defense.
2. Purdue -3.5 over Nebraska: A week ago, I said the Boilermakers were the best 0-3 team in football. Now they’re the best 1-3 team in football. And though Adrian Martinez will be back for Scott Frost’s team, the Cornhuskers’ issues are deeper than just quarterback. Jeff Brohm keeps it rolling.
3. Hawaii -11.5 over San Jose State: I feel like Vegas is still disrespecting Cole McDonald’s dual-threat abilities. Now he’s going against an atrocious pass defense. Warriors will dominate this one.
4. Florida Atlantic -4.5 over MTSU: Lane Kiffin is coming back to Tennessee as a head coach for the first time since he was with the Vols. It’s on a much smaller stage, but he may be playing a better team than the Vols. His Owls will still outscore Brent Stockstill and the Raiders.
5. North Texas -7.5 over Louisiana Tech: La Tech is a good team. The Mean Green is the most underrated team in the nation. Yes, Arkansas is terrible, but North Texas DOMINATED an SEC team, even if it’s a shell of an SEC team. I’m riding the Green.
6. Ohio State/Penn State under 67.5: It’s going to be a fun matchup watching the Nittany Lions offensive line against the Buckeyes defensive line, and it’s a shame Nick Bosa is out until November. But it’s not like these teams are devoid of defense. This is a huge number. The under is screaming at me.
7. BYU +17 over Washington: I love the way Kalani Sitake gets his team up for big games. I also am not a believer in the Huskies anymore as Jake Browning has regressed as much as any “star” player in college football since Matt Barkley. Washington was favored by far too much against Arizona State last week, and I said take the Sun Devils. They covered with ease. Do the same this week with the Cougs.

 

We all know how we got here.

You don’t hire Derek Dooley and Butch Jones in back-to-back searches after Lane Kiffin’s one-and-done and expect any differently. You don’t load up recruiting classes with the layers of players who didn’t pan out in the 2016 and ’17 classes and expect any differently. You don’t keep redefining “rock bottom” as a program every year and expect differently.

Somebody asked me on Twitter if I felt this was finally rock bottom last night as I sat in my Y10 seats and watched the carnage. I said, “No, I think it’s a sublayer.”

In order to enact change, you’ve got to reach a low point.

It isn’t like we’re covering new ground here. It’s been bad for a while, and we all really believed it would probably be bad this year. How bad? Well, we saw last night that it can get ugly, and uglier is coming to a television set near you next week and the in the next few weeks after.

Maybe take a vacation or something if you don’t want to see it. It won’t be pretty.

Caught up in the anger and the frustration of the debacle, I tweeted out that it felt like Tennessee football is dead. Moments later, somebody stormed down the steps furious and said the same thing on his way out. “This program is dead; I’m done. I’m selling all my stuff next week!” he yelled to anybody as he left.

Go on, now. Git. We don’t need you anyway.

Do I think this program is finished? Nah. Do I think last night looked and felt like it? Absolutely. That’s why I typed it.

I love the Vols. You love the Vols. Some of us at times LIVE the Vols. This is intertwined in some of our livelihoods, some of our happiness. When they suck, we have bad days, bad weekends. Those of you who don’t feel that way or don’t let it get to you look at us and laugh or shake your heads. “Get a life,” you think. Some of us have one, but our lives are so much more enriched when the Vols win.

We’ve had a long, frustrating numbness, haven’t we?

By design and in name, this “Sunday Best” column is supposed to be about something good, something positive that happened on Saturday. I’m not going to pump sunshine, though. I felt no goodness out of a 47-21 loss to a bad Florida team. I felt no happiness out of all the turnovers and mistakes. I felt no positive vibes about how the team looked or what players stood out.

It looked like a bad football team and a coaching staff that, at times, got schooled by Florida’s.

But what I did see was an opportunity for the players to get embarrassed, for them to look at the scoreboard, at their body of work on the resume of a football field and say, “You know what? That isn’t good enough.”

Most of the improvement can’t be done by the guys who are now in orange and white. Most of it has to be done by Jeremy Pruitt and Co. in recruiting, a task now tons more difficult by getting destroyed on the field. It’s going to be worse against Georgia, Alabama and probably Auburn, too.

I don’t know the inside information on what happened with linebacker Quart’e Sapp, who reportedly left the field after being asked to go in the game. Pruitt’s postgame press conference shed little light on it, and Sapp came out and tweeted a message to Vol Nation today that he didn’t quit.

Here is better Video from Coach Pruitt press conference regarding LB Quart’e Sapp & the decision to ask him to leave the field after refusing to go in the game. #Vols

Via @TeranJSports pic.twitter.com/k07inqSQmL

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) September 23, 2018

I don’t know if there was any animosity or ill will behind Trey Smith’s aggressive warmup that left John Mincey injured and angry as he was leaving the field. I don’t know why this team continually hurts each other (looking at the Shy Tuttle helmet “incident” last year, among other things) and won’t do anything like beat the ever-living mess out of Florida defensive end Cece Jefferson after his malicious cheap hit on Jarrett Guarantano during the game. If that happens to my teammate, I’m getting kicked out of the game.

I don’t know why none of this happened, but the fact that it happened and that the world saw it and the fans saw it may help these Vols look in the mirror and realize the in-fighting, the lack of leadership and the other hallmarks of the Butch Jones era must be completely and decisively eradicated in order for any success to enter.

This program is infected with failure, and you cannot blame Pruitt for that. Whether or not he’s the guy and this is the staff to fix it remains unclear, and, sure, offensive coordinator Tyson Helton and offensive line coach Will Friend need to do better than they’ve done so far. The play-calling seems unimaginative, and if the Vols can’t find any linemen who can block better than these, the rebuild is going to take longer than any of us want. But they also need better players to do better, don’t they? They need years of better strength and conditioning, don’t they?

Sometimes, it looks like these are SEC plays that simply aren’t being executed by SEC players.

You can’t blame the new guys for that. There are plenty of things we can blame them for, but that isn’t one of them. So, stop, aight?

That brings us back to the point about what we saw that was positive about yesterday? Well, while we saw those embarrassing things, I also saw a defense that was ripping balls out, getting in the face of Florida players and getting aggressive. Adding to Jeremy Banks’ alpha personality, we saw Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson show some swagger. Maybe the Vols’ feelings got hurt. Maybe their pride got hurt. Maybe those glimmers were the seeds of a program-altering response.

I wasn’t the only one who saw these things, even though I saw them through hurt, angry eyes.

Pruitt: I found out a lot about some guys on defense. I saw guys that had a look in their eye and they were competing. That’s a good thing. That’s something we can build on. Am I happy the way the game turned out? No, but we’re trying to build something here.

— GoVols247 (@GoVols247) September 23, 2018

Pruitt: “Just watching the game, I found out a lot about our guys tonight, especially on defense.”

— David Ubben (@davidubben) September 23, 2018

Are those positives? Will they matter? They certainly didn’t last night. But, as Pruitt said, he’s trying to build something here. There is no foundation because there’s no leadership from upperclassmen. There’s no on-the-field mentors from which these younger guys can learn.

As I was walking out of Neyland Stadium last night, I didn’t hear much, which is not normal. Sure, there were the murmurs and the yells throughout the game, but, afterward, I locked eyes with several people who just gave me a worried head-shake. Others looked down. Still others seemed numb to losing by now. Walking up Highland Avenue, I was behind a kid and, presumably, his dad. The kid was about 12, and he said, “Hey dad, you remember that time when the Vols almost beat Alabama? I wish we could get back to that.”

My heart sank. This is where our program is right now. This is what it’s become. The missteps have been many, and though having Phillip Fulmer in the saddle as athletic director is a major step forward, the university and Board of Trustee leadership isn’t yet in place, and the politics involved in those filled seats will go a long way in determining whether this program ever has the infrastructure and support necessary to be great again.

It takes a village, and, right now, we’re just trying to find a handful of players who can be vocal leaders, build a team, rally some hope.

The 1998 national championship team was honored last night, and by the time they were fully recognized, this year’s Vols already had dug themselves a 20-point hole. “I wonder what Al Wilson thinks about this now?” I thought. I bet he feels much the same way we all do — hurt, sad, embarrassed, disappointed, mad.

I hope the current players do, too. If they don’t, then there won’t be anything good that comes out of Saturday night.

There was never a chance for UTEP to beat Tennessee last weekend, so why were we so angry when the Vols dominated? It’s because it was ugly, and entering a crucial, pivotal tilt with Florida this weekend, we wanted to feel warm and fuzzy about the direction of the team.

Instead, we are all concerned. The Gators are coming to Knoxville a 4.5-point favorite, and — to be honest the way the series history has gone — you can’t feel good about that. Safe money rides with the Gators, and they’re getting healthy at the right time. They also manhandled a decent Colorado State team 48-10 a week ago. It wasn’t like the Gators’ struggling offense finally found something, though. It didn’t.

UF won that game with defense and special teams, and if they come to Neyland Stadium and beat the Vols on Saturday night, that’ll have to be the ingredients again. It’s happened too many times to think otherwise, but if you’re a Tennessee fan, you’ve got to believe in coach Jeremy Pruitt’s ability to motivate. You’ve got to hope that there have been some offensive tricks of coordinator Tyson Helton’s sleeve that he’s been saving for UF during this vanilla start to the season.

If you don’t hope, you’ve got nothing, right?

Quite frankly, if Tennessee doesn’t win this game, a bowl game is unlikely. The Vols have just one more definite win on the schedule, and that’s Charlotte. Lose this game, and you’re left with needing to win three out of four against South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Missouri — four teams that look much improved from what they’ve been in the past. Because, right now, beating Alabama, Georgia or Auburn feels like a long shot.

This is as close to a must-win at this point of the season as you’re going to get. Let’s take a look at what needs to happen to make that happen.

KEYS

Get ahead early

It’s going to be raucous in Neyland Stadium on Saturday night for a game the Vols like to be played late in the day. The fans know how big this game is, and — quite frankly — it’s the biggest game for both programs in a long, long time.

Why?

It isn’t for the SEC East, most likely, but that doesn’t matter. This is two once-proud programs needing the victory for the feel-goods to come back around. They need it for bragging rights, for recruiting edges and, sadly, for bowl-eligibility. Both programs have the resources in place to get back and contend with Georgia, but neither are there.

If the Vols can get going early and keep the crowd in it in full-voice, that’s a massive advantage. Neyland has been electric a few times recently, and the Vols didn’t take advantage of it, but they did in 2016 when they scored 30 points late to run away with UF and end an 11-year drought. They need the same kind of firepower early. Take the Gators out of the game and keep the Vols faithful in it. That’s the biggest key.

“When Florida’s got the ball, I bet you they can’t hear with the way our fans are, because the fans are going to be ready for this game, I can tell you that,” Pruitt said Sunday on his coaches show.

Let’s make those words stand up.

Neutralize the edges

The Gators welcome back defensive leader Cece Jefferson, and between him and Jabari Zuniga, Tennessee’s tackles will have their hands full. The Vols haven’t been good on the edges yet this year, with Drew Richmond playing much like he has throughout his career and star Trey Smith struggling to get going after missing all of preseason conditioning and switching positions.

The Vols must have them playing at a high level. Jarrett Guarantano has done a good job so far this year getting the ball out on time and avoiding too many sacks, and he’s looked sharp doing it. But he must have his best game eluding pressure and finding the right guys in enough time to move UT down the field.

If Smith and Richmond don’t do their job, it’s going to make play-calling harder on Helton and play execution impossible for Guarantano. Remember the first few snaps of the West Virginia game, how nothing could even get going? Yeah, Florida’s pass rush is even better than that.

The Vols have to play by far their best game so far this season up front.

Quarterback coming-of-age

It’s hyperbole by now, but legends are forged in this game. Nobody is going to draw any paintings about a 6-6 team, but as we’ve mentioned so many times already, Guarantano — and a lot of his teammates — still have two years of eligibility after this.

Games like this are where programs begin. Pruitt’s program is in need of a kick-start, and Guarantano has looked at least so far like he’s the player to usher UT into that era. But this will be his most important test so far.

The redshirt sophomore from New Jersey can make every throw, and it is exciting how good he’s looked throwing the deep ball. That must continue as Tennessee tries to find Marquez Callaway and Josh Palmer downfield.

Guarantano needs to harness his emotions, play within himself and lead this Tennessee team to a win. He has the playmakers around him to do it, it’s just a matter of his line giving him the protection and him following through with the execution.

If Guarantano struggles, Tennessee will not win this football game.

Make Franks look like Franks

A year ago, Tennessee neutralized Feleipe Franks throughout much of the game, making him look cumbersome and uncomfortable. He simply hasn’t been a very good quarterback yet in his UF career, but this is what he is right now, and the Vols need to do everything they can to keep him from beating them.

The strong-armed quarterback’s Hail Mary stunned UT a year ago, so he’s had heroics against the Vols before. It can’t happen again. Dual-threat quarterbacks like Emory Jones don’t look like a threat to play, but UT needs to be on the lookout for any tricks Dan Mullen may have.

But they’ve got to pressure Franks more than they’ve done any quarterback yet this year and force him into quick decisions. If he has all day to sit back there, let his receivers get open and pick UT apart, it won’t be pretty for a young secondary.

Freshmen cornerbacks Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor need their biggest games, too.

Swingers

Two games ago against ETSU, the Vols got those game-changing plays with turnovers on defense. Though those were fewer and farther between against UTEP, an 81-yard scamper by Ty Chandler proved the Vols can still make some big plays.

But Florida isn’t ETSU or UTEP.

In the past, the Gators were the aggressor, making the big plays to beat the Vols in every game except for Tennessee’s ’16 win. The Vols have to do that on both sides of the ball, forcing UF’s awful offense into mistakes and getting some big-gainers on their own.

If they get this swinging plays in their favor — especially early — the Vols can ride that momentum to by far the biggest win of the Pruitt era.

***

I’ve gone back and forth with what I think about this game, but a night game at Neyland bodes well for the atmosphere, which bodes well for the Vols. We talked about hope, right? You’ve got to hope UT gets this one to keep its bowl hopes alive.

Tennessee 24, Florida 23

LOCKS

Oh, last week was bad. Thanks to Alabama and the Vanderbilt under, I didn’t get shut out, but — man, oh man — it wasn’t good. The Locks took a 2-5 hit on the week, dropping the season tally to 11-10. That’s the definition of mediocrity, and we must rebound, or you’ll quit following.

WHY ARE YOU BETTING, ANYWAY!? IT’S ILLEGAL!!

But seriously, yeah, it was an off week. We need some winners this week. Here they are, with minimal commentary.

1. Oklahoma State (-12) over Texas Tech: Boise State, I believe, is one of the three best Group of Five teams in the country this year, and the Cowboys beat them 44-21. TTU can’t stop OSU, and while there may be eleventy-billion points scored here, OSU will have at least 13 more.
2. Cincinnati (-7.5) over Ohio: Don’t look now, but the Fightin’ Luke Fickells are playing some good football. The Bearcats beat UCLA to open the season, shut out Miami Ohio and wore out Alabama A&M. They’re at least eight points better than the Bobcats.
3. Baylor (-7.5) over Kansas: It’s a great story the Jayhawks have forced 12 turnovers to win back-to-back games. But the Bears are better. This is still Kansas, people.
4. South Carolina (-2.5) over Vanderbilt: It helps the Commodores that they’re back at home, but that emotional loss to Notre Dame last week took a lot out of them. Carolina will be rusty after Hurricane Florence canceled their game against Marshall last week, but this line is way too small.
5. Arizona at Oregon State under 75.5: While it looked like Khalil Tate and Kevin Sumlin finally clicked a little last week, this offense isn’t fixed. And Oregon State isn’t good enough offensively to throw up a ton of points. This will go way under.
6. Wisconsin (-3.5) over Iowa: The BYU loss will sting for a long time, but I’ll take Paul Chryst in bounceback games every time.
7. Arizona State (+17.5) over Washington: I still like the Sun Devils despite the 26-minute hiccup last week against San Diego State where they didn’t get a first down. It cost them that game, and now they’ve got to go on the road to the Pac-12 North favorites. The Huskies will win, but they are far from explosive, and this game will be closer than you think.

Let’s go rebound! And Go Vols!

Editor’s note:  With my esteemed colleagues taking care of the heavy postgame lifting as I’m handling my national college football obligations on Saturday, I wanted to do something a little different. Each Sunday from now through the end of the year, we’ll take a last look at the game before, pointing out some positives as we move through the various phases of the Jeremy Pruitt rebuild.

We’ll call it Sunday Best. Hope you guys enjoy…

***

There weren’t a lot of things to be excited about after Saturday’s sleepwalking victory over UTEP where it looked like the Tennessee Vols failed to wake up following a night out on the Strip.

Winning 24-0 against arguably the worst FBS team in the nation is nothing to be thrilled about. But with Florida coming to Neyland Stadium next Saturday night, style points don’t matter anymore. The only takeaway from Saturday is there is still so much to be worked on.

Jeremy Pruitt acknowledged as much in his man-of-few-words mode following the game when he did his postgame interview with the SEC Network. He said there’s far too much for Tennessee to work on internally to worry about Florida. He believes if the Vols take care of themselves, they can take care of a lot of issues.

We’ll see on Saturday.

But the past two weekends were all about fact-finding missions. Who can help this team win the important games? Can this team win important games?

The answer to those questions may very well be “nobody this year” and “nope, not this year,” but those aren’t acceptable answers to Pruitt and this staff. Say what you will about this team, but it’s obvious that Pruitt knows football, and that the Vols are going to play real hard-nosed football once they get the players in the right places and the trenches fixed. This year’s roster simply doesn’t have the horses, but the brand of ball the Vols want to play — whether they can play it in 2018 or not — is encouraging.

One of the building blocks for this rebuild was on full display against the Miners in sophomore running back Ty Chandler.

This was a player coveted by Alabama, Georgia and others a couple of years ago when Butch Jones plucked him out of Nashville. Unlike a lot of highly ranked players on this roster, he doesn’t look like a “miss.” If anything, he’s the most dynamic player on the entire roster, and we got a glimpse of what he can do Saturday.

I don’t care that it was against UTEP; that matters none. What Chandler brings to the offense is a dimension the Vols haven’t had since Lamarcus Coker, who just happens to be the last player to break off a run like Chandler’s 81-yard touchdown yesterday.

But take that run away for a moment. On his other runs, he had 77 yards on 11 carries, an average of (even I can do this one…) 7 yards per carry.

We’ve spent the past couple of games oohing and ahhing about how good Tim Jordan looks and that he can be a primary back in this offense, and we all fell in love with Jeremy Banks and his hard-nosed running. He looked good at times again against UTEP, though it looked to me like the officials blew the call on his ruled fumble at the goal line. Regardless, he’s got to do a better job taking care of the ball.

Madre London looks like a quality stopgap this year too, even though this will be his only year in orange.

But no matter how those guys looked at times throughout the season’s first couple of games, they aren’t Chandler. He’s deceptively shifty, and he is bigger than you think. Most importantly, he possesses the kind of breakaway speed Tennessee needs to produce big plays in the running game. Hopefully, as the season progresses, this offensive line will improve, and if it does, Chandler’s upside gets higher and higher.

He’s the kind of player who can win you a game against a Florida or South Carolina if he breaks free.

The only other players on UT’s offense who have that kind of different-level ability are receivers Marquez Callaway and Jordan Murphy.

After getting concussed in the second quarter against West Virginia, the Vols were cautious with Chandler the past couple of weeks. They unleashed him against UTEP, and he is an X-factor to be reckoned with against the Gators. If he’s not a major part of the game plan, something’s wrong.

He will be.

“Ty is a guy that he’s a pretty instinctive runner,” Pruitt said in the postgame interview, according to GoVols247’s Patrick Brown. “He’s got good vision, but he’s got good speed, so he got out there and done a good job finishing that run. It’s a good thing he did, because I’m not sure that we wouldn’t have gotten another penalty before we got in the end zone, so I’m glad he got it to the end zone.”

As we’ve discussed before, this season is about finding those pieces of the puzzle for building blocks, not only this year but next season, too. Against ETSU, we watched a defense that forced turnovers and turned them into points. That defense pitched a shutout against UTEP, but the turnovers were nowhere to be found.

Murphy had a huge game against the Buccaneers but barely made a noise on Saturday.

Callaway has been a consistent weapon, and Jarrett Guarantano is the no-doubt starting quarterback for this team in ’18 and in the future.

The running back room looks good for the future, and hopefully, after Saturday, we see who the leader of that group is going to be.

To be fair to Chandler, though, legends aren’t forged against the UTEP Miners. They’re bad — really bad — and all the mistakes on offense, the line issues and the ability to finish drives kept anybody from being truly happy with Saturday’s outcome.

Next weekend is the season’s first opportunity to make a name for himself. A year ago, with John Kelly in the backfield, Chandler had to play a support role. He’ll have to do the same at times this year with so many players who should get carries for UT. But the Vols need to ride the player who can turn a game in their favor in a hurry. The Gators don’t have a lot of players like him on their offense, either.

Look for Chandler to get a load of touches next weekend if this offensive coaching staff is confident. Of course, a lot of his success will be determined by the play of his offensive line, but Chandler has a window to become one of the most beloved players on this football team despite a difficult season.

Hopefully, he takes advantage.

Editor’s note:  With my esteemed colleagues taking care of the heavy postgame lifting as I’m handling my national college football obligations on Saturday, I wanted to do something a little different. Each Sunday from now through the end of the year, we’ll take a last look at the game before, pointing out some positives as we move through the various phases of the Jeremy Pruitt rebuild.

We’ll call it Sunday Best. Hope you guys enjoy…

***

A lot of times throughout life, we’re not put in ideal situations. But you try to get through them, put your trust in the right place and endure. The fervent hope is that you’ll get stronger because of the trials and, some day, you’ll be rewarded for the work you did in the face of them.

If you’re a believer, this should sound familiar.

If you’re a Tennessee fan, you should try to look at the 2018 season in the same frame of mind.

Those playing and coaching and cheering on the Vols through what looks like yet another rebuilding campaign don’t want to be here. Don’t you think all those kids in orange and white wish they were dominant and winning games week-in and week-out? Don’t you know somebody used to championships like Pruitt has a hard time accepting that this year’s roster is nothing like the ones he coached at Alabama, Georgia and Florida State? And, of course, we all want to recapture the glory days.

Those ain’t coming in ’18.

But, you know what? That’s OK. We all need to hope that we’re building something that will last, finding playmakers, improving from week to week and that somewhere, along the way, we’ll be stronger for it. For the Vols, hopefully that will materialize not only in the growth of the players and the growing number of dependable guys on the roster, but also in the win column.

We talked about finding out where we were starting from last week after the 40-14 loss to West Virginia, even if that starting point wasn’t where we wanted. Will talked about gaining another data point yesterday after the 59-3 shellacking of ETSU.

I want to talk about the steady improvement we want to see and what we saw. Yes, we could harp all day on the struggles of the offensive line and how a pass-rush [or lack of one] against SEC opponents will get you crushed. Both of those things are true, but if we choose to talk about those, we forget the positives, and this year should be about enjoying wins when they come and accentuating the positives when they do, too.

There won’t be as many of both as we’d like, but we need to open our eyes and actually acknowledge them when they come.

I know the level of opponent downgraded significantly from West Virginia to ETSU, but I tried to view Saturday through the lens of “just us.” Just look at Tennessee and look for improvement, look for growth, look for development. I saw plenty. If the Vols progressively improve each week throughout the year as much as they did from Week 1 to Week 2, we’ll be happy with the end-of-the-season final product, even if we’re not happy with the final record.

The defense played faster, more aggressive and corralled several game-changing plays such as Darrin Kirkland’s pick-six and Bryce Thompson’s athletic defensive presence. Offensively, the O-line was a disaster, yes, but if you weren’t encouraged by several individual performances, you’re too hard to please.

We saw exactly what we needed to see from a game against the FCS Buccaneers. There was no way we could cure all ills yesterday, and we didn’t, but we saw that it perhaps won’t be as bad as we thought. Let’s take a look at some of Sunday’s Best:

• Thompson followed fellow freshman Alontae Taylor’s Week 1 performance by having his own show-up-and-show-out spot against ETSU. The freshman cornerback finished with four tackles, including two for a loss, an interception and a pass breakup. He was all over the field and displayed speed and athleticism that UT lacks on the back end. The only bad thing was he started in Taylor’s place; not Baylen Buchanan’s. Once Thompson and Taylor can be trusted to be on the field at the same time, the Vols will realize their most athletic defensive backfield.
• Junior college defensive lineman Emmit Gooden led the team with eight tackles and a sack. The late addition to Pruitt’s class has two years to play in Knoxville and is already better than any other defensive lineman. He’s an encouraging building block for the remainder of this season and for the future.
• If you aren’t excited about the wide receiving corps and the emerging weapons, you’re too hard to please. Marquez Callaway is off to a red-hot start, and he looks like one of the league’s top receivers. Toss in the emergence of Jordan Murphy and Josh Palmer, and the Vols have some weapons on the perimeter. Murphy’s camp is paying off with some big plays in the season, and Palmer looks more confident and a step faster than he did at any point last season. Most importantly, he’s catching the football.
• Tim Jordan is a good, solid back, and we haven’t even seen Ty Chandler truly unleashed yet. But Jeremy Banks is a load to bring down, and he’s exactly the kind of running back the Vols have been missing since Montario Hardesty. He is a violent runner who hits the hole with authority and finishes runs. It’s not a stretch to say UT’s most assertive running back is its youngest, and Pruitt already praises his leadership ability. He could be a special piece to this puzzle. Banks already may be my favorite player on this team.
• Theo Jackson and Shawn Shamburger weren’t always in the right places Saturday, but they too [like Thompson and Taylor] upgrade the athleticism in the secondary, so this was a step toward them proving their value to the coaches. The simple fact is the Vols need better athletes in the secondary than Buchanan and Micah Abernathy. It’s up to those guys to step up.
• Finally, there are reasons to remain encouraged about Jarrett Guarantano and to feel good about Keller Chryst, too. With the O-line issues, both likely will be relied on throughout the year. Neither is dynamic and both have limitations, but they don’t look like the kind of signal-callers who’ll get you beat. We’ll see in two weeks against Florida.

Next week, Tennessee gets another patsy in UTEP. Boy, the Miners are awful, so we won’t know a whole lot about the development of the team then, either. But what we can see is blossoming confidence, important reps and opportunities to improve.

Somebody said to me yesterday in the midst of that ugly start: “Man, this offensive line and pass rush won’t cut it. If this was an SEC team, we’d be getting killed.”

To which I replied, “Good thing it isn’t. One of those doesn’t come for another couple of weeks. We’ve got more time to marinate.”

By the time the hated [and also flawed] Florida Gators come to town, who knows what kind of team we’ll be?

If things go the way they have so far, we’ll be better than we were this week.

Mediocrity reigned in Week 1 as my picks went 4-3. **Long, loud fart noise**.

The same can be said about the Vols. I didn’t pick them to win, but I think we all hoped it would be a little more competitive than what it was. It was about as awful of a start to the game as Jeremy Pruitt could have hoped.

In the picks, I got off to a scorching start, going 3-0 in my first three with Auburn covering 2.5, Ole Miss dominating Texas Tech despite being 2.5-point dogs, and South Carolina covering 29.5 against Coastal Carolina. Things sputtered after that with Kentucky-Central Michigan going over 49 (I bet the under), Notre Dame walloping Michigan (I picked the Fightin’ Harbaughs) and BYU beating Arizona despite being 11.5-point underdogs. Alabama covered against Louisville for the final 4-3 tally.

For the Vols, center Brandon Kennedy whiffed on his man on the season’s first snap, and Kenny Bigelow hit Jarrett Guarantano who lateraled Tennessee into a deep hole. It went downhill from there as Will Grier and West Virginia rolled out of the second half to a 40-14 win.

Now, FCS program ETSU and head coach Randy Sanders — yes, the former Vols offensive coordinator — come to town to [hopefully] cure all ills.

There’s nothing UT can do this week to make us feel better about life, but that doesn’t change the Vols needing some style points. So the keys this week will focus on things that NEED to happen for the Vols to give us warm-and-fuzzies, since it would be the program’s worst upset ever to actually lose.

Let’s get on with it.

KEYS

Play the young guys

As we all sat and watched Baylen Buchanan and Micah Abernathy, Jonathan Kongbo and Drew Richmond do what they’ve done in their entire careers, I found myself wanting Pruitt to just put in the new kids and let them take their lumps.

The Vols need to be better than they were against the Mountaineers to beat Florida, and the only way to do that is to upgrade speed and talent. That only can be done through recruiting, but they can do some things with players already on the roster that will help.

There’s no doubt defensive backs Alontae Taylor, Trevon Flowers and Bryce Thompson need to be on the field. JUCO transfer Kenneth George Jr. and possibly even freshman Brandon Davis could provide a spark, too. While it may be asking far too much for J.J. Peterson to see the field this week, he should if he physically can. Will Ignont and Quart’e Sapp getting more reps would be good for the linebacking corps, and DeAndre Johnson/Jordan Allen should get Kongbo’s reps.

It’s time to unlesash Cedric Tillman on offense, and Jeremy Banks needs a few carries, too. Finally, the Richmond experiment needs to fade into the distance. Younger offensive linemen need a crack at those snaps. It’s time.

With redshirts getting to play four games, why not even J.T. Shrout if the Vols are up big late? Let the kid throw some passes.

DWA NOW

The only time we saw Dominick Wood-Anderson catching balls against the Mountaineers, it was a fourth-down touchdown grab. Why not give him, say, six or seven opportunities to catch passes against ETSU?

Jarrett Guarantano played a good game in the losing effort to West Virginia, but he was far from perfect. He missed several reads, and the coaches need to let him know that he’s got a strong junior pass-catcher at tight end who looks like he could be in the NFL next year. He needs to utilize him.

DWA doesn’t do everything perfectly. He’s not the best blocker on the team, and he isn’t a polished route-runner yet. But he’s a weapon, and he’s one UT needs to be a massive part of this offense this week and especially moving forward against better competition.

I was hoping Wood-Anderson would be in the top three Tennessee pass-catchers this year. He’s good enough to be. Play him, and pass to him.

Disrupt the game

Let’s face it: If Tennessee can’t force fumbles, get interceptions and sack ETSU quarterbacks this week, the Vols aren’t going to be able to do it against teams like Florida, Missouri and South Carolina.

They certainly aren’t going to be able to do it against Alabama, Auburn and Georgia.

Yes, UT won the turnover battle against West Virginia, but it was by getting just one fumble. The Vols need to force at least three turnovers against ETSU and sack the quarterback at least three times. The Vols need to mix up some blitz packages and still stay vanilla. Tennessee should be able to stay very basic and wallop ETSU on talent alone.

If that doesn’t happen, it’s going to be a long season. It may be one anyway.

Run for 220 yards

The Kennedy-out-for-the-season news was a big blow this week for the Vols. Even though it was far from an ideal start for UT’s offensive line, there were some bright points against WVU. Now, the center is done, and Pruitt/Will Friend must mix and match yet again.

It looks like Ryan Johnson is going to start in the middle, and guys like Jerome Carvin, K’Rojhn Calbert and Riley Locklear will rep at guard along with starter Jahmir Johnson. It’s important the Vols stay healthy up front and find the right mix that works.

Everything SHOULD work this week. Tennessee’s offensive front must overpower ETSU, and no matter who the Vols run among Tim Jordan, Ty Chandler, Madre London and Jeremy Banks, they should get chunk yardage. There need to be breakaway runs and a dominant performance.

If the Vols can’t rely on the running game some throughout the year, it’s bad news.

Style points

The bottom line is Tennessee needs to win and win big. This needs to be some gaudy number that is a dominant performance on both sides of the ball. The Vols need some big gains, long touchdowns, fun individual performances and a eye-opening score.

Beat this team like you should. Send them home feeling like we felt last week.

Prediction

It’ll be lopsided, but not as lopsided as we want.

Vols 47, Buccaneers 16

LOCKS

Last week, I tried to go with what others told me; chose some numbers over my gut feeling and wound up in mediocrity. This week, we’re going with our first feeling, be darned. By the way, you should play Alabama -36.5 over Arkansas State, too. They’ll cover until they don’t, right?

1. Mississippi State -9.5 over Kansas State: Nick Fitzgerald is back this week from his one-game suspension, and while Manhattan is historically a tough place to play, the Bulldogs are really good on both sides of the ball. This is a sleeper team to battle ‘Bama in the West. This one will get out of hand late.
2. Memphis -4.5 over Navy: No Riley Ferguson? It wasn’t an issue in the first week for Mike Norvell’s team. The Midshipmen proved last week in Hawaii their defense has major issues, now they’ve come back across country to play another high-scoring attack? Roll with the Tigers.
3. Cincinnati +2.5 over Miami Ohio: OK, it’s never this easy. But the Bearcats just went West and beat UCLA. Are you telling me Miami Ohio would beat Chip Kelly? Would you bet on that? Me either. Bearcats win outright.
4. Missouri -17.5 over Wyoming: The Cowboys allowed 41 points to Mike Leach’s Washington State team last week, and the Cougars are very young on offense. The Tigers are seasoned, and Drew Lock is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Mizzou will cover easily.
5. Maryland -16.5 over Bowling Green: The Falcons looked good early before allowing 58 points to Oregon a week ago. It’s possible the Terps will have a letdown game after an epic upset of Texas, but they’ll still score enough to cover, even on a sleepwalker.
6. Fresno State +2.5 over Minnesota: This is the toughest pick of the week due to the clash of styles. A lot of folks thing the Bulldogs traveling across country to play a hard-nosed, P.J. Fleck-coached team bodes well for the Gophers. Give me Tedford and the high-flying Fresno O.
7. TCU -22.5 over SMU: Sonny Dykes will have the Mustangs scoring a lot of points before long, but a 46-23 loss to North Texas a week ago proves they aren’t ready yet. Look for about the same score here from a better team than the Mean Green.