The Tennessee Volunteers lost to a historically good Alabama Crimson Tide team today 58-21, but at the same time completed their time in The Gauntlet, a three-game stretch against Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama.
They survived. Beaten, but not broken. Pressed, but not crushed. And only time will tell, but they may even be stronger for the experience. (Assuming the injury that sidelined Jarrett Guarantano this afternoon doesn’t keep him out for long. But even then, Keller Chryst looked as good today as well.)
Oh, and instead of stumbling out of the exit with an anticipated 0-3 record, they even managed to emerge with a surprise win in hand.
Forget about getting trounced by Georgia and run over by Alabama on its way to the history books. The only thing that matters about those games now is that they’re over.
Now, the team turns its attention to the games that are really going to matter this season. Winnable games that can earn a bowl trip and the extra practice that goes with it.
Assuming a win against Charlotte gets Tennessee to four wins, Tennessee needs only two of South Carolina, No. 14 Kentucky, Missouri, and Vanderbilt to make Jeremy Pruitt’s first season a modest success.
South Carolina is 3-3 with losses to Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas A&M, and a mere 2-point victory over Missouri. They’re beatable.
Kentucky is ranked for good reason, but although they appear to be a worthy opponent, it’s fairly easy to rationalize away some of their wins. They’re especially good this year, but they’re nowhere near as good as either Georgia or Alabama. They can be beat as well.
Missouri is winless in conference play, although those losses came to Georgia, Alabama, and the aforementioned 2-pointer to South Carolina. They know how to score, but they also know how to lose.
And Vanderbilt, while not looking terrible, is certainly no better than Tennessee.
The goal the rest of the way, then, is to win two of those four games. It won’t be easy. Those teams are looking better than usual, and Tennessee’s rebuild is still a work in process and fragile enough to shatter.
Hopefully, this won’t be the case for any season beyond this one, but those games are as important this year as games against Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have been in years past.
Get two or more, go bowling. Get the extra practice. Tout the progress to as many blue-chip recruits as will listen. And then see how much more ground we can gain against the elites next season.
Winning two more SEC games the rest of the way is the path to getting better next year, when we can really start closing the gap against the nation’s best.
Forget Alabama for now. The Gamecocks are up next. They’re not Alabama or Georgia. They’re beatable.
So let’s do it.