I love it.
In November of 2016, with the defense depleted by injury and the Vols still in the hunt for the SEC East and the Sugar Bowl, Butch Jones and Mike DeBord went full throttle on offense. The result was the best offense in college football in yards per play in November at 8.96, with all four games featuring offensive performances better than 7.70 yards per play. (Stats via SportSource Analytics)
I point that out because today, the Vols had 485 yards of offense at 7.13 yards per play. Other than in November of 2016, 7.13 yards per play is the best a Tennessee offense has done against a power five team this decade.
Not the first two months of 2016. Not the 2015 team that was a few plays away from a shot at the College Football Playoff. Not Josh Dobbs’ coming out party at South Carolina in 2014. And nothing Tyler Bray and friends did against power five competition in 2012.
Fittingly, you have to go back to Jonathan Crompton against Georgia in 2009 (7.38 yards per play). That’s the most unlikely performance from a Tennessee quarterback I’ve ever seen. Today might be number two.
It’s quarterbacks, plural. Jauan Jennings will live forever in Knoxville. Clearly not content with already having the two most memorable plays of the entire decade, Jennings’ legend now belongs to his entire career. I’m not sure how much more we’ll see him in the wildcat this season – let’s see who’s healthy and who’s not – but if you’re looking for the embodiment of giving one’s all for Tennessee, it’s #15.
We’ve been waiting all year for Jarrett Guarantano to have a Jonathan Crompton moment. It took a minute. The Vols again failed to put the ball in the end zone on an early red zone visit, but atoned via Marquez Callaway’s punt return. When a long South Carolina drive ended in a touchdown after multiple attempts from the one, the Vols were down 14-10 with three minutes left before halftime. Maybe the circumstances were right, maybe last week helped him more than hurt him, maybe who knows. But Guarantano uncorked two completions to Jennings for 75 yards and a score. And after South Carolina punched in a quick score to take a 21-17 halftime lead, Guarantano came out in the third quarter with a 48-yard strike to Marquez Callaway.
Brent Cimaglia missed the ensuing field goal, Tennessee’s surest thing failing them. The Gamecocks had the ball and the lead. The oh-no’s were creeping.
Then the defense produced what would be the first of four second half three-and-outs. And Guarantano responded with 22 yards to Josh Palmer, eight more to Palmer, and a 19-yard teardrop to Jennings for six.
Guarantano was injured on the play, and did not return. Let’s hope it’s not his last throw in a Tennessee uniform – the opposite of what some of us were saying after his last snap last week – but no play summed up his career more than this one: third-and-long, stands in and takes a huge shot, and delivers a big play downfield.
UPDATE:
Without JG, the Vols went back to J.T. Shrout. Jim Chaney went wildcat with Jennings, Shrout to Palmer to nine, wildcat with Jennings, and then Shrout to Marquez Callaway for 55 yards wait what
Shrout later attempted four straight passes on the drive that extended the lead with a Cimaglia field goal. Chaney stayed aggressive and it worked like a charm. Shrout – the third-string quarterback – finished 7-of-11 for 122 yards and a touchdown, no picks. If you’ll recall before Brian Maurer’s first start, the first start as mid-season replacements for JG, Dobbs, Peterman, and Worley all yieled zero touchdowns. Maurer, check. Shrout, check. I tweeted this during the game, but that QB competition next spring is going to be all kinds of fun.
But suddenly, there’s plenty of fun to go around in present day too.
Did I mention South Carolina scored on the first play of the game? Or Daniel Bituli’s 14174 tackles? Or that Tennessee’s quarterbacks – neither of them Brian Maurer – combined to go 18-of-30 for 351 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions wait what
So, okay. We’ll fire up the expected win total machine on Monday after we’re done celebrating and not apt to pick the Vols at 100% to sweep November. It felt like there could not possibly be a trap game for the Vols in the next five years after losing to Georgia State, but LOOK OUT, here comes 6-1 UAB off a bye week! It’s a trap!
Any corners turned this season must be seen only in hindsight after our September. But these Vols gave themselves the opportunity to look back at the end of this season and point to the month of October: the early promise against Georgia, the precision against Mississippi State, the unexpected pain of coming close at Alabama, and now the passion and power of a night like tonight.
And if you keep looking around at other year twos, there aren’t that many nights like tonight.
What was lost can always be found. The Vols have given themselves a chance to save their season, and may have found themselves along the way. We’ll see if they can indeed get it all the way home.
But tonight, it’s chicken for dinner, any way you like it.
Go Vols.
