GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After switching quarterbacks for three possessions to start the second half of Saturday’s loss to ninth-ranked Florida, Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt was asked about his quarterback situation.
Jarrett Guarantano, who has started the past 16 games, was pulled going into the third quarter in favor of freshman Brian Maurer, who engineered an 11-play, 52-yard drive that resulted in the Volunteers’ only points in the 34-3 defeat. Guarantano did return at the end of the third quarter and played two drives before Maurer finished the game.
After a solid start to the game, Guarantano struggled mightily. The Vols’ first drive moved into Florida territory but stalled after a K’Rojhn Calbert personal-foul penalty. The second drive ended with a pass that went right through the hands of Jauan Jennings and was intercepted in the end zone. A bad throw on the next possession resulted in another interception, and that was followed by a pair of three-and-outs.
“Well, you know, it’s the thing about playing quarterback, right?” Pruitt said. “I think Jarrett’s got lots of ability to be a really good player, and I’ve said that over and over, but there’s times where you’ve got to take the bull by the horns and say, ‘Let’s go! You’ve got to make some plays.’ You’ve got to have an impact on the people around you, so that’s one of the things I’ve been talking to him about.
“You’ve been around those folks, whether it’s playing sports or in a room or whatever, somebody’s got positive vibes that makes you feel good and gets you excited about where you’re at and what you’re doing, so we need a little bit of that. We made a few mistakes there, so we went with Brian and to get Jarrett a little settled down a little bit.”