KNOXVILLE – Jeremy Pruitt needed to explain something about his offensive line after Tennessee’s 40-14 loss to West Virginia on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I’m not making excuses, all right?” he said. “I’m just going to tell you the facts.”
West Virginia blew up the idea on the very first play from scrimmage that Tennessee’s offensive line might dominate a Big 12 foe, and the Volunteers’ head coach wanted to set the record straight.
“Trey Smith has practiced for eight days,” Pruitt said. “He’s 19 years old, OK? Jahmir Johnson was not here in the spring and has played left tackle most of the time. He played guard. Brandon Kennedy wasn’t here in the spring. Chance Hall just got back this fall.”
The point of Pruitt’s remarks was to illustrate that the offensive line loaded with healthy, talented players compared to what it had just six months ago is still early in the process of developing chemistry and continuity. West Virginia made that clear by generating a surge that stymied the Vols’ offense early in the game.