KNOXVILLE – Tennessee plans to start freshman quarterback Brian Maurer on Saturday against third-ranked Georgia, according to ESPN’s Chris Low.
Junior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano started the past 18 games for the Volunteers but has been inconsistent this season. He has completed 65% of his passes for 736 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, but in three games against Football Bowl Subdivision competition, those numbers dip to 62%, four touchdowns and four interceptions.
His struggles led to Maurer getting the call to start the second half on Sept. 21 at Florida. The 6-foot-3, 193-pounder finished 4-for-11 for 44 yards and had an interception but did engineer a drive that led to a field goal for the Vols’ only points in a 34-3 loss to the Gators, who were ranked ninth at the time.
Maurer had a touchdown run in the Vols’ lone win, 45-0 over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
As a senior in high school, he set the Marion County (Florida) single-season passing record with 3,543 yards and 34 touchdowns and finished his West Port High School career with a county-record 7,664 yards and 64 scores.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.