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."
Pruitt noted that in three of the team's four games this year, the Vols "have not got great play from the quarterback position."
Guarantano has completed 65% of his passes this season but has four interceptions in 93 throws, which matches his 2018 total in 246 passes. The Vols have struggled somewhat in the red zone, with seven touchdowns and five field goals in 14 trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
Pruitt explained those were some of the things that led to the change at the position. Upon finding out, Maurer and center Brandon Kennedy were able to get some snaps in just to develop a little chemistry before the second half began.
"He came in very energized," Kennedy said. "I told him to seize the opportunity."
Maurer did bring an initial spark, completing passes of 22 yards to Brandon Johnson and 17 to Josh Palmer. He nearly threw an interception on a second-down play and was sacked a play later, but his initial possession did lead to some points.
His next two weren't as good, though, as he was flushed to his left and threw a pass to Dominick Wood-Anderson that was intercepted. His next drive ended in a punt.
"He brings a lot of energy. He's really eager to be on the field," receiver Marquez Callaway said. "When his number is called, he's ready. We came out there and we had his back. We told him to be calm and to do what you're supposed to do and to have fun with it - it's nothing like practice, so go out there and just have fun with it."
There's no question the Vols need an answer at the position.
If the answer isn't going to be Guarantano, there's a player right behind him ready for the opportunity to try.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.