KNOXVILLE - Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano collected his 30th career start in Saturday's game against Alabama and likely will get start No. 31 when the Volunteers next play Nov. 7 at Arkansas.
The fifth-year senior completed 13 of 24 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the 48-17 loss to the No. 2 Crimson Tide. Most of his total was compiled through a 38-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jalin Hyatt, a 48-yard gain to Hyatt and a 27-yard touchdown to Josh Palmer.
Guarantano threw two interceptions for touchdowns in last weekend's 34-7 loss to Kentucky, with a sizable chunk of the Tennessee fan base hoping for a change at the position in the days that followed.
"Jarrett can't control what anybody else does," Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said. "All Jarrett can control is what he does, just like the rest of us in that locker room. That's what he needs to focus on, and I thought he did a really nice job this week being mature about it and focusing on the things that he can improve. He did a nice job of managing the offense today and had some nice scrambles out there.
"He was accurate on some throws, so that was good to see."
Palmer offered his support as well, saying, "He played a great game. He bounced back great from last week."
Guarantano, who now has a 12-18 mark as Tennessee's starter, played until the midway mark of the fourth quarter, when he was replaced by sophomore Brian Mauer, who made his season debut. Redshirt sophomore J.T. Shrout and freshman Harrison Bailey played last weekend against the Wildcats.
"Based off reps, we felt like Brian earned it this week," Pruitt said. "We gave him an opportunity, and I thought he did a nice job."
Alabama photo by Kent Gidley / Alabama wide receiver Slade Bolden, pictured, stepped up to make six catches Saturday after Crimson Tide standout Jaylen Waddle was injured on the opening kickoff return.Waddle breaks ankle
Alabama junior receiver Jaylen Waddle was injured on the opening kickoff, sustaining a season-ending ankle setback at the end of his 15-yard run out of the end zone.
"He's got a very similar injury to what (former Tide running back) Kenyan Drake had (at Ole Miss in 2014)," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "It's a high-ankle sprain, but it's also a fracture, so they'll probably have to do surgery on him. We're going to fly him back privately with the doctors and take him right to Birmingham.
"The guy is a great player and a great teammate."
Waddle entered Neyland Stadium with 25 receptions this season for a team-high 557 yards (22.3 yards per catch) and four touchdowns.
Redshirt sophomore Slade Bolden capitalized in Waddle's absence by collecting six receptions for 94 yards, though he did fumble away Alabama's first possession of the second half. The 5-foot-11, 191-pounder from West Monroe, Louisiana, had just two career catches for 34 yards before Saturday, with each of those occurring last season.
"I thought he played well and made some good plays," Saban said.
Critiquing the D-line
Saturday marked Tennessee's fifth game of the season and the first without defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh, who was let go after the loss to Kentucky. Pruitt has added the defensive front to his responsibilities.
"I saw a lot of guys who want to be good," Pruitt said. "I saw a lot of guys who have a long way to go when it comes to technique and understanding how to play the position. I'm a big believer as a defensive coach in learning to play the plays, so there is technique that you play but also tons of clues that the offensive formations can provide. I don't think our guys completely understand that, but I'm excited about the group."
Senior defensive end Matthew Butler was asked about differences this week and said, "There were in some small ways, and a little does go a long way. Our style of coaching and what we did during practice changed."
Tide tidbits
Alabama now has 29 consecutive wins against SEC East teams dating to a 2010 upset loss at South Carolina. The Tide also now have 94 straight victories against unranked foes. Fifth-year senior left guard Deonte Brown suffered a shoulder injury that Saban believes is not serious. Senior punter Charlie Scott made his debut and placed his two attempts inside the Tennessee 20.
Odds and ends
The Vols now trail in their series with Alabama 58-38-7. Sophomore safety Jaylen McCollough was flagged for targeting 46 seconds into the game, but replays overturned the call. Pruitt on Hyatt: "I've said all along that I'm really excited about these young wide receivers. These guys are fast and have the instincts to play the position. Jalen has practiced more than the other three, and it's good to see him take that next step. Those guys guarding him out there are pretty good."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.