With Tennessee down 7-3 to South Carolina midway through the first quarter, Jarrett Guarantano jogged onto the field to some faint boos from the Neyland Stadium faithful.

Some 15 plays later, the Vols’ former starting quarterback-turned-sixth-man-shooter heard the continued groans from 90,000 proud after another empty trip inside the 1-yard line.

“The (past few weeks) have been excellent. I’ve been really happy. Everything has been going pretty smooth,” Guarantano said with the grin of a cheshire cat.

“My cousin has been telling me just to smile more, and that’s really helped me out a lot, being able to be joyful walking around, it makes things a lot easier for me.

No sly smile can hide the fact it’s been a disastrous season for Tennessee’s redshirt junior, with miscue after miscue only crowned by last weekend’s ill-fated fumble on the goal line at Alabama. In the moment, there was legitimate wonder if Guarantano’s self-audible might be his final play in a Vols uniform, and yet just seven days later, one of the most maligned UT athletes in recent memory responded with his best showing all year in a renaissance effort, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns as the third-string option in a 41-21 blowout win over the Gamecocks.

Jauan Jennings, Daniel Bituli, Darrell Taylor and Marquez Callaway all played the role of hero at times Saturday night, but In a game full of adversity for Tennessee, no one embodied the spirit of perseverance like No. 2 in Orange.

"Just absolute class. Resiliency,” guard Trey Smith said.

"Having a lot of outside pressure bringing him down. He didn't let it affect his game. He didn't let it him affect his work ethic. He put in the in late hours in the film room.

“Watching him handle it with so much class and grace, it’s humbling to say the least, but he’s handled it like a man and he’s put in all the extra work, and it’s having benefits on the field.”

After the game, Guarantano, sporting a black cast on his left wrist, maturely answered questions about what happened in Tuscaloosa. He admitted he made a mistake and “apologized” to both the coaches and players the very next day.

“I asked them for forgiveness and told them I would work my tail off from now on,” he said.

And that's apparently exactly what Guarantano did in the buildup to South Carolina.

Going into the game Saturday, Tennessee had a plan for JT Shrout to start, only Jennings took the initial snap out of a Wildcat formation. After two drives, Guarantano, who had stayed ready, was inserted into the game.

After waiting for a turn he wasn’t sure might come again after last weekend against Alabama, Guarantano delivered for the Vols.

“He owned it,” Jeremy Pruitt said.

“He came out here tonight and done a fantastic job. Came off the bench, gave us a spark with his leadership, his trust.”

After the opening drive that resulted in a incompletion on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Guarantano engineered multiple scoring drives. He finished the night with seven completions of 19 yards or more, including a 48-yard touchdown to Jauan Jennings. He was decisive in the pocket. Accurate on deep throws, and most importantly, mistake-free.

Unfortunately in a bit of sad irony, Guarantano’s comeback story ended on a sour note on perhaps his best throw of the night. Guarantano was drilled on a dart to Jennings for a 19-yard touchdown, suffering a broken hand that will require surgery Sunday. His status moving forward is unknown.

And yet, after Tennessee’s win that shifted the focus on both the program’s present — bowl eligibility — and future, Guarantano wasn’t despondent over his injury but rather “joyful” at the opportunity to help the Vols get a key win.

“My cousins have been texting me, ‘Smile’ every day,’" Guarantano said.

“That brings a lot of life to me, and that’s all I can ask for, man. I mean, I’m living, I’m with my guys every day. It’s been a fun ride, and I’m excited for it to keep going and to get to a bowl game.”