A 6-pack of takeaways from Tennessee's spring scrimmage

Tennessee played its spring game Saturday.

Before the annual scrimmage, the word from folks at Tennessee — coaches, players, etc. — is that the offense was supposedly ahead of the defense. (It really wasn’t). The pass rush was allegedly suspect. (The Vols had at least 10 sacks Saturday and Darrell Taylor didn’t record a tackle) and the offensive line would determine the team’s ceiling in the fall. (Cue the Kramer ‘That’s True’ gif).

Mainly, the Orange & White Game was the usual boring, vanilla scrimmage that all spring games are now.

The best news for Jeremy Pruitt?

His team exited 15 practices without a single significant injury.

So in an effort to avoid complete paralysis by over-analysis, here are some broad takeaways from Saturday.

During the broadcast on the SEC Network, ESPN flashed a graphic with Tennessee’s potential starting offensive line in 2019. It included two freshman (Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright), a redshirt sophomore who has barely played (K’Rojhn Calbert), a sophomore currently sidelined with blood clots (Trey Smith) and a former transfer senior (Brandon Kennedy) who has been beset by injuries throughout his career and has all of one start to his name.

That’s the reality of the OL situation right now. The unit is deeper than a year ago, but does Tennessee really want Marcus Tatum or Ryan Johnson or Nathan Niehaus to be in the starting five come the fall? Probably not.

As expected, the OL had its ups and downs Saturday. Wanya Morris got the nod as the first-team left tackle, and the freshman had moments where he stoned Deondre Johnson and gave Jarrett Gaurantano plenty of time to throw. He also looked a like a high school senior when Matthew Butler and others blew past him for sacks. Tatum struggled even more at pass pro at right tackle. The smartest move of the spring was Pruitt sticking Guarantano in a non-contact jersey all camp.

And yet, when Tennessee went tempo, the starting offensive line gave Guarantano time to make plays. After the slow start, the three consecutive scoring drives happened because the OL play improved.

The unit simply lacks consistentcy in pass protection. Perhaps more alarming though was a continued lack of physicality in the run game.

To me, the most concerning issue with the OL after Saturday was it still showed an inability to create lanes in the run game. Against a defensive line that has lots of questions, Tennessee’s first-team offense averaged barely four yards a carry (when not accounting for sacks). Tennessee didn’t register a single rush over 13 yards all day Saturday.

Throughout the scrimmage, the Vols struggled to pound the football, whether the offense was at the 50 or inside the 5-yard line. That’s concerning, especially considering the same issues held back the offense a year ago (ranked No. 108 in ypc at 3.7).

“We’ve really got to shore up our offensive line, up front. We need to play with a little lower pad level,” Pruitt said. “We’ve got to be able to run the football to have success in this league.

Jarrett Guarantano was named the spring MVP for the second straight year, but senior wideout Jauan Jennings looked as promising as any player on the field Saturday.

For the first time in two years, Jennings moved like he had his legs back. The Nashville native was his usual hyped-self, but he turned that energy into production, snagging five receptions for 57 yards and two scores.

He caught one touchdown standing by himself due to a busted coverage, but he also bested Alontae Taylor on a fade in the end zone for another score and ran a perfect route up the seam for a long gain. The Vols don’t have a natural burner at slot right now (how many times did you hear Jordan Murphy’s name Saturday?) but Jennings could fill that role as a reliable target capable of making tough catches in traffic.

He looked a lot like “The Dog” who roasted foes in 2017. If Tennessee has that playmaker at its disposal in the fall, the offense should improve, especially on third downs.

Tennessee brought in a dozen newcomers this spring, and a slew of guys turned heads Saturday.

Jaylen McCollough snagged two interceptions and Shawn Shamburger jokes after the game that he was “the real MVP.”. Quavaris Crouch recorded four tackles, including a thunderous shot to Jeremy Banks behind the line of scrimmage. Aubrey Solomon ran with the 1s and freshman Wanya Morris took every rep with the first-team at left tackle.

But Morris looked a lot like a freshman Saturday, too, while rookie tight end Jackson Lowe had a fumble after a long catch and run. Freshman wideout Ramel Keyton also committed one of the few penalties on the day with a false start.

Perhaps no newcomer embodied the ups and downs of Saturday as freshman quarterback Brian Maurer. The Ocala native threw the ball with zip and flashed his mobility, but he also turned the ball over twice, fumbled a snap under center and took off from the pocket too quickly, failing to trust his protection.

All in all, there were plenty of positives from Tennessee’s big group of newcomers Saturday, but the final spring scrimmage was also evident why counting on all these guys to contribute heavily in the fall would be a fool’s errand. Inconsistency is expected.

Pruitt explained as much when he said about McCollough’s big day,

“He has good ball skills. But I only remember him intercepting one other ball in 14 practices. But he found two today.

Jeremy Pruitt is usually pretty careful with his praise about particular players, but Tennessee’s head coach has clearly seen a jump from linebacker Shanon Reid.

“I really like Shannon as a football player. He’s kind of a runner and a hitter,” Pruitt said. “He’s done a nice job. He’s a guy that works hard everyday.”

The South Florida native has gotten bigger this spring and he was one of the two starting inside linebackers Saturday. Reid has played sparingly the last two seasons, as size and scheme (both fit and learning the playbook) have held him back.

Although Pruitt said he still needs to learn the defense better, Reid has positioned himself as the potential starting linebacker in Tennessee’s nickel and dime defense. He switched positions this spring, going from ‘money’ to ‘mack’ linebacker. Clearly, the move has paid off, as Reid looked good during the first 14 practices and led the team in tackles Saturday with 10. He also had a nice PBU, breaking up a pass intended for tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson.

Reid becoming a factor at ILB could really help Tennessee’s depth and defense this fall.

*** Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano didn’t look a whole lot different to me. He’s clearly comfortable in Jim Chaney’s system (the offense was vanailla Saturday but did include lots of formations) but his accuracy on long throws still came and went. When he gets hot though, look out.

Guaratano got in rhythm late in the first half and continued throughout he third quarter. He confidently checked to the RPO touchdown pass to Dominick Wood-Anderson. The fade throw to Jennings was a dime and he had several other really nice passes where only his guy could make a play. Guarantano also didn’t turn the ball over (great for him, bad for the first-team defense which didn’t register a takeaway Saturday). Ultimately, Tennessee still needs its leader to be more consistent, but for the first time in a couple years, the quarterback position is not a question mark for the Vols heading into the fall.

*** Tennessee has a punter competition on its hands. Pruitt has openly challenged Joe Doyle throughout the spring, and if Saturday was any indication, then the incumbent needs a strong offseason to keep his job. Former Under Armour All-American Paxton Brooks boomed a pair of 50-yard punts Saturday.

*** Two guys who haven’t made much noise this spring but showed up Saturday: Greg Emerson and Jordan Allen. Emerson filled the gap nicely several times down in the red zone, while Allen picked up a pair of sacks against the backup OL.

*** Who will be the backup QB? My money is still on JT Shrout, but it’s an important next few months for the redshirt freshman. The arm talent is obvious, but as has been the case since he arrived, he has some real Wild Thing in him. The deep throw to Tyler Byrd was perfect. But then he misfired on several other easy throws. He also panicked in the pocket several times, completely tying up his feet. Shrout recovered late (I thought his pass to Jordan Murphy was really good because the window was small) but if he wants to earn the backup job he’ll need to improve several areas of his game.

*** Bryce Thompson should be the team’s starting returner next season. I like Ty Chandler in the role, too, but if he’s the team’s best overall playmaker and is going to receive around 15 touches a game, then utilize Thompson’s skill-set there.

The freshman All-American cornerback showed how dynamic he is with the ball in his hands. In a real game, he might’ve housed two kicks. The blocking was great, but Thompson has another gear, too. For a team desperate for explosive plays, having Thompson return punts and kicks seems like a sound idea.

*** Finally, Tennessee announced a spring crowd of over 50,000 on Saturday, and while I would scoff at the final count, it was a solid showing from Tennessee's fan base. Considering the late afternoon weather forecast and Tiger charging at The Masters, Vol Nation still answered the call from Pruitt. Notably, Tennessee's head coach was appreciative of the turnout, too — despite less fans being in the house than a year ago.

"Lots of positive vibe. Can feel our fanbase. There was a lot of energy out there today," he said.