Three months ago, Austin Price called it. Nailed it. He called Saturday’s game against Mississippi State the biggest game of the year.

Little did we know that Austin was right, while also being wrong.

Austin thought — we all thought — that this game would be for win number four, not win number two.

Due to the schedule, we thought that this would huge game for Jeremy Pruitt and his program. We just didn’t know WHY it would turn out to be so huge.

For 28 minutes last week, Tennessee gave fans hope. They created excitement. They challenged the No. 3 team in the country. Then, they let the game get away from them.

What are the Vols going to do a week later? How do they grow offensively?

Mississippi State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has a full game of tape on quarterback Brian Maurer to build a plan around. Think getting “a book” on a quarterback isn’t important? See Baker Mayfield and Cleveland in 2019. Every NFL team had an offseason to get “a book” on Mayfield and we have seen the results.

Can Tennessee play a 60-minute game? In the Vols’ four losses, they are -4 in the turnover margin in the second half. This team can’t win that way

The truth is simple. The margin for error is razor-thin for this football team, just as it was a year ago. Just as it feels like it has been for a decade.

Tennessee doesn’t have to play perfect to beat Mississippi State. They don’t. But they can’t have self-inflicted wounds like turnovers and can make mistakes in game management, either.

One of the lost keys to the anatomy of an upset (and let’s face it, Tennessee isn’t going to be favored very much) is in-game management by the coaches.

Last week, Pruitt and his staff made a mistake in how they managed the end of the first half. Their aggressiveness led to giving Jake Fromm the ball with a minute to go and three time outs — an eternity in college football.

So instead of being down three points or, at worst, six at the half, Tennessee was down 12. Momentum was gone. There was a totally different mindset to start the second half for both Tennessee and Georgia. Had Pruitt and staff managed the end of the first half better, Tennessee could have gone into the fourth quarter in a one-possession game. And, at that point, anything is possible.

A year ago, Pruitt’s management to end the half at Auburn was perfect. His decision to punt Auburn deep got him the football back, producing a field goal to end the half. By stealing three points, Pruitt took his team into the dressing room down four, meaning a touchdown to start the second half gave the Vols a lead. A totally different mindset.

As Tennessee closes out the first half of the season against Mississippi State and heads into the back half of the year, they are going to improve. But they aren’t going to be suddenly great, despite the hope Maurer offers. They aren’t going to become a “talented” team. They are who they are. They will get better, but hardly great, so Pruitt has to coach this team for who they are.

Manage them properly on the practice field. Lack of depth can mean lack of legs on Saturdays if you aren’t careful, a lesson he should have learned the last final weeks of 2018.

On Saturdays, Pruitt must protect a defense that lacks playmakers. “Bend but don’t break” is not the Saban system, but maybe that’s what this defense’s approach should be. Focus on forcing field goals. Coach this team. Coach each situation.

Offensively, help your defense and help your young quarterback by running the ball more. You aren’t going to run it down anyone’s throat but keep opposing defenses honest for 60 minutes. Continue to not overload the freshman signal-caller, allowing him to continue to play fast.

And who cares what the analytics say, try to steal yards in the kicking game. Field punts, don’t fair catch every kickoff.

Coach to help THIS team win now. When you have a chance to win, find a way to win. Winning builds a culture, and this program, this team, this coaching staff, this fanbase needs wins starting this week.

Tennessee isn’t favored, but they can beat Mississippi State on Saturday. Wednesday night on Vol Calls, Jeremy Pruitt said it was time his team showed the growth they have made over the last year with results on Saturdays.

THIS Saturday would be a great time to do just that.