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After another loss to Tennessee and Rutgers with Michigan, reminders started pouring in on Twitter.
Remember, they said, Tennessee could have had Greg Schiano instead of Jeremy Pruitt. Cue the laugh track here.
Here’s the truth, though: Schiano wasn’t the right fit for Tennessee. He was not the right person in 2017 and he is not the right person now. The Jersey native is the perfect fit at Rutgers where the bar for success is low and just being competitive against Michigan is an advantage. He’s a household name in New Jersey high schools, beloved among well-heeled boosters, and has a proven track record at Rutgers for selling to rookies. He had none of that in Tennessee where he would have arrived after an inconsistent run as Urban Meyer’s defensive coordinator at Ohio State. The process used by the fans of Tennessee to derail the rental was problematic, it’s the least we can say, but they were not crazy to question the fit.
The problem for Tennessee now is that it doesn’t seem like Pruitt is the right fit either.
Tennessee took a 10-0 lead over Auburn on their way to a 30-17 loss to give the Volunteers their fifth straight loss. Even in the deepest days of Derek Dooley and Butch Jones in Knoxville, there weren’t any consecutive five-game losses. All bad staples of office Pruitt were there Saturday critical errors QB, dull game in the second half and more questions about an ineffective workout strategy.
Pruitt defended besieged quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney again after another patchy offensive performance. He bristled at offensive consistency issues, saying, “I don’t know, did you watch the game? We had more meters than them. Unfortunately for Pruitt, teams don’t win games with total yards.
Worse yet, his continued defense of Guarantano as Tennessee’s top marksman to win. The only possible explanation is that Pruitt has Stockholm Syndrome if he still thinks Guarantano is the guy after throwing a grueling interception into the end zone that Smoke Monday returned for a 100-yard touchdown. It was the game right there, and it’s not nearly the first time Guarantano has played the defining game for the wrong team. His decision-making in key situations has long been questionable, and yet Tennessee coaches have been unable to resolve this issue. The fact that Pruitt doesn’t feel comfortable turning to one of his backups in Year 3 given Guarantano’s struggles is a major indictment.
Can Pruitt solve the Tennessee problems? There is considerable doubt in the college football world that he can. While Tennessee fans are ready to move on, it would still be a surprise to see Tennessee sack him at the end of this season. The main reasons the two are linked to AD Phil Fulmer.
Not only is Pruitt the first hire Fulmer has made in Tennessee, so it would hurt him to fire him after just three seasons, but Fulmer has given Pruitt a preseason contract extension that will run until the 2025 season. It would take a lot of money and a big ego shot for Fulmer to admit he made two mistakes with Pruitt. Never overlook outside pressure forcing an AD’s hand – losing to Vanderbilt this week could really increase the pressure – but there’s plenty of reason to believe that Fulmer will give Pruitt one more year to figure it out. If and when Fulmer leaves Pruitt, industry sources believe Tennessee could be the landing point for former Ole coach Miss Hugh Freeze.
Pruitt will likely have to make a change in offensive coordinator – good luck a great CO come in under these circumstances – and is hoping that with a new CO and QB next season it will get better.
But after another disappointing loss in a string of similar losses, there is no reason to believe that will be the case under Pruitt.
RELATED: Could Hugh Freeze be back in the SEC soon?
Give credit to shorthanded teams
I expected Georgia to blow up the state of Mississippi.
I wasn’t even sure Arkansas could play this weekend.
And while both have lost close matches, they deserve a lot of credit for their gritty performances without key contributors.
The state of Mississippi didn’t have to play Georgia if it didn’t want to. Bulldogs Fell below the stock market threshold of 53 and was fortunate enough to jump what looked like a probable loss to a top 15 team. Even some fans preferred to postpone the game to prepare for the Egg Bowl the following week.
Instead, Mississippi State played their best game of the season, giving Georgia everything they could handle in a tight 31-24 loss. Quarterback Will Rogers played very well, totaling 336 yards and one touchdown. It was feared that the defenses of the SEC have included the Air Raid offense Mike Leach after really struggled after that offensive explosion in Week 1 against LSU. A Leach-led offense had never been ruled out before it happened twice this season. Against one of the SEC’s best defenses, however, the State of Mississippi cleverly separated the Bulldogs secondary and took what the defense gave them. Mississippi State even finished with more rushing yards than Georgia. There is no moral victory in the SEC, but after everything the State of Mississippi has been through in the past few weeks, from bad losses to all transfers and churns, this team deserves a lot of credit for the way they are. played on Saturday.
The same can be said for Arkansas who were severely limited along the defensive line against LSU. Arkansas was barely above the 53-man requirement and only had two defensive linemen with playing experience available against the Tigers. And yet, with all the going against it, Arkansas should have beaten LSU.
The Razorbacks were once again on the end of a few bad calls – failing to get a fumble in the second quarter was glaring – and slowly wore down as LSU moved into the ground-to-pound approach late in the game. I’ve written this before, but for all he’s done to make Arkansas respectable again, Sam Pittman is my choice to be the SEC Coach of the Year. Arkansas is one of the most difficult outs SEC this season, always playing hard even when it is obvious that the opposing team has a significant advantage in terms of talent.
RELATED: Is Kentucky the SEC’s Most Influential School?
Most Pumped Fan Base: Northwestern
Northwestern proved it was the real deal after toppling Wisconsin. Northwestern has passed the bulletin board “Fighting Rece Davises” but the facts are that this is a very well-trained team who has the talent to bring down larger programs. Northwestern would still be a big underdog against Ohio State, but it’s currently one of the top 10 teams and a good bet to win its division.
Most Panicked Fan Base: Nebraska
Getting trolled by Illinois on Twitter can be a new hollow for Nebraska fans. The Cornhuskers love their football but the team have given them no reason this season. Having fought so hard to play a season in 2020, Nebraska might have wished it hadn’t been now. Nebraska looked like a mess in a 41-23 loss to Illinois in another disappointing performance under Scott Frost. The man who was led to resurrect a sleeping ancient power slipped even further into irrelevance.
Meme of the week
I didn’t watch the final season of Disney’s “The Mandalorian” but still loved this meme from my colleague Matt Scalici.
Ranking of SEC games for week 10:
1) Auburn, Alabama (2:30 p.m.) It is the iron bowl. That’s all you need to know.
2) State of Mississippi at Ole Miss (3:00 p.m.) Tough timing against the Iron Bowl but the Egg Bowl is still deliciously weird. Can Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach get over the weirdness of last year’s fake dog pee shenanigans?
3) LSU at Texas A&M (6:00 p.m.) A rivalry keener than most recognize. Texas A&M had a long layoff, but should still separate the struggling high school from LSU.
4) Arkansas to Missouri (11:00 am) Two teams are playing better than last year under new coaches.
5) Kentucky Florida (11:00 a.m.) You watch this game to see how many points Kyle Trask can score.
6) Tennessee to Vanderbilt (6:30 p.m.) Two Tennessee teams are in desperate need of a win. Losing Flights here would put pressure on Jeremy Pruitt.
7) Georgia in South Carolina (6.30 p.m.) Can JT Daniels do another big night?
John Talty is the Sports Writer and SEC Insider for Alabama Media Group. You can follow him on Twitter @JTalty.
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