Tennessee Football: 3 takeaways from Gator Bowl win over Indiana

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JACKSONVILLE, FL – JANUARY 02: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on in the first half of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers at TIAA Bank Field on January 2, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Jeremy Pruitt pushed the right buttons

Most teams would be finished with a 2-5 record, Tennessee was not like most teams. Jeremy Pruitt made sure his team would finish strong and they did. Five straight victories in the regular season led them to this bowl game, and his decision-making in this game led them to the victory.

Pruitt’s decision to play hot potato at the quarterback position was very interesting. After two straight interceptions by Jarrett Guarantano, the decision was made to bring in Brian Maurer, who led them on a solid drive that finished in a field goal.

Right after that, Guarantano was brought back in to finish the game. Maybe this was Pruitt’s way of getting his starting quarterback to calm down and get his head back in the game.

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The big decision was going for the onside kick with 4:19 left in the game and three timeouts. The flip side would be trusting the defense that played pretty well all game to get the ball back, but Pruitt went with the choice that gave him an extra chance. Pruitt’s decision caught the Hoosiers off guard, and this onside kick was the game changing decision.

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