Tennessee Football: 3 fixes Volunteers must make for 2020 success
1. Jarrett Guarantano must elevate his play in big moments
Jarrett Guarantano has improved during his time in Knoxville, and there’s no denying the progress he’s already made. In three seasons, he’s grown into a passer that is usually reliable and capable of running the offense.
That’s not good enough for this team to make the leap, though. For Tennessee to compete with the heavyweights in the conference, Guarantano is going top have to make another big jump.
In 2019, it was matchups against these heavyweights that saw the quarterback wilt. In the matchup with Florida, Guarantano went 10-for-17 for 107 yards, with no scores and two interceptions.
Against Alabama, he went 7-for-16 for 55 yards, and fumbled a ball away that would completely shift the momentum in the game towards the Tide.
There is a big difference between eight wins and ten wins. That difference is, to get to that point, you have to beat teams that are better than you. You can get to eight by winning all the games you’re supposed to, but Tennessee expects more than just that.
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It all starts with a quarterback that doesn’t fade in huge moments and against huge teams. Guarantano has shown some solid growth in his three seasons in Knoxville, but he’ll have to be far more than just solid for the Volunteers to get to where they want in 2020.