How UT Vols football went from moral victory to victory in bye week

AUBURN, Ala. — Jeremy Pruitt briskly jogged toward the Tennessee band during the final chorus of "Rocky Top" at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.

The ever-stern Vols football coach allowed himself a few seconds to enjoy the moment: He raised his right hand and pumped his fist into the air before he disappeared down the tunnel after the first signature moment of his tenure at Tennessee.

Jarrett Guarantano soon followed his coach, similarly raising one hand in the air with the game ball tightly tucked under his other arm. One of the final Vols to leave the field, Saturday's star blew a kiss toward the crowd and vanished into the locker room, where the Vols had plenty to celebrate.

“To go on the road and win against a really good football team in the SEC, I think speaks to how far we’ve come as a football program in the last 10 months,” Pruitt said over the noise of players reveling in UT’s triumph making its way through the walls and doors separating the locker room from his postgame press conference.

The long-slumping Vols (3-3, 1-2 SEC) went to No. 21 Auburn (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday and left with a 30-24 win, snapping an 11-game SEC losing streak that dated back to the end of the 2016 season. They broke a 15-game winless drought against SEC West teams and won their first game on the road against an SEC West team in more than a decade.

And they looked like a completely different team than they did in the first five games of the season. UT’s defense was sharp after an iffy opening defensive series, dominating Auburn’s offense at many points and forcing three turnovers from Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

Guarantano threw for a career-high 328 yards and — together with an incredible downfield effort from the wide receiver corps — diced the Auburn defense on third downs.

“After the bye week, we told ourselves the second half needs to be our half,” defensive end Kyle Phillips said. “The second half, we need to show people what we can do. Getting this win, that is huge. …

“But we have to know we have to keep on getting better. That is what coach Pruitt is trying to establish. Our expectation is to win. Our expectation is not to have a close game or a moral victory. Our expectation is to win.”

The Vols entered Saturday with a consistently lackluster run against Power 5 teams this season. It didn’t have close games and hardly had moral victories: They lost to West Virginia by 26 in the season-opener and lost again by 26 in a turnover-riddled drilling by Florida.

Then they lost by 26 at Georgia two weeks ago. An emotional Pruitt believed that day in Athens, Ga., that his players were fighting and had a no-quit mentality. He said he was excited about his team going into its bye week and found a glimmer of optimism.

Pruitt and his players expressed they were close to piecing enough together to be a good team and went into the off week with that belief.

“We weren’t satisfied with losing, obviously,” cornerback Baylen Buchanan said. “We knew we had to do something about it. We came out there and practiced with energy. We paid attention to details. We got together as a group. Pretty much just focused.”

But what happened in the past two weeks that turned the Vols from close into victors?

Effort and excitement rolled into the focus, Buchanan said, as Tennessee practiced during the bye week. Phillips said the Vols learned they had to “just keep working” to limit mistakes and makes plays to win games.

Running back Ty Chandler said Tennessee prepared well for Auburn, which was a hefty favorite to beat the Vols. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano said the Vols were coached hard, while offensive lineman Trey Smith said they came together as a team to change.

“We just wanted to come out of the bye week a whole different team,” Chandler said. “I feel like in this game, we came out and we were able to execute.”

Execution has been a buzzword for the Vols in their struggles in the season’s first half. It was again Saturday, but in a different sense.

The Vols actually did execute and went from a team that needed moral victories to a team with a tangible one.

Pruitt called the win “something we can build on moving down the road.” He believes there’s even better days ahead for the Vols, who had a really good one Saturday.

“We are a top-tier program in the country,” Pruitt said. “We just have to create a top-tier team. Our guys are working hard to do that. The program is here. It’s our job to create the right team. We will do it with the men in this locker room and the guys we are going to recruit.”

ANALYSIS:Tennessee 30, Auburn 24: Jarrett Guarantano fuels UT Vols past Tigers

SOPHOMORE STEPS UP:Jarrett Guarantano becomes QB Tennessee needs to beat Auburn

GRADING THE VOLS:Tennessee passes easily at Auburn behind Jarrett Guarantano, turnovers

JOHN ADAMS:Underdog UT Vols football plays like favorites vs Auburn in possibly season-changing win