Pruitt ‘changes it up’ with orange pants, beats Mississippi State
Tennessee Football head coach Jeremy Pruitt discussed the past weekend battle between Tennessee and fellow SEC team Mississippi State. Pruitt discussed a good overall game, some cleaning up that needs to happen and how to move forward.
Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli (35) wraps up Mississippi State's quarterback on Oct. 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photo/ Ben Gleason
At a press conference on Monday, football head coach Jeremy Pruitt mentioned his lack of knowledge about the teams’ pant options among his praise about their win against SEC opponent Mississippi State.
Pruitt said that he actually didn’t know that [Tennessee] had orange pants. They used them because Pruitt just wanted to “change it up” for the season. He remembers the orange pants of UT in the old days.
He mentioned how much it means to beat a team of Mississippi State’s caliber.
“Our guys found a way to have success,” Pruitt said. “[We] beat a good football team. I’m excited about that, it’s positive, positive for our guys, positive for our program.”
“One of the big positives out of the game was the way our offense took over in the last eight minutes of the game,” Pruitt said.
He reiterated the fact that the offense looked good but added that they turned the ball over twice in the red zone and missed some throws.
Pruitt touched on how the team needs to be cleaner in execution, however, he also emphasized the fact that the team played and fought hard overall.
He also talked about the defense and how disciplined they played throughout the game.
Freshman quarterback Brian Maurer’s condition was questioned after he sustained a concussion during the game. Pruitt replied that Maurer seemed ok and that he practiced Sunday night. Maurer is most likely going to play this Saturday against Alabama.
Pruitt has an interesting history with both Tennessee and Alabama. He discussed how he used to watch the UT vs. Alabama game while growing up. Then, he played in the game and now has been a part of the coaching staff for both teams.
Pruitt talked about the explosive playmakers on the Alabama team and explained a sort of “blanked out” gameplan. He referred to a high school team in Arkansas that has recently gained a lot of national attention due to the fact that they never punt and always kick onside kicks.
“We’ve really kinda considered that as our gameplan,” Pruitt said. “Just don’t give them the ball.”
Tennessee will travel to Tuscaloosa to face No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 19. Kickoff is slated for 9 p.m. EDT, and the game will be aired on ESPN.
Edited by Christian Knox and Ainsley Kelso
Featured image by Ben Gleason
