Turns out Tennessee has more than an authorized assistant coach.
Coach Jeremy Pruitt featured defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh on Sunday after four games, opting to coach the unit himself.
Six days later, the Flights allowed 587 yards in a 48-17 beating delivered through the No. 2 Alabama on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
“Very disappointed,” Pruitt. No’m used to that, of course, I know the players in our locker room, so they didn’t come here either, these guys are hungry. They need it and they will.
At least Tennessee did not allow six hundred yards, the latter happened against Missouri in November 2017, and the head flight coach fired the next day.
Butch Jones is now in his third season in a support staff role for Nick Saban, and is entitled to pure victory every time Alabama hits his former employer.
Pruitt, Jones’ replacement, has replaced the trajectory of a rivalry that has lost much of its brilliance.
A caller on Wednesday night’s “Flight Calls” broadcast asked the Tennessee coach when the Vols can expect to be competitive against rivals Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
Judging by UT’s explosive losses to Georgia and Alabama this season, he is: there’s no time soon.
Tennessee opposes this trio of pruitt-era rivalries 0-8, and the loss comes with at least 3 touchdowns.
A bigger question would be whether Tennessee (2-3) can be competitive against remaining enemies like Arkansas and Auburn.
If you dig deep enough, on Saturday some rays of light.
Alabama’s 48 problems were below its season average. Crimson Tide entered the No. 2 ranked game in attack with 48. 5 issues consistent with the game.
Pruitt stayed with Jarrett Guarantano as the beginner quarterback, and the last of the fifth year put the hard ones of the next two weeks. Guarantano finished thirteen of 24 passes for 162 yards with two touchdowns and no ball losses, the most productive functionality of his career in 4 games opposed to Alabama.
The offensive line has opened decent traffic lanes, despite Alabama’s tendency to load the box, and the line has protected Guarantano as well as the entire season.
For those comforts, however, is losing the forest to the trees.
Tennessee’s defense looked messy. The High School of Flights, destined to be a team force, is still Swiss cheese. Tennessee continues to have a limited passing run, and the defensive line has no more trouble without Brumbaugh than it does with him.
“We have to make mistakes at the front, at the point and in the back,” defensive lineman Matthew Butler said. “We have to play together as a unit. When I say that, I mean blank football.
Also, ball loss is a problem. Alabama returned a loose ball for a touchdown, scoring four touchdowns through an opponent’s defense in the last three Tennessee games.
Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney’s decision remains disconcerting. Consider a series in the third quarter after the Flights took possession of Alabama’s four-yard line. Tennessee gained two yards in three games, crowded twice for missed runs and gained four yards in a shot sweep. Fans booed after Chaney asked for a run in the third and seventh, and Tennessee kicked.
The flights did not allow for a deastrous start outlined last season, but the back of this calendar is harder than last season’, and stars like Jauan Jennings, Daniel Bituli, Nigel Warrior and Darrell Taylor are there to help save this season.
Pruitt said his team is frustrated with his three-game loss streak, but not discouraged.
“I think we can end the strong season because we’re a resilient team,” receiver Josh Palmer said. “We’ve been hit in the mouth for the last 3 weeks and it hurts, but we’re a team full of abandonments. We showed it last year. Unfortunately, we have to show it again. Let’s go back stronger. “
A loss to Alabama will come in this season. The truth is that Tennessee loses to Alabama is expected in the most rational circles right now. But what Tennessee has done in its last five games will tell us whether this show is going in the right direction or backing down in Pruitt’s third season.
On Saturday he revealed several persistent disorders that can be resolved simply with a defensive line coach.
Blake Toppmeyer covers football from the University of Tennessee. Send an email to the blake. toppmeyer@knoxnews. com and stay with him on Twitter at btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, a virtual subscription will give you access to all of this. Current subscribers can click here to enroll in The Blake Subscribers Text Group that provides Football Flight updates and analytics.