BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt blew a gasket during Saturday night's loss to Alabama after quarterback Jarrett Guarantano fumbled on 4th-and-Goal at the 1-yard line, leading to a 100-yard fumble return touchdown by Crimson Tide corner Trevon Diggs.
Guarantano extended his arms over the pile but lost control of the football and saw it dribble into the end zone into the hands of Diggs.
Pruitt began barking at Guarantano on his way back to the sideline, pulling his signal caller's facemask at one point to prove a point before continuing to berate him in front of teammates for his mistake.
āGuarantano shouldnāt have fumbled the football, but that was not well-executed by anyone on Tennessee, not just the quarterback,ā ESPN college football analyst Brian Griese said, who was Saturday night's color commentator. āI donāt see the point of that.ā
Griese said he'd have no issue with Pruitt's reaction if Guarantano had decided to "go rogue" and call his own number.
"That kind of thing would lead to the situation we saw with Jeremy Pruitt," Griese said.
Other member of the broadcast immediately challenged Pruitt's extreme disciplinary measure.
āI donāt see the benefit of it,ā ESPN analyst Todd McShay said from the sideline. āUndressing your quarterback after a play you called.ā
Members of the national media took great exception to Pruitt's behavior and let him hear it on social media:
As you can see, Pruitt is not happy with his veteran quarterback, who entered the game as Tennessee's No. 2 but was thrust into action following a head shot to Brian Maurer in the first half.
SportsCenter anchor Stan Verrett leaves no stone unturned here, defending the amateur Guarantano. Not only does Verrett detail his reasoning, but he leaves a parting shot for Tennessee's football program in its wake.
Considering a touchdown would've made it a one-score game midway through the fourth quarter against the nation's No. 1-ranked team, perhaps Pruitt's reaction wasn't as 'emotionally unstable' as some suggested.
Pat Forde echoes Griese's sentiment, saying Pruitt's actions were justified if Guarantano audibled out of the play-call and call his own number. It'll be interesting to see if the facts surface in the aftermath
Another take on the late-game situation and a good one at that. Why try to pick up yards between the tackles against one of the nation's toughest defenses against the rush? Red zone failures detonated Tennessee's upset bid in Tuscaloosa.
Viewed by many as degrading, Pruitt went too far with the facemask grab ā and he'll likely be the first to admit that. But yelling and screaming in the heat of the action is par for the course in big-time college football and the athletes associated with it know this.
Not every media member disagreed with Pruitt's heavy-handedness with his quarterback. Mistake-prone this season, Guarantano's colossal error sealed the win for the Crimson Tide ā an unexpected 14-point swing.
Pruitt was so angry after Guaratano's giveaway he benched his quarterback for Tennessee's third-teamer to play the final six minutes and change. Griese said during the broadcast the relationship between Pruitt and Guarantano is "probably not salvageable" after that.
Will Guarantano get an apology?
Madison Underwood on Twitter
It was a bold move given the time and score for Pruitt, but let's face it, the game had been decided. Diggs' 100-yard gallop the other way sealed Tennessee's fate
