There is unequivocally no excuse for what Jeremy Pruitt allowed to happen Saturday.
Blaming experience, talent, injuries, coordinators, assistant coaches, etc. is not looking at the bigger picture. Each have their roles and each failed in their own way Saturday, but this must be taken further than X's and O's or Jimmie's and the Joe's. Pruitt lacked any and all major characteristics I would expect of a head football coach.
No leadership, No motivation, No drive, No sense of urgency, No awareness, No pride, No organization, No adaptability, No passion.... NO GIVE A DAMN.
Pruitt should have been called in immediately after the game with UT Athletic Leadership and given an ultimatum. The product you allowed on the field today is unacceptable on any day for any reason. Therefore, Mr. Pruitt, you will make a bowl game this year or you will no longer be the head coach of Tennessee. Anything less reaffirms you are not the person to lead this program into the future.
For me personally, there is no realistic scenario in which Pruitt will re-establish trust in his coaching abilities. The only way forward would be to make a bowl this year. Ending this season 5-7 or worse, including an unforgiveable loss to GA St., eliminates any confidence in moving forward with Pruitt. I firmly believe UT football has reached these all time lows due to the consistent malfeasance of UT brass and the lack of proper urgency in coaching changes. Each coach is left to allow the program to sink to new lows making the road to recovery one step harder for the successor.
With that said, Saturday didn't bring the normal disappointment and anger that comes with a loss, instead it was truly heart breaking and left me a bit lost with my investment in UT football. There are plenty of recent games I'd like to forget about, but this one hurts because it speaks about more than just one Saturday... it speaks about the state of a program I love.
