Former Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt faces the Bulldogs for his second time as Tennessee head coach and his third total since he left Athens, Georgia for Tuscaloosa, Alabama before the 2016 season.
His appointed offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, who previously held the same position at Tennessee from 2009 to 2012, was Georgia’s play caller from 2016 until the end of last season.
It might be difficult to remember based upon the current state of Tennessee’s offense, but in his three seasons in Athens, Chaney led a consistently high-scoring offense that once out-dueled their way to a 54-48 Rose Bowl victory.
This year, the Volunteers’ offense ranks 104th in total offense, a full 54 spots behind Arkansas State, a team that Georgia’s defense blanked in a 55-0 blowout. Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano possesses the talent to be a dynamic play-maker, but that’s a tall order considering his offensive line hasn’t shown many signs of improvement after giving up the most tackles behind the line of scrimmage of any FBS team in 2018.
While Chaney found success at UGA, all indications early on into his second stint at Tennessee point to the possibility that the aforementioned success probably had something to do with a two generational talents he didn’t recruit named Nick and Sony along with a defense which, by and large, allowed the Chaney offense to maintain possession and keep another generational talent named Roquan on the sideline drinking Powerade.
Given Tennessee’s early season struggles, it’s unrealistic to expect the Vols show marked signs of improvement against a Georgia team ranked ninth overall in total defense. Tennessee’s offensive line has yielded nine sacks compared to Georgia’s lone sack.
If Jim Chaney wants revenge against his former team, he’ll have to call a flawless game.
