Pruitt bemoans quarterback mistakes,

KNOXVILLE — Jeremy Pruitt stopped short of igniting a midseason quarterback controversy Monday, but he did raise questions about Tennessee’s quarterback play while reflecting on the 58-21 loss to Alabama.

“We probably had more errors from that position than we’ve had all season combined,” the Volunteers’ coach said.

Starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano left the game in the second quarter with an injury and did not return. He was 5-of10 for 63 yards and was sacked three times.

Fifth-year senior Keller Chryst replaced him and threw for 164 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while completing nine of 15 passes and avoiding sacks.

“If you’re going to be playing against a team that’s as wellcoached as Alabama that gives you multiple looks, you’ve got to be able to redirect the fronts and protection,” Pruitt said. “You’ve got to be able to know where you’re going with the ball, because they do a good job disguising it to the quarterback.”

That’s where Chryst seemed to thrive against the Crimson Tide. But with Guarantano’s health expected to be fine for this week’s game at South Carolina, there’s been no indication that Chryst’s play was good enough to earn him playing time against the Gamecocks.

Just two weeks ago, Guarantano was named the Maxwell Award’s national offensive player of the week for leading Tennessee to a win at Auburn. Pruitt clearly wants to see more from the redshirt sophomore who has earned the respect of his teammates with his toughness and efficiency this season.

“We tried to give formations that indicated what they were going to do, but there were too many times where we started on the wrong side or had possibilities of changing the front or changing the protection, and we didn’t get it done,” Pruitt said. “So we’ve got to improve there.”

Abernathy a maybe

A critical piece of Tennessee’s secondary remains “day to day” after missing consecutive games with an ankle injury.

Senior safety Micah Abernathy is listed as a starter on this week’s depth chart, but there’s no verdict on whether he’ll play at South Carolina on Saturday night.

“Micah wants to play,” Pruitt said. “It’s his last year. We’ll see when we get out there today, but we’ll probably know as the rest of the week goes.”

Abernathy’s ability to play both safety and the nickel cornerback position in Tennessee’s defense make him a versatile cog. With his absence, the ejection of freshman cornerback Alontae Taylor and an injury to sophomore safety Shawn Shamburger, the Vols struggled to defend Alabama’s passing attack.

“We didn’t play like we needed to play,” Pruitt said. “We gave those guys too many easy plays. When you look at the tape, there’s lots of mistakes that we need to improve on, and those guys can play better. We’re going to work hard this week to get them to do that.”

Jennings family battle

Fresh off his two most statistically productive games of the season, redshirt junior receiver Jauan Jennings will have extra motivation Saturday night. His sister, Alexis Jennings, is a senior basketball forward for South Carolina.

“She’ll probably be halfway,” Jauan said. “At the end of the day, I’m sure family comes first.”

Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.