Vols get another shot at subduing Shurmur
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee spent part of last week trying to find ways to slow a quarterback who’s had its number the past few seasons.
This week the Volunteers have a similar goal.
They visit Vanderbilt at 4 p.m. EST Saturday, which means they’ll face four-year starter Kyle Shurmur, son of New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur. The Commodores quarterback has thrown for 2,477 yards and 20 touchdowns with just six interceptions this season.
He’s been a thorn in the side of the Vols, compiling a 2-1 record in his three starts against them. In those games, he’s thrown for 908 yards and nine touchdowns, including a 283-yard, four-touchdown performance in a 42-24 Vanderbilt win last season.
“He’s a seasoned vet,” Tennessee defensive back Todd Kelly Jr. said Monday. “He’s started to get a grasp of that offense, and his players believe in him.”
Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said Monday that part of the challenge of stopping Shurmur is his avoidance of mistakes. In 1,192 collegiate passes, the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder has 29 interceptions, and he never has thrown more than 10 in a season.
Pruitt has experience against Shurmur, having been the defensive coordinator at Alabama last season when the Crimson Tide held the Vanderbilt quarterback to 18 yards on 15 passes in a 59-0 win.
“He has experience, has a really good understanding of what they’re trying to get done,” Pruitt said. “He makes very few mistakes. He throws the ball where they can catch it and nobody else can. A lot of that comes with playing a lot of ball, and he has. He grew up around the game and does a really good job.”
Of course, the Vols have to clean up a lot from last week, when they gave up 484 yards of total offense in a 50-17 loss to Missouri. It was a far cry from the week before when they dominated Kentucky, limiting a run-heavy offense to 77 yards on the ground and 262 yards of total offense in a 17-point win.
In the up and down season, the Vols need an up defensive performance against Shurmur and the Commodores. Defensive lineman Paul Bain says they’re due.
“Any time you step on the field, it means a lot to us to put out the best product that we can,” Bain said Tuesday. “It means a lot to us to show the hard work we put in. I don’t think we’ve been in game showing the hard work we put in Monday through Friday, and this weekend could be a good weekend for us to put everything together and show how hard we’re working.
“We really want to put out a product everybody can be proud of.”
Practice update
Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and receiver Marquez Callaway were full participants during the periods open to the media of Tuesday’s practice.
Guarantano, who has started all 11 games this season, went out in the first quarter of the Missouri game with what was described on the CBS telecast as a “head and neck injury.” He’s thrown for 1,768 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
Callaway suffered what Pruitt called a chest injury against the Tigers. He’s the Vols’ leading receiver with 556 yards on 34 catches.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress. com. Follow him on Twitter @ genehenley3 and on Facebook at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.