GoVols247: A Tennessee Volunteers athletics podcast

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss Tennessee’s weekend loss to third-ranked Georgia — a game that featured a new starting quarterback and some glimmers of hope before things fell apart down the stretch.

Before getting into the big topic — more on that in a minute — the first segment of this episode is a rundown the Vols’ loss to Georgia. There was good, bad and ugly, and discussions on all three of those things take place in the first segment.

The main topic — whether Saturday’s game showed signs of hope for salvaging this season down the stretch — takes place in the second segment.

Obviously Tennessee’s change from junior Jarrett Guarantano to true freshman Brian Maurer at quarterback is discussed heavily in each of the first two segments. Maurer gave the Vols a big spark against the Bulldogs, throwing for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the first half before Georgia tightened the screws and put a beating on him in the second half.

Has Tennessee seen everything it needs to see in order to move forward with Maurer as the starter, at least for a while? That topic is thoroughly discussed in this episode.

Quarterback play isn’t the only thing that matters, though, and several other position groups — some good, some bad, some ugly — are discussed plenty, as well.

It was also a big recruiting weekend for the Tennessee football program, and a discussion on some of this weekend’s biggest visitors was the main topic for the third and final segment of this episode.

Considering the Braves fandom of Pat (and Grant Ramey) and the Cardinals fandom of Ryan, though, there also was some National League Division Series discussion in the final segment.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point. 

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Grant went into Fort Rucker Studio to preview Tennessee’s Saturday night showdown with third-ranked Georgia at Neyland Stadium.

Before getting to the football, though, the first segment of this episode is a discussion on the video that surfaced earlier this week of Vols sophomore inside linebacker Jeremy Banks’ recent run-in with local law enforcement after a traffic stop led to an arrest due to a previous traffic citation and a missed court date.

After that, though, the focus shifts back to football.

The second segment of this episode is a discussion on what the Vols need to do Saturday night to compete with the heavily-favored Bulldogs and give themselves at what would be a huge upset and some much-needed momentum for second-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt and his rebuilding program. There’s obviously plenty Tennessee needs to do Saturday night, but we boiled that down to a few basic things that have to go right for the Vols.

As usual, the final segment of this Thursday morning podcast episode is focused on answers to questions submitted on GoVols247’s CheckerBoard and social-media followers.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

house in Athens) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to break down Saturday’s game between the Vols and third-ranked Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee (1-3, 0-1 SEC) and Georgia (4-0, 1-0) will enter Saturday’s game from different sides of the college football spectrum. The Vols are desperately trying to get things going under second-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt, while Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs have SEC and national championship aspirations.

If the history of the Vols-Dawgs rivalry tells us anything, though, it’s to never assume anything. This matchup has provided several games for the ages, and some of the best games have come in years where a blowout was expected.

What does Tennessee need to do to make Saturday’s game interesting? What do the Dawgs need to do to prevent that? Are there any similarities to Pruitt’s rebuild in Knoxville and Smart’s rebuild in Athens? What’s it like behind the scenes to cover struggling teams versus teams competing for championships? Those are some of the main topics in this dual 247Sports podcast.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss Tennessee’s quarterback situation and other topics heading into Saturday’s game against third-ranked Georgia at Neyland Stadium.

Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said Monday that he has no desire to publicly discuss his team’s quarterback plans for the Georgia game, which is a far cry from suggesting struggling junior Jarrett Guarantano will be the man against the Bulldogs.

The first segment of this episode is a discussion on Tennessee’s three options for quarterback against Georgia. The Vols essentially can ride with Guarantano, ride with freshman Brian Maurer or play both. Each GoVols247 staffer on this episode took one one of the three sides for a hypothetical debate on the strengths and weaknesses of each choice.

The second segment of this episode is a discussion on the difference between the Georgia program when Kirby Smart inherited it four years ago and the Tennessee program Pruitt inherited last season. Is it really fair to put those two situations on anything resembling a level plane? That topic is discussed in detail.

The third segment of this episode is a discussion on things Tennessee realistically could repair during last week’s open date. The Vols clearly have a lot to fix, but what realistically could be fixed during one open date? Tennessee responded really well to last season’s open date. Can they do the same this season? Those questions also are discussed in detail.

This week’s next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point. 

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Grant Ramey and Ryan Callahan — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss all things Tennessee football toward the tail end of a critical open week in the schedule.

Tennessee’s loss at ninth-ranked Florida last weekend was the Vols’ fourth setback in their first three games, and this week’s open date offers chance to regroup before heading right back into the teeth of the schedule, with home games against third-ranked Georgia and Mississippi State before a trip to Alabama to face the second-ranked Crimson Tide.

Interestingly, though, second-year Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said this week that he firmly believes his team is “100 times better” than it was this time last year. The first segment of this episode features a length discussion on that comment and it’s believability.

Obviously the quarterback situation remains a hot topic around these parts, and the second segment opens with an update on the situation surrounding Jarrett Guarantano and Brian Maurer moving forward.

The second segment also features a discussion on the trio of players who earlier this week joined the lengthening list of those leaving the program — junior linebackers Will Ignont and Shanon Reid, and sophomore wide receiver Jacquez Jones — and the impact of their departures.

As usual with the Thursday morning podcast, the third and final segment of this episode features answers to questions submitted by GoVols247 subscribers and social-media followers.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Monday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to dissect the Vols’ 34-3 loss at ninth-ranked Florida on Saturday at The Swamp.

What could — and almost certainly should — have been a much closer game eroded in the second half, and Tennessee’s inability to get out of its own way has now left the Vols with three losses in their first four games.

General recap of and analysis from Saturday’s game is the topic of discussion during the first segment of this episode, and then main dish — a discussion of the quarterback situation — comes in the second segment. 

Jeremy Pruitt and his staff are now left with tough decisions to make after another poor performance by junior Jarrett Guarantano — who struggled so much in the first half at Florida that Tennessee turned to true freshman Brian Maurer to start the second half.

Saturday was simply the beginning of the toughest part of Tennessee’s schedule, and it’s about to get a lot tougher. The Vols have a open date this week before hosting third-ranked Georgia at Neyland Stadium. They they’ll host Mississippi State before traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on second-ranked Alabama.

Reasons for Tennessee to make or not make a quarterback change are debated in this episode, and long story short: Pruitt and Co. are in a jam with no easy solutions.

This week’s next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Grant Ramey and Ryan Callahan — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss the big story lines heading into Saturday’s showdown against ninth-ranked Florida in The Swamp.

Tennessee needs all hands on deck to tangle with the Gators, and the return of sophomore cornerback Bryce Thompson certainly provides a big boost. Thompson, a reigning Freshman All-American, missed the team’s first three games while dealing with an off-field issue but will be available at Florida.

Will Thompson play? Will he start? What kind of impact will he have? What does his return mean for the Vols’ secondary. That, along with an update of sophomore inside linebacker Jeremy Banks and his situation following an off-field incident, is a big talking point in this episode.

Saturday’s game will have plenty of other story lines, though, and the second segment of this episode features a lengthy discussion on one main question: What does Tennessee need to do in order to have a chance to win this game?

As always with the Thursday morning podcast, questions submitted by GoVols247 subscribers and social-media followers are answered in the third and final segment.

This week’s next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Monday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point. 

GoVols247’s self-appointed fun crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Grant Ramey — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss the Vols’ 45-0 win over Chattanooga, get a head start on breaking down upcoming opponent Florida and much, much more.

NCAA Division I FCS program Chattanooga proved to be the right opponent at the right time for the Vols, who showed they were still focused by building a three-touchdown lead less than seven minutes into the first quarter.

That cushion allowed several Tennessee youngsters an opportunity to play extended reps, and some players took advantage of those reps. A break down of those youngsters is a big talking point in this episode.

Other main topics of this episode are obvious: How important was Saturday for the Vols? And how much impact will that game have on confidence heading into SEC play, which starts Saturday at The Swamp?

This week’s next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Thursday morning, unless major breaking news occurs before that point. 

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Grant Ramey — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss star cornerback Bryce Thompson’s return to practice ahead of Tennessee’s Saturday game against Chattanooga.

Thompson was suspended in late August following an off-field incident, and reports later surfaced regarding a previous incident during his high school days in South Carolina, but Pruitt said Wednesday that the reigning Freshman All-American had gone through the proper channels with UT’s administration and would be allowed to return to the team.

Will Thompson play against the Mocs, or the following week’s SEC opener at longtime Eastern Division nemesis Florida? What would Thompson’s return mean for the cornerback position, the secondary, the defense and the entire team? That’s the only topic in the first segment of this episode.

Segment Two features some discussion on Saturday’s opponent, the NCAA Division I FCS Chattanooga Mocs, as well as some Tennessee injury updates and a recruiting update in the aftermath of Florida cornerback Lovie Jenkins’ flip from the Vols to Louisville.

As usual in the Thursday morning podcast, the final segment consists of answers to questions submitted by members of GoVols247’s CheckerBoard.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Monday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

Despite playing significantly better than they ever did against Georgia State and controlling the game for 59 minutes and 40-plus seconds, the Vols let BYU hang around before essentially handing the game to the Cougars in the closing moments.

Now Tennessee is 0-2 for the first time since 1988, and there are so many tough questions that need to be answered.

Rather than discuss every little question, though, this episode focuses on arguably the three biggest questions at the moment.

- How in the world did Tennessee lose that game?

- Do the Vols need to think about changing quarterbacks?

- What does this 0-2 start mean in the bigger picture for second-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt?

Several other topics fall under the umbrella of those three questions, but those three questions are the broad subjects discussed in this episode.