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Jarrett Guarantano, #2, during the game against UMass at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 23, 2017. Adrien Terricabras / The Daily Beacon

Guarantano to start as Vols face South Carolina Tyler Wombles

Sports Editor

On Saturday, two second-year quarterbacks will take the field for their respective teams at Neyland Stadium, differing vastly in experience despite their similarities in eligibility. Tennessee head coach Butch Jones announced on Tuesday that redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano will start for the Vols against South Carolina, who in turn will start sophomore Jake Bentley. The contest will mark Guarantano’s first career start after serving as the backup to junior Quinten Dormady for the first five games of the season. Dormady completed 76 of his 137 passes for 925 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions before being benched for Guarantano. “Jarrett Guarantano will be the starter,” Jones said during media availability on Wednesday. “Jarrett’s worked very hard and he’ll have that opportunity on Saturday.” Guarantano has appeared in three contests for Tennessee so far this season, completing 12 of 24 pass attempts for 54 yards and one touch-

Volume 134 Issue 14

down. He entered the Georgia game in relief of Dormady after the Vols’ offense failed to gain momentum, but failed to revitalize Tennessee’s scoring attack. “Each game is different in and of itself,” Jones said. “It’s more so that we just felt Jarrett earned the opportunity. We need to score points in this conference. It’s going to take points to win and it’s no reflection on Quinten… “Quinten has done some good things, but you’re always looking for what you feel gives you the best opportunity to win the football game.” Any offensive momentum will be welcome to a Tennessee squad that has struggled on that side of the ball this season. The Vols have scored a combined 17 points in their last two contests, which include a 41-0 home loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. But Jones’ team isn’t just keying on improving its offense. The Vols are also focused on halting the play of Bentley, who has thrown for 1,456 yards, 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions on the year. “Offensively, it all starts with the quarterback, (Jake) Bentley,” Jones said. “He really does a good job of managing the game. You can tell that

he’s their leader, he’s in control.” The Gamecocks are 4-2 on the season, having defeated North Carolina State, Missouri, Louisiana Tech and Arkansas while falling to Kentucky and Texas A&M. Redshirt sophomore running back Ty’Son Williams leads South Carolina in rushing with 281 total yards. The Sumter, S.C., native has scored a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown on the year. The Gamecocks lost star wide receiver Deebo Samuel for the season after the redshirt junior broke his leg in South Carolina’s 23-13 victory over Kentucky. The Vols will instead look to defend sophomore Bryan Edwards, who leads South Carolina in receiving yards with 357, and freshman OrTre Smith, who has notched three touchdown catches. Defensively, sophomore T.J. Brunson is first on South Carolina’s roster with 49 total tackles, followed by redshirt senior Skai Moore and senior Chris Lammons with 42 and 37, respectively. The Gamecocks have grabbed six interceptions this season, with two coming from Moore. He has returned those picks for 51 yards and

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one touchdown. “Obviously, they have a very active defense,” Tennessee senior offensive lineman Brett Kendrick said. “Skai Moore is probably one of the best linebackers in the SEC, so we have a lot of respect for him. “They scored three times on defense last week (against Arkansas), so we have to take care of the ball.” Tennessee offensive coordinator Larry Scott is familiar with Moore and the impact that he can have on a game. “I know Skai personally,” Scott said. “I know Skai very well being out of south Florida. He’s a mature player…He plays fast, he plays physical, he’s a smart player.” A win against the Gamecocks would give Tennessee its first SEC win of the year. The Vols are 0-2 in conference play currently, having fallen to SEC-East rivals Florida and Georgia. Conversely, a win for South Carolina would notch the Gamecocks a 3-2 conference record, putting the team above .500 in SEC play. Saturday’s contest is set to kick off at 12 p.m. It will mark Tennessee’s fourth home game of the year and the third straight for the Vols.

Thursday, October 12, 2017


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