University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Report: Tennessee Looks to Build on Guarantano’s First Start
October 16, 2017 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football team returned to practice on Monday at Haslem Field with the Vols' attention on their next opponent, No. 1 Alabama.
UT will travel to Tuscaloosa for a 3:30 p.m. matchup with the Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Tennessee is coming off of a 15-9 loss to South Carolina, where redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano showed strides in his first career start. The 6-4, 200-pounder drove the Vols to the Gamecocks' two-yard line in the final minute, nearly completing a pass for a touchdown on the final play.
Guarantano is expected to make his second career start on Saturday against a defense that is allowing just 10.1 points per game and only 254.3 yards of total offense – both tops in the SEC.
Still, the quarterback, who did not commit a turnover, showed enough poise in his first start to give the Tennessee coaching staff something to build on.
"I thought he brought energy," head coach Butch Jones said. "He was able to make plays with his legs. He experienced some growing that comes with making your first start against a very good and physical defense. He will continue to grow. One thing you cannot put a price tag on is playing experience. I like the command presence he brought. Our players fed off of his leadership. He made some plays. In the end he stood in the pocket. He gave us an opportunity to win the game. We have a lot of positives to build on."
Guarantano also gave the offense another element with his ability to gain yards as a runner. He tallied 44 yards on 10 rushes, but finished with negative yardage because of sacks.
Offensive coordinator Larry Scott referred to the hidden yardage Guarantano can find with his ability to get the first down when a play breaks down.
"He gave us a little bit of a spark, a little bit of the energy that we needed," Scott said.
Gaulden Leading Secondary
Redshirt junior Rashaan Gaulden continues to have a standout season in his nickelback role. He tied his career best with 10 tackles against South Carolina and has proven to be one of the best and most versatile Vol defenders in 2017.
The Spring Hill, Tenn., native has made 40 tackles this season, and has the ability to play every position in the secondary.
"(Rashaan Gaulden) played corner in the Georgia Tech game, which was unusual, obviously, and did very well there," defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. "He has played both safety positions. He has played the nickel.
"Rashaan...there is a guy who week in and week out who has played at an exceptionally high level and deserves any recognition that he receives."
Gaulden was targeted five times in the South Carolina game and allowed just two catches for four yards. He's been the standout player on Tennessee's pass defense, which ranks No. 2 in the nation, allowing just 129.2 yards per game.
"When you turn on the tape, no matter who's watching, you know where No. 7 is on the field," defensive backs coach Charlton Warren said.
Cimaglia Impresses In Place of Medley
On Friday, Jones had Brent Cimaglia come to his office and he told the freshman placekicker he would be handling all kickoffs and placekicking duties for the game against South Carolina. Senior Aaron Medley will miss an undisclosed amount of time with an illness.
Cimaglia didn't flinch, drilling all three of his field goal attempts – from 29, 33 and 24 yards, and recording touchbacks of three of his four kickoff attempts.
"You saw a guy that in the situation, he didn't act like a freshman," said Warren, who is also the Vols' special teams coordinator. "He got up there and he did what he was trained to do. He kicked the ball. He did a great job with our kickoffs, putting the ball in the end zone."
Cimaglia is called "fiery" by teammates and coaches, and the freshman did not back down when a USC defender ran into him following a made field goal.
Entering the game, Cimaglia had made just one field goal – a 51-yarder at Florida – in his college career.
"He views himself not only as a kicker but as a football player," Jones said. "There have been times in practice where he has gone down and made the tackle. We have had some fun with that. To his credit, he was ready to go…he told me that he was ready. He went out and performed like it."
Tennessee to Face Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network
The SEC announced on Monday the Oct. 28 matchup between the Vols and Wildcats will be played at 7:30 p.m. at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. and will air on the SEC Network.
UT will travel to Tuscaloosa for a 3:30 p.m. matchup with the Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Tennessee is coming off of a 15-9 loss to South Carolina, where redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano showed strides in his first career start. The 6-4, 200-pounder drove the Vols to the Gamecocks' two-yard line in the final minute, nearly completing a pass for a touchdown on the final play.
Guarantano is expected to make his second career start on Saturday against a defense that is allowing just 10.1 points per game and only 254.3 yards of total offense – both tops in the SEC.
Still, the quarterback, who did not commit a turnover, showed enough poise in his first start to give the Tennessee coaching staff something to build on.
"I thought he brought energy," head coach Butch Jones said. "He was able to make plays with his legs. He experienced some growing that comes with making your first start against a very good and physical defense. He will continue to grow. One thing you cannot put a price tag on is playing experience. I like the command presence he brought. Our players fed off of his leadership. He made some plays. In the end he stood in the pocket. He gave us an opportunity to win the game. We have a lot of positives to build on."
Guarantano also gave the offense another element with his ability to gain yards as a runner. He tallied 44 yards on 10 rushes, but finished with negative yardage because of sacks.
Offensive coordinator Larry Scott referred to the hidden yardage Guarantano can find with his ability to get the first down when a play breaks down.
"He gave us a little bit of a spark, a little bit of the energy that we needed," Scott said.
Gaulden Leading Secondary
Redshirt junior Rashaan Gaulden continues to have a standout season in his nickelback role. He tied his career best with 10 tackles against South Carolina and has proven to be one of the best and most versatile Vol defenders in 2017.
The Spring Hill, Tenn., native has made 40 tackles this season, and has the ability to play every position in the secondary.
"(Rashaan Gaulden) played corner in the Georgia Tech game, which was unusual, obviously, and did very well there," defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. "He has played both safety positions. He has played the nickel.
"Rashaan...there is a guy who week in and week out who has played at an exceptionally high level and deserves any recognition that he receives."
Gaulden was targeted five times in the South Carolina game and allowed just two catches for four yards. He's been the standout player on Tennessee's pass defense, which ranks No. 2 in the nation, allowing just 129.2 yards per game.
"When you turn on the tape, no matter who's watching, you know where No. 7 is on the field," defensive backs coach Charlton Warren said.
Cimaglia Impresses In Place of Medley
On Friday, Jones had Brent Cimaglia come to his office and he told the freshman placekicker he would be handling all kickoffs and placekicking duties for the game against South Carolina. Senior Aaron Medley will miss an undisclosed amount of time with an illness.
Cimaglia didn't flinch, drilling all three of his field goal attempts – from 29, 33 and 24 yards, and recording touchbacks of three of his four kickoff attempts.
"You saw a guy that in the situation, he didn't act like a freshman," said Warren, who is also the Vols' special teams coordinator. "He got up there and he did what he was trained to do. He kicked the ball. He did a great job with our kickoffs, putting the ball in the end zone."
Cimaglia is called "fiery" by teammates and coaches, and the freshman did not back down when a USC defender ran into him following a made field goal.
Entering the game, Cimaglia had made just one field goal – a 51-yarder at Florida – in his college career.
"He views himself not only as a kicker but as a football player," Jones said. "There have been times in practice where he has gone down and made the tackle. We have had some fun with that. To his credit, he was ready to go…he told me that he was ready. He went out and performed like it."
Tennessee to Face Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network
The SEC announced on Monday the Oct. 28 matchup between the Vols and Wildcats will be played at 7:30 p.m. at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. and will air on the SEC Network.
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