What Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt thinks of the Gamecocks and a Mike Bobo offense
Jeremy Pruitt is very familiar with Mike Bobo as a person and a coach.
The two were on the same coaching staff at Georgia in 2014 when Pruitt was UGA’s defensive coordinator and Bobo was the offensive coordinator.
The two coaches faced each other when Bobo was the head coach at Colorado State and Pruitt the defensive coordinator at Alabama. Bobo’s Rams offense put up 23 points in the 41-23 loss to Alabama in 2017.
The two meet again Saturday when Tennessee faces South Carolina in the season opener at Williams-Brice Stadium. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
Bobo will be calling the plays in his first game as Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator.
“Mike Bobo is one of the best offensive minds in college football,” Pruitt told reporters Monday at his weekly news conference. “Mike is a competitor. Playing and coaching against him, he wants to win at everything he does. He will have a great game plan and kids will play hard and it will be a challenge for us.”
Tennessee defeated USC 41-21 last season at Neyland Stadium. The Vols sacked Gamecocks quarterback Ryan Hilinski three times and intercepted him once.
But USC will start a new quarterback Saturday after Collin Hill was named the Gamecocks’ quarterback last week. Hill played for Bobo at Colorado State and transferred to South Carolina this season.
“Mike Bobo has always done a fantastic job coaching the quarterbacks,” Pruitt said. “Hill is a guy that has been in the system there for five years. He is going to get them out of bad plays. We’ve got to find a way to create some confusion and create some turnovers.”
Pruitt waiting on Mays decision
Pruitt and the Vols are waiting to see if offensive lineman Cade Mays can play Saturday.
Mays transferred to Tennessee from Georgia, where he was a starter last season. He has been granted immediate eligibility from the NCAA but the Southeastern Conference hasn’t made their decision yet.
“I’m sure that they will (clear him). It just makes too much sense not to,” Pruitt said. “And we’ve planned all along for Cade to be able to play. If you look at what went into the waiver process, it’s pretty evident that the young man needs an opportunity to play, or deserves an opportunity to play.”
Who’s in, who’s out for Vols
Tennessee has been pretty transparent on the number of players who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been asked to quarantine during the preseason, but Pruitt said the school won’t make that known during the season.
Earlier this month, the Vols had to cancel one of their scrimmages after 44 players were unavailable because of coronavirus, contract tracing or injuries.
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 1:54 PM.
