During the second quarter of Tennessee’s win over Mississippi State on Saturday, freshman quarterback Brian Maurer exited the game after landing awkwardly on his head during a run. Maurer went up and over, falling directly on the top of his helmet, upside down.
He stayed in the finish that drive, but didn’t return after that. Redshirt junior Jarrett Guarantano entered the game in relief, carrying out and ultra-conservative gameplan, but doing enough to win the game.
“Brian had a concussion,” Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt said after the game. “Our guys felt like it was best to keep him out of the game.”
Maurer finished with two freshman mistakes on the day — two interceptions in the red zone. It was two black-eyes that soured a performance that saw him move the ball well between the twenties, but ultimately fall short of touchdowns. Those situations will certainly improve with experience.
Guarantano went 6-7 on the day for 106 yards and a touchdown. Though it wasn’t anything flashy, it was good for Guarantano to bounce back after a tough start to the year.
So what’s the plan at quarterback for Alabama? According to Pruitt, Maurer returned to practice on Sunday night.
“Brian took some reps last night at practice,” Pruitt told reporters today. “He’s going to be fine, I’m sure.”
Our next update will come on Wednesday from Pruitt, but for now, Maurer seems like he should be good to go for Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.