Jeremy Pruitt previews BYU, says quarterback reminds him of Johnny Manziel

Tennessee is faced with the impossible task of putting perhaps the worst lost in program history behind them this week. It was a 38-30 loss to the Georgia State Panthers — a game that wasn’t really even that close late — that has sent this season into a tailspin just one week in.

The road gets a little more difficult this week with the BYU Cougars coming to town. BYU, who sits at 0-1 also after taking a loss to Utah, will be bigger and stronger than Georgia State was last week.

“They had a game last week where they turned the ball over in a rivalry game,” Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt said of BYU. “It was back-and-forth there.”

BYU was in striking distance of No. 14 Utah entering the 4th quarter, but the Utes eventually put the Cougars away in Provo to win 30-12.

BYU quarterback Zach Wilson tossed two interceptions against Utah, but will pose a similar threat to what Dan Ellington of Georgia State did. Wilson got off to a bumpy start in 2019, but put together a really nice end to 2018. He ended up throwing for over 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns in a half season of action, while running for over 200 more yards.

“On their offensive side, to me it really starts with the quarterback, a guy that kind of reminds me of Johnny Manziel,” Pruitt said. “He can run around and extend plans, make all the throws. Turned the ball over a couple of times last week, unfortunately. He is a guy that we have to find a way to get on the ground.”

Getting a quarterback to the ground is something Tennessee struggled to do last week. The Volunteers gave up several key third down conversions to Georgia State — plenty off of a quarterback scramble. Ellington ended up running for 61 yards on the day, powering Georgia State’s upset. Keeping Wilson in the pocket may be the key to a win or loss come Saturday.

“Got a really good tight end,” Pruitt continued. “They are big up front, got good skill players. We will have a tremendous challenge.”

Matt Bushman, the tight end Pruitt was referencing, will be a problem for anyone who plays BYU this year. The 6-5, 245 pound tight end caught six passes for 62 yards against Utah, coming off of back to back 500 yard seasons in 2017 and 2018.

Tennessee is favored by about a field goal in this one as things currently sit. Vegas is banking on a bounce back from the Vols, who looked totally lost defensively in the opener. With a handful of key players out on that side of the ball, this defensive staff has to get the young players up to speed in a hurry.

Kickoff from Neyland Stadium for this one is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.