An announced crowd of 65,098 sat in Neyland Stadium for the Orange and White Game, the first time with head coach Jeremy Pruitt running the show in Knoxville. Tennessee beat Tennessee 34-7.
The Orange Team offense came out firing. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed 57 percent of his passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Eli Wolf lead all players with five catches and 63 yards through the air with a touchdown as time expired in the fourth quarter. Josh Palmer had the most yards in the air, going for 77 on just three catches. Wide receiver Marquez Callaway flashed his playmaking ability with the first touchdown of the game, a fade to the back corner of the end zone.
On the ground, Tim Jordan and Ty Chandler shined for the Orange Team. The two combined for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
The White Team offense didn't play as well, failing to gain more than 100 yards on offense. Will McBride struggled for most of the game, completing just 33 percent of his passes for 71 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His first interception in the first quarter (picked off by Tim Jackson) set up the first touchdown for the Orange Team. The lone touchdown for the White Team was a beaut, a 35 yard strike from McBride to Latrell Williams. White team linebacker Quart'e Sapp led both teams in tackles with 11.
As for the kicking game, sophomore Brent Cimaglia hit both field goal attempts from 43 and 41 yards out.
Head coach Jeremy Pruitt wanted to see more from some of his players.
"You gonna put 14 days into it, some guys are not going to compete, don't say much for them," said Pruitt. "Some guys kind of rose to the occasion today, so that's a good thing."
"In a couple of weeks we'll have a bunch of guys that aren't on the injury report anymore, we'll have 14 new guys here, maybe more. So some of these guys that don't want to do it and don't want to do it right all the time, they'll just be watching."
At the end of the game, head coach Jeremy Pruitt handed out post-spring awards to the team.
-Eli Wolfe - Harvey Robinson Award (Most Improved Offensive Player)
-Kyle Phillips - Andy Spiva Award (Most Improved Defensive Player)
-Jarrett Guarantano - DISH Orange & White Game MVP