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COLUMBIA — Tennessee (6-5, 4-3 SEC) has won four consecutive games and five of its last six contests.
The Vols are now bowl eligible following a 24-20 win at Missouri in Week 13.
Tennessee’s turnaround is remarkable after starting the season 0-2 with losses against Georgia State and BYU.
Jeremy Pruitt credits Tennessee’s seniors that have been a staple for the Vols’ turnaround.
“I can’t say enough about really the leadership on our team,” Pruitt said following the win at Missouri. “The seniors, these guys have been through a lot. This season didn’t start off the way we anticipated, but with their leadership, these coaches, just kind of helping this team grow. This is why you get into coaching, to watch a team become a team.”
The second-year head coach is also looking forward to the future of Tennessee’s program following how his team has responded this season.
“You have 125 guys on the team and a bunch of individuals,” Pruitt said. “Everyone has all these dreams of what’s going to happen as the season starts. It didn’t happen that way for us. A lot of that was self-inflicted on us, falls back on me, but these guys stuck together. Everybody in our organization.
“It’s hard to do in this day and time, with all the noise and the clutter that is out there, but these guys did that. It says a lot about who they are, the character, who raised them, and it says a whole lot about the future of our program.”
2019 Tennessee football schedule
AUG. 31: vs. Georgia State (Knoxville) L, 38-30
SEPT. 7: vs. BYU (Knoxville) L, 29-26 (2 OT)
SEPT. 14: vs. Chattanooga (Knoxville) W, 45-0
SEPT. 21: at Florida (Gainesville) L, 34-3
OCT. 5: vs. Georgia (Knoxville) L, 43-14
OCT. 12: vs. Mississippi State (Knoxville) W, 20-10
OCT. 19: at Alabama (Tuscaloosa) L, 35-13
OCT. 26: vs. South Carolina (Knoxville) W, 41-21
NOV. 2: vs. UAB (Knoxville) W, 30-7
NOV. 9: at Kentucky (Lexington) W, 17-13
NOV. 23: at Missouri (Columbia) W, 24-20
NOV. 30: vs. Vanderbilt (Knoxville)