Tennessee played its first game under head coach Jeremy Pruitt on Saturday.

The Vols took a 40-14 loss in Pruitt’s debut, as West Virginia ran away with it in the second half at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Here are some grades from Saturday’s game:

Quarterback

Sophomore Jarrett Guarantano made the start over graduate-transfer Keller Chryst. Guarantano completed 19-of-25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. Given the amount of time he had to throw the ball, it was not a bad performance from Tennessee’s starter. If he is able to be as accurate in the future, good things could come from offensive line improvement.

Grade: B-

Running back:

Four carries into the game, Tennessee starting running back Ty Chandler went down with an injury. Tim Jordan and Madre London really stepped up in his absence. Jordan particularly, as he carried the ball 20 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. London added five carries for 12 yards and Jeremy Banks notched 11 yards on five touches. Jordan showed flashes of former Vol John Kelly, as he rumbled over West Virginia defenders, even without the best gaps to run through.

Grade: A

Wide Receiver/Tight End:

The wide receivers did just about everything they could have done during the game. There were no significant dropped passes or poorly run routes. Marquez Callaway led the unit with seven receptions for 85 yards. Jauan Jennings added two catches for 29 yards in his return. With the offensive line struggling, this unit made some big plays for the Vols. Dominick Wood-Anderson also caught his first career touchdown. Tennessee will want even more out of its tight ends in the future.

Grade: B

Offensive Line:

The game started about as poorly as it possibly could have for this group. West Virginia’s defensive line blew up the Vols on the first three offensive plays from scrimmage for Tennessee. It improved periodically throughout the game, but the Mountaineers were in the backfield applying pressure early and often. Tennessee’s offensive line will need to see major improvements moving forward.

Grade: D-

Defensive Line:

Tennessee allowed just 118 yards on the ground, but that was mainly due to the air raid style of offense the Mountaineers implore. Pruitt has stressed a need to apply pressure throughout fall camp, and the defensive line was simply not able to do that consistently on Saturday. When Grier has time to throw, it makes it nearly an impossible task for the secondary. Shy Tuttle recorded five tackles, including the lone sack for Tennessee.

Grade: C

Linebacker:

Darrin Kirkland Jr. led the Vols with 10 total tackles in the season opener. It is definitely a bright spot for Tennessee, given he had not seen the field in over a year. Daniel Bituli added five tackles as well. Pruitt was hoping for more of a pass-rush out of Darrell Taylor and Jonathan Kongbo on the outside, but it just was not there against the West Virginia offensive line.

Grade: C-

Defensive Back:

Allowing 429 yards and five touchdowns through the air will generally put the defensive backs in the “F” category. However, the Vols played three true freshman against one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and the defensive line did not provide much pressure to make the job any easier for the secondary. That being said, Tennessee needs to make rapid improvement, because the Vols still face multiple premier quarterbacks down the road this season.

Grade: D-

Special Teams:

There is not much to say about the special teams unit, which is not necessarily a bad thing after the first game of the season. There were not any disastrous plays outside the plays ran from scrimmage. Brent Cimaglia hit both extra points and did not attempt a field goal. Joe Doyle punted six time for an average of 38.0 yards. Nigel Warrior had two kickoff returns for an average of 27.0 yards.

Grade: B

Coaching:

It looked as if Pruitt was going to be able to make in-game adjustments against the Mountaineers on Saturday. After a dominant start for West Virginia, the Vols put together a touchdown-scoring drive that cut the lead to 10-7. Coming out of the gates in the second half, however, it appeared that the Vols did not make any positive changes during the extended weather delay. It is not a surprising struggle for a first-year head coach going up against a talented team in his first contest, but it has to be noted.

Grade: C