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The Jeremy Pruitt era at Tennessee begins with a major test on Saturday, as the Vols open their 2018 campaign against Heisman candidate Will Grier and No. 17 West Virginia in a neutral-site game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The game is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
If you have Amazon Prime or start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all CBS content (both live and on-demand) via the CBS Amazon Channel, which also comes with a 7-day free trial.
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Amazon website, or you can watch on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
CBS (live in most markets) is included in FuboTV’s main package, which includes 85 total channels and is largely tailored towards sports fans. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a handy “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which will allow you to watch the game on-demand up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
In addition to their extensive Netflix-like streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including CBS (live in most markets). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Preview
With Heisman hopeful Will Grier leading an explosive offense, West Virginia enters the 2018 season as legitimate contenders in the Big 12. They may have won just seven games a year ago, but that’s largely due to the season-ending injury Grier suffered against Texas late in the year.
In the 10 games prior to the injury, Grier threw for 3,440 yards (344.0 per game), averaged 9.1 yards per attempt and had a 34:12 TD:INT ratio. WVU went 7-3 in those games, averaging 39.0 points per game and losing their three contests by an average of just 8.3 points. Without Grier at the helm, the Mountaineers went 0-3, averaged 19.7 points per game, and had an average margin of defeat of 19.3 points.
Now, Grier’s healthy, four of the team’s top five receivers are back, including slot dynamo Gary Jennings Jr. and red-zone monster David Sills V, who combined for 157 catches, 2,076 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, and the offensive line returns four starters.
As long as everyone stays healthy, this offense could very easily be one of the best–and most entertaining–in the nation.
That’s not exactly the case for Tennessee.
Pruitt has remained tight-lipped about his quarterback, with Stanford grad transfer Keller Chryst and redshirt sophomore Jarrett Guarantano being listed as co-starters going into Saturday’s matchup. And whoever is behind center, he’ll have to play behind an offensive line that has one star (left tackle Trey Smith) and a whole lot of question marks.
This is an offense that finished 122nd in America in yards per play a year ago, and while the coaching changes should help, it’s still difficult to imagine them putting up points with any kind of consistency.
There are some talented pieces to work with for Pruitt–Tennessee’s last three recruiting classes have ranked 14th, 17th and 21st in the country–but this is still largely regarded as a rebuilding year for the team that won four games last season.
Put it all together, and West Virginia are favored by 10 points. And if it doesn’t take Grier and Co. long to get back into a rhythm, they could easily surpass that estimate.
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