Tennessee pulls redshirt off QB Will McBride vs. Southern Miss
Tennessee coach Butch Jones is a man of his word.
Earlier this week, Jones said he would take the redshirt off freshman quarterback Will McBride if necessary. McBride is currently serving as Jarrett Guarantano’s backup after Quinten Dormady had season-ending shoulder surgery.
Well, during Saturday’s 24-10 win over Southern Miss, Guarantano needed to exit the game for a few plays in the first half. And, just like he said he would, Jones inserted McBride.
McBride, a three-star recruit in the class of 2017, played a grand total of three plays before Guarantano came back in the game. Three. He threw a pass on one of those plays. It fell incomplete.
Good God that's Matt Saracen —err, Will McBride— music! The Texas native will make his debut after Jarrett Guarantano exits with an injury.
— Jesse Simonton (@JesseReSimonton) November 5, 2017
Will McBride's red shirt is officially burned. Played three snaps
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) November 5, 2017
Guarantano ended up sitting out the entire second half, though Jones said after the game that he could have come back in.
Butch: Guarantano could have come back in the game late.
Says they have a lot of confidence in Will.
— RockyTopTalk (@RockyTopTalk) November 5, 2017
Tennessee entered Saturday’s game at 3-5. Southern Miss, a member of Conference-USA, is a non-conference opponent. So we understand not wanting to risk Guarantano. But taking the redshirt off McBride also means he’s got just three more years of eligibility instead of four. It’s an odd trade. And very Tennessee.
McBride finished 1-8 passing for 13 yards.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
