Jeremy Pruitt figures he’ll learn something about what type of coach he is during the remainder of this season.

Tennessee (3-4, 1-3 SEC) will close with a five-game stretch during which the Vols shouldn’t be at a significant talent disadvantage against any opponent. No more ridiculously lopsided betting lines, like when Tennessee was a 29.5-point underdog to Alabama or a 30.5-point underdog to Georgia.

To reach bowl eligibility, Tennessee must win three of its final five games. The quest begins Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at South Carolina (3-3, 2-3).

“If you want to know how good a coach you are, just look at what you put on the field,” Pruitt said, “because what you put on the field, that's yours, that's mine, that's ours. We've got to do a good job of getting these guys to play at their highest level all the time, and that all comes back to me.

“I'm looking forward to the next five weeks.”

Jeremy Pruitt tasked with motivating a roster he didn’t assemble

Pruitt challenged his players after last week’s 58-21 loss to Alabama: Play better, or risk being replaced.

Trouble is, if there were more talented options, they’d already be playing. It’s not a roster with endless choices. Pruitt is determined to elevate this team’s talent on the recruiting trail, but that doesn’t help him now.

He must figure out how to get more out of what he’s got.

“He’s challenging us as a team to step it up,” senior defensive end Kyle Phillips said. “We’re going to need everybody to get bought in so this program can be the program that we want it to be. I liked his comments. I thought they were very good. I think a lot of people on the team have got to step up.”

Pruitt’s confrontational, critical style is an interesting move, given that this is a roster he inherited, not one he assembled. He doesn’t have years of relationship equity to lean on with these players. Many of them, he didn’t recruit.

Vols defensive back Baylen Buchanan is one who was recruited by Pruitt when Pruitt was the defensive coordinator at Georgia, “so I know what Coach Pruitt is about,” Buchanan said.

“Everybody knows that he’s a smart coach. Everybody is willing to learn from him. You get confrontation, you know you’re going to have to deal with it. If you messed up in the game, you’re going to have to deal with it. That’s just what it is. You’ve got to learn from it, and you’ve got to correct it.”

Vols team leaders must help their coach

Pruitt noted it’s his responsibility to get more from players not performing their best, but he could use some help bringing those players along.

“We need some of the guys that do it the (right) way to demand that — whether it's their roommates, their friends, their teammates — that they get on the same level as them,” Pruitt said.

In other words, Pruitt wants his team leaders to reflect his style. That is, be confrontational.

“He challenged us,” tight end Eli Wolf said. “We’ve got to use that as motivation to be better ourselves, and as a leader on the football team, I feel like that’s a personal challenge, too.

“Nothing’s personal on a football field. Calling somebody out and wanting what’s best for them, it’s helping the team.”

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