HC Jeremy Pruitt Compares Tennessee to 'Titanic' After 2 Players Leave Team

Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt made a puzzling comparison to describe Jordan Murphy and Terrell Bailey's departures following the Volunteers' shocking loss to Georgia State in the opening week. 

During an appearance in front of the Knoxville Quarterback Club on Monday, Pruitt referenced Titanic, which was released in 1997, and said he thought of the movie as Tennessee embarked on its nightmare start.

"When the boat starts going down, remember all those mice running to the top, right?" he said, per the Knoxville News Sentinel's Mike Wilson. "We have had a few that's left our program, but you will figure out who wants to be a Tennessee Vol and who don't."

There's almost no scenario in which juxtaposing your team with the Titanic—even indirectly—will work out. It's also hard to understand the point Pruitt was trying to make since the boat sank regardless of what the animals aboard were doing.

Tennessee followed up its defeat to Georgia State with a double-overtime loss to BYU, which included the Cougars completing a 64-yard pass with six seconds remaining to set up Jake Oldroyd's game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter.

Things will probably get worse for the Vols before they get better, too. Tennessee should get its first win Saturday against Chattanooga but then faces Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Alabama and South Carolina in succession.

Pruitt's team might be out of the bowl hunt by the end of October, in which case he could be playing the role of the captain going down with his ship.