KNOXVILLE -- The Tennessee football team concluded the last of its double-practice sessions with two workouts on Thursday. The morning practice had the Vols at Haslam Field in full pads for a more than two hours and concluded with 30 minutes of live 11-on-11 situational work. After practice, head coach Philip Fulmer said the younger players’ inexperience is still an issue.

“I think we’re tired,” Fulmer said. “The older guys knew how to fight through it, and the younger guys, we'll see on the tape. We had a good situational scrimmage, some good individual work. We worked on long yardage, short yardage and goal line.”

The first-team defense impressed Fulmer by creating turnovers and delivering several big hits. The second-team defense did not play to expectations.

“Our second-team defensive front was soft today,” Fulmer said. “I challenged them after practice. We have to get a lot better there. We'll see the tape and certainly get a lot out of it on both sides.”
“It may have been assignment things. It may have been whatever it was, but we certainly weren't a formidable opponent today.”

The team worked out again in the afternoon for almost two hours inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center and was joined for several periods by the Pride of the Southland Band. The band joins the Vols annually for a preseason practice to motivate the players and serve as a change of pace during often-repetitive workouts.

“They come see us every year,” Fulmer said. “I think Bruce Warwick actually brought them in today. It actually surprised me, too. I was glad to see it. I thought it picked the kids up a little bit. It broke up practice.”

Practicing in shells, the Vols focused on special teams and individual work early before coming together for 11-on-11 work to finish the day. Fulmer was encouraged by a couple of big plays from the wide receivers, but noted that there is still work to be done in determining the playing rotation.

“You would like to have eight or nine guys that are ready,” Fulmer said. “Right now, we've got five that we could put in the game. Hopefully we will get that number up to seven or eight.”

Tennessee will workout in shells again on Friday afternoon before scrimmaging Saturday night under the lights at Neyland Stadium.

The Vols open the 2007 campaign Sept. 1 at California. Kick off is slated for 5 p.m. Pacific time on ABC.

FSN SOUTH AND SPORTSOUTH TO TELEVISE SEC COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW SHOWS
FSN South and SportSouth are currently airing a series of 30-minute college football preview shows spotlighting all 12 member institutions of the Southeastern Conference. All 12 previews will air on multiple occasions throughout the month of August.

Shot on-location at each school campus, the SEC college football preview shows provide an in-depth review of the 2006 season, a look ahead to the 2007 schedule and exclusive interviews with each school’s head coach and select key players.

Tennessee’s preview show airs for the first time Thursday at 7 p.m. on FSN South. The show re-airs on FSN South Monday at 1:30 p.m. The show can be seen on SportSouth beginning Aug. 17 (10 a.m.) and repeating Aug. 19 (7:30 p.m.), 22 (10 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.), 26 (9:30 p.m.) and 30 (10:30 p.m.).

(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)