KNOXVILLE -- The Tennessee football team continued preparations for Saturday's contest vs. Mississippi State with a spirited workout Wednesday at Haslam Field.
The Vols, currently 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the SEC, have a chance to turn things around with back-to-back home games in the next two weeks. After the Bulldogs visit Neyland Stadium on Saturday, No. 2-ranked Alabama comes calling on Oct. 25.
The Vols still have five SEC games to play despite the season being at its midway point, and head coach Phillip Fulmer sees resiliency in his troops on the practice field.
"I told the team a little bit ago how much I appreciate how impressive they have been about bouncing back and coming back to work on the practice field,''”Fulmer said. "We're working at solving problems at different places to get our season back where we all want it to be.
"The coaches are working hard to do what they need to do. It's really refreshing and pleasing to come out and watch the energy of these young people and the attitude that they've had to stay together.''”
Tennessee's practices this week have been heavier on contact drills in an effort to create more carryover from the practice to the game. Tuesday's workout was the team's most physical since preseason camp, and Wednesday brought more of the same.
"We've probably had our best week--at least two days--of practice,'' Fulmer said. "Tomorrow is another day. We've got to make that go to the game field, so we've had more game-like stuff this week, a considerable amount of full-speed inside run and full-speed blitz pickup.
"You're really nervous about those kinds of things because you can get somebody hurt, but we've made it through. Hopefully it will translate to the field.''”
A physical week of practice is appropriate preparation for the task at hand. The Vols' 33-21 win over the Bulldogs in Starkville last season was a run-heavy, smash mouth affair. The 2008 edition kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The game will be available on VideoSeat Pay-Per-View.
MIMS FOUND DEAD AT AGE 38
Former Tennessee defensive end and San Diego Chargers defensive lineman Chris Mims was found dead Wednesday morning in his downtown Los Angeles apartment. Police said there did not appear to be any evidence of foul play. Mims was 38.
The Los Angeles native played two seasons for the Vols, earning All-SEC honors during his senior campaign of 1991. Mims finished with 90 career tackles in 19 games played, compiling 91/2 sacks and 12 pass deflections.
Mims then was selected by the Chargers 23rd overall in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played eight NFL seasons, seven with the Chargers and one with the Washington Redskins before retiring in 2000. Included in that span was a stretch of 46 consecutive games started during the 1994-96 seasons. Mims tallied 42 sacks for his career, including season highs of 11 in 1994 and 10 during his rookie campaign of 1992.
BERRY EARNS MID-SEASON ALL-AMERICA HONOR
Tennessee safety Eric Berry’s proclivity for breaking decades-old records is gaining national attention. Wednesday, the sensational sophomore was named to the CBSSports.com 2008 Midseason All-America Team.
The Vols safety currently leads the SEC and is tied for the national lead with four interceptions. His interception and 54-yard return Saturday at Georgia upped his career interception return yardage total to 325, surpassing the 39-year-old Tennessee record of 305 and moving Berry into third on the SEC's all-time list.
His 325 career interception return yards eclipse former Vols Mike Jones (1967-69) and Tim Priest (1968-70), each of whom tallied 305 yards during their UT careers. The only SEC players still ahead of Berry are Bobby Wilson (1946-49) of Ole Miss with 379 yards and Darryl Bishop (1971-73) of Kentucky with 376.
As a freshman, Berry finished with five interceptions for 222 return yards to break Tennessee's season record of 177 set by Bobby Majors in 1970. Berry's 2007 yardage total was second best in SEC history, trailing only the 244 by Florida's Joe Brodsky in 1956.
Phil Steele Publications also tabbed Berry as a first-team member of its 2008 Mid-Season All-SEC squad. Other Vols named by Steele were second-teamers Anthony Parker (OL), Rico McCoy (LB) and Ellix Wilson (LB), and third-teamers Ramon Foster (OL) and Dan Williams (DT).
UT LEGEND GUS MANNING IS FRIDAY’S GUEST ON UTSPORTS.COM LIVE FOOTBALL CHAT
UTsports.com hosts a live one-hour chat with a member of the Tennessee football family every home football Friday from 1-2 p.m. ET. This Friday’s guest is UT legend and longtime athletics department staffer Gus Manning.
Manning is the athletic department’s closest internal link to legendary head football coach Gen. Robert R. Neyland, who hired Manning in 1951 as Tennessee’s sports information director. A Knoxville native, Manning served as Neyland’s right-hand man for years, filling the role of administrative assistant, assistant athletics director, associate athletics director and eventually senior associate athletics director. He now serves as a consultant to current athletics director Mike Hamilton.
Manning reached a milestone in 2003 by attending his 600th consecutive Tennessee football game. The streak reached 608 games later in the season before an ankle injury caused him to miss the Vols’ game at Kentucky.
Recently, Manning and his longtime associate, fellow UT retiree Haywood Harris, co-authored the books Six Seasons Remembered, The National Championship Years of Tennessee Football, and Once A Vol, Always a Vol. The duo also hosts each fall the weekly radio show “The Locker Room”—the longest continuous-running sports radio show in the America.
Manning has been inducted into the Tennessee Sports, Knoxville Sports and Knoxville Football Officials Association halls of fame. He also serves on several sports-related committees, including some affiliated with the Southeastern Conference.
Manning graduated from UT in 1950, and his knowledge of Volunteers athletics is unrivaled. His days on Rocky Top have produced countless stories—from driving down the interstate with baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio to sharing dinner in Chicago with Doug Atkins and his Bears teammates to collaborating with broadcasting legend Lindsey Nelson to create the Vol Network.
Big Orange fans from around the world are encouraged to log on to UTsports.com and submit questions, which may be submitted in advance of Friday’s live session or through the duration of the chat. Due to time constraints, it may not be possible to answer all questions. All submissions require the accompaniment of the submitter’s name, city and state.
Dr. Rob Hardin is the moderator for UT’s Live Football Chats. Hardin is an associate professor in the Sport Management program at Tennessee. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of collegiate athletics and sport communication. He also assists the Sports Information Office with game-day operations.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)