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Tennessee: Fulmer, Clawson laud offensive progress

By: Wes Rucker
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Dave Clawson

KNOXVILLE — The media isn’t allowed in for most of Tennessee’s football practice each day. Therefore, most of first-year coordinator Dave Clawson’s offense is a mystery.

But whatever the Vols’ offense is doing behind the black curtains of Haslam Field has been well received by Clawson and head coach Phillip Fulmer.

“As far as lining up and moving around, we’re probably right now, after four days, where we were at the end of spring practice offensively,” Fulmer said after Tuesday night’s practice. “The guys used this summer and they studied extensively hard, and we’re making strides that way.”

Clawson went even further, saying the team was “a step ahead of where we finished this spring.

“When you finish the spring, you think they’re going to lose something, and you’ll take a step back,” he said. “We came back much ahead of where I thought we were going to be. Now it’s just a process of keeping moving it forward and try not to take many steps back as we get everything in.”

Clawson said he’ll treat today’s first practice in full pads as simply “the fifth day of installation.” Fulmer sounded a little more eager to hear pads popping.

“When you get in pads, and you really get a chance to hit somebody ... that’s how you play football,” Fulmer said. “You have to be smart. We’re not going to be stupid about it, but we’ve got some we’ve moved around a little bit, and we’ve got some young guys, and we want to see how they’re going to react.”

Junior All-SEC linebacker Rico McCoy said the team will see today “where we really stand.” As one of the team’s most ferocious hitters, he said that with a big smile across his face.

“The first day in full pads, everybody can see what they really have,” McCoy said. “It’s especially a big day for the new guys. The young guys are going to come out here and see what college football is about. They’re going to hit linemen almost 100 pounds bigger than what they’re used to.

“I know it was like that for me.”

No word on Warren

Tuesday featured another impressive Brandon Warren performance on the practice field, and another day of UT coaches impatiently waiting for the SEC’s ruling on the Florida State tight end transfer’s eligibility status.

“I just hope we can have him,” Clawson said. “He’s a good athlete. There’s no question that he can help our football team. It would be a great bonus if we have him, and hopefully that will work out.

“I don’t want to go to the other place.”

Fulmer raved about Warren’s versatility, which would be a tremendous asset to a team searching for H-back Chris Brown’s replacement.

“Brandon can play on the ball and be tough enough to get after a defensive end well enough,” Fulmer said. “He can certainly play off the ball, or in the backfield, or even split out as a wide receiver or slot receiver. He’s a football player. He catches on really well, and he’s got the mentality that you like to coach. He doesn’t like to be tackled. He likes to win the drills.

“He is one heck of a football player.”

MIAs

The Vols took the season’s first few casualties Tuesday, but none were thought to be seious, with the possible exception of junior defensive tackle Chase Nelson’s knee.

“It’s sprained, or something like that,” Fulmer said.

Sophomore center Cody Pope was helped off the field during pre-practice stretches, but Fulmer said Pope was “doing fine. It looked like he was just sick.”

Junior tight end Jeff Cottam sat out Tuesday after practicing the first three days on a limited basis. Cottam’s broken leg hasn’t healed as quickly as the training staff hoped, but Fulmer is still optimistic that he’ll be at least close to 100 percent by the Sept. 1 opener at UCLA.

Closing notes

Fulmer said four of his upperclassmen on the defensive line — senior tackles Demonte Bolden and Walter Fisher, senior end Robert Ayers and junior end Wes Brown — “don’t look like the same guys as last year.” He said those four “are starting to look the part.” ... Fulmer said freshman Steven Fowlkes “may have found a home at defensive end, if we can put some weight on him.” He is 6-foot-5 and about 215 pounds. ... Fulmer said the five receivers standing out after four days of practice are seniors Josh Briscoe and Lucas Taylor, juniors Austin Rogers and Quintin Hancock and sophomore Gerald Jones.

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