Wednesday, Oct. 1, 8:45 p.m.

KNOXVILLE — He are a couple of quick items to address before Wednesday’s interviews with University of Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer and his two potential starting quarterbacks, junior Jonathan Crompton and sophomore Nick Stephens.

One is serious.

One is not.

You be the judge, though...

BIZ MARKIE McCLENDON?

Rare comic relief in the UT program this fall has come from page three of every week’s game notes.

One of its running features is “double take,” where a named or anonymous Vol submits a teammate’s celebrity look alike.

An anonymous player this week compared junior guard and former Baylor School star Jacques McClendon to rapper Biz Markie.

Markie — whose real name is Marcel Hall — is a New York City rapper best known for his 1989 single, “Just a Friend.”

For an extra bit of humor, McClendon’s picture on the page is followed by “OG” — which could be interpreted as “offensive guard” or “original gangster.”

‘READ FOR THE RECORD’

Fifteen UT student-athletes on Thursday morning will read to 100 children from UT’s Early Learning Center and Thaxton Elementary School.

The reading is part of the “Read for the Record” initiative by Jumpstart and Pearson Education, where several universities will team up in efforts to break the world record for children read to in one day.

WEDNESDAY Q-AND-A’s

PHILLIP FULMER

Opening statement:

“Today was a good, aggressive day. Obviously, we’ve got problems that we’re trying to fix at a couple of different spots, particularly trying to evaluate the quarterbacks and make a good decision, from that standpoint. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re making strides that way. But I do like the attitude, particularly the defensive tempo that’s being set on the practice field, and how they’re going about their business, and then the progress that we’re making from some offensive standpoints.”

Q: Is there a clearer timetable now to name a starting quarterback?

FULMER: “No. I’m not going to sit here and say that. It’s every day, and we’ll evaluate it as we go. I’ll certainly tell the team before I’ll tell anybody else.”

Q: Can you assess how Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens have practiced this week?

FULMER: “Both of them are competing. We’re going some things with Gerald, too, but both of those guys are really working. I think their antennas are both up. We’ve been a good practice team, but it’s what we’re doing in a game that counts. We’ve got to make that carry over.”

Q: How much have Wes Brown and Vladimir Richard been able to do this week?

FULMER: “Vlad, very little. I’m real disappointed. I thought he’d be back by now at least at 90 percent. Wes has got some work to do, but he’ll be fine. His knee is just going to be an ongoing, maintenance problem, and there will be certain days that he’s off, but he’ll be fine. I really like the way those young (defensive) ends are playing. I really like the way that Gerald Williams is playing. Those guys are making some significant progress. LaMarcus Thompson, in the absence of Ellix Wilson — who is not 100 percent this week, but I do think he’ll be available for the game — but LaMarcus is showing some progress. Building that depth is really good. Daryl Vereen moved to linebacker, and he looks like a fast linebacker. He was never a slow guy, but rather than be a limited safety, he looks like a very fast linebacker. That’s a real plus for us. Jeff Cottam is back. We got him some work (Tuesday), and he did full speed work (Wednesday). They said if he made it through today without any issues, they’d release him, so we’re expecting him to get some limited work on Saturday. That’s a real big plus for us.”

Q: Regardless of how it shakes out Saturday, how important will the quarterbacks’ performance that night be, going forward?

FULMER: “You know, if somebody just takes off with it, that’s a different story. Right now, that hasn’t happened, necessarily, in a game. Nick really hasn’t had a chance to do that. We’re certainly not going to give up on anybody, regardless of what happens.”

Q: How have the receivers responded to the inconsistent quarterback play?

FULMER: “Not bad in practice at all, but very frustrated at times on the field. When we needed to make a first down or two to kick a field goal to win a game (and didn’t), everybody was frustrated about that. But in practice, the guys do good. It’s not like they’re without ability. We’ve just got to play better in ball games.”

Q: Does it help a quarterback to have advance knowledge that he is or isn’t starting a game?

FULMER: “It probably does. We’ll let them know in good time. But it does probably help everybody. I’m not going to be backed into corner as to when we’ll do it, but the quarterbacks will know before you guys, and the team will know before you guys. Usually, you guys know that about 10 minutes later, any way.”

NICK STEPHENS

Q: What are your thoughts on potentially playing Saturday?

STEPHENS: “It’s exciting. Right now you can’t think about it. Start thinking ahead, and you might hurt your practice reps today.”

Q: What’s been the big difference last few weeks in practice?

STEPHENS: “That’s probably the biggest thing, seeing the defense and knowing what the defense is doing and knowing the play.”

Q: Did you think you would play last Saturday at Auburn?

STEPHENS: “I felt maybe I would, but Crompton made that good run to give us a first down and move the chains.”

Q: What are some of the factors that led to your recent improvement?

STEPHENS: “I can remember going into Coach Clawson’s office numerous times and asking him what I need to get better at. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better in those areas where he wanted me to improve. I was patting the ball some. Fundamentally, I got better. The playbook, I got better. I’ve done the things he asks me to do.

Q: What percentage of the playbook do you feel comfortable with?

STEPHENS: “If (Clawson) calls it, I can run it. That’s how I feel. He should have all the confidence in me to go out and call a game. I go out, and I know the playbook.”

Q: Do you know all the audibles, too?

STEPHENS: “Right. And we have checks. I’m comfortable with those.”

Q: How do you avoid looking over your shoulder this week?

STEPHENS: “You’ve got to be self disciplined enough to play your game. Go out and play hard, play fast. You can’t ever look back over your shoulder.

“I actually have been in a situation like this. My freshman year of high school was a similar situation, and it ended up working out with me playing. Being through it one time, you learn from it and just keep getting stronger.”

Q: What are some of the things you learned from that situation in high school?

STEPHENS: “Look to the people that truly care about you. People want a lot of things and want to win. We have to go out and do what it takes to win, whether it’s me or Crompton.”

Q: Have you been dealing with any outside distractions this week?

STEPHENS: “I’ve gotten a lot of calls and text messages from friends that have been hearing about what’s going on. You can’t really think about that. Just go out and play.”

Q: Did your brief playing time against UAB help?

STEPHENS: “Absolutely. Every snap is a confidence booster. It makes you believe you have the ability to go out and lead the team.”

JONATHAN CROMPTON

Q: How has this week gone for you?

CROMPTON: “It’s a game week. We’re out there as a team trying to get better. Honestly, I’ve got to get myself better and more prepared.

“It’s just different things. I’ve just got to make sure I play better for this team, because that’s what it’s all about.”

Q: Specifically, what have your biggest problems been? Coaches have mentioned passing route progressions.

CROMPTON: “I don’t know how to answer that. It just depends on the play and the down and distance and everything.”

Q: How would you feel about splitting time with Stephens?

CROMPTON: “Obviously, that’s not what you want. You want to be the guy. Right now, you’ve got to do what’s best for the team. I’m going to go out and bust my (tail) and do what I can to get this team winning.”

Q: Do you really approach this week like it’s any other week?

CROMPTON: “I’m just trying to be better to give this team a better chance of winning. You always approach it the same way, because every day, you should be competing the same.”

Q: How would you compare yourself to Stephens?

CROMPTON: “We both have our strengths and weaknesses. We’re just trying to focus on our strengths, more than anything.

Q: How you have performed in practice this week?

CROMPTON: “I think I’ve done a pretty good job so far, but you’ve got to carry it over to (today), Friday and, of course, Saturday.”

Read www.timesfreepress.com throughout the day, and Thursday’s print edition for more information.

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