Tennessee Vols' Worley steady as crowd watches

photo Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley (14) is Tennesse's starting quarterback.

KNOXVILLE - Tennessee's open practice Saturday night at Neyland Stadium in front of an estimated, early-arriving crowd of 40,000 provided a glimpse into the Volunteers two weeks before their season opener.

There was no rainstorm this time, either.

Here are five quick reactions from Saturday night's action:

1. Worley at the helm: At the Vols' open practice last year, Justin Worley was still battling for the starting quarterback job. He's already won the job this year, and he delivered a steady, poised performance with many eyes on him.

2. Go North, young man: Sophomore receiver Marquez North was nearly unstoppable Saturday night and made a handful of big plays. He followed up an acrobatic catch from his back with a long touchdown catch from Worley near the end of practice.

3. Robertson rolling: Freshman Jashon Robertson began training camp at defensive tackle, and he may end it as a starting guard. He got extensive first-team work Saturday with former right guard Kyler Kerbyson sliding out to right tackle in freshman Coleman Thomas's spot.

4. Secondary shuffle? As he did in Saturday morning's practice, Michael Williams took first-team repetitions ahead of freshman Emmanuel Moseley. The redshirt sophomore track athlete made some nice plays Saturday night, too.

5. Saulsberry hurt: Defensive tackle Trevarris Saulsberry went down with an injury during one team period and put very little weight on his left leg as he was being helped off. It could be a blow to Tennessee's defensive line.

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com

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