Vols' beat-up backfield hoping to 'step up'

photo UT's Derrell Scott is tackled by UTC's Lucas Webb at Neyland Stadium in this file photo.

KNOXVILLE - One Tennessee running back is in a non-contact jersey this week.

The other is moving and cutting with his left ankle heavily taped.

With or without a couple of members of their beat-up backfield, the Volunteers will have to find a way to move the ball against an Ole Miss defense allowing the second-fewest points in the nation.

"That's life in this league," running backs coach Robert Gillespie said after Wednesday's practice. "You look around at all the rosters in the country. Young guys have to step up at other places and make plays, and you're never going to be 100 percent right now. Running backs have to be able to play through little thigh bruises, hand injuries and things like that.

"I think it's par for the course right now. I think where we are as a team is where everyone else is. The great teams have enough depth to where they can overcome it, and also the great teams have tough football players that fight through it. That's where we are now, and I think this week will be a great test of who we are as a team and as a running back group."

Freshman Jalen Hurd is spending his second consecutive week in a green jersey as he manages a shoulder injury that limited his workload against Florida and meant he got just two early carries against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Marlin Lane again is trying to play through a nagging injury, this time an ankle that sidelined him for last week's win.

Devrin Young only had 10 touches on offense in addition to his kickoff returner duties, but he suffered a couple of broken ribs in the first half against the Mocs.

All the injuries in Tennessee's backfield meant freshman Derrell Scott got nine carries in his debut and walk-on Justus Pickett tripled his season carry count with 10 attempts.

"You always had nicks and bangs and turf toes and shin splints and things like that, and that's part of it," said Gillespie, who played tailback for Florida from 1998 to 2001. "I think our training staff does a really good job, and our players have done a good job getting rehab and coming in and doing extra things to get healthy and get back on the field."

On Wednesday's SEC coaches' teleconference, Tennessee coach Butch Jones indicated Hurd was more likely to play than Lane, who clearly hasn't been moving at 100 percent this week.

"Jalen's progressing exceptionally well," he said. "Has not missed a rep in practice. Marlin is a little bit slower than Jalen right now in terms of getting back, but he did practice. There's time yet. They're getting extra treatments, but I fully anticipate Jalen will play, and we're hoping that Marlin will be available as well."

In the event Lane can't go, or Hurd's shoulder limits him, it would mean more snaps for Scott, the 5-foot-11, 194-pound former four-star recruit from North Carolina.

The 23rd true freshman to play for the Vols this season, Scott had 42 yards, including a 15-yard run on a draw play on Tennessee's touchdown drive in the final two minutes of the first half.

"He still has to learn to play without the ball in his hands, just being a physical blocker, chip-blocking -- things away from the ball," Gillespie said. "It was really good to have him some game-time experience so we could actually go in there and dissect and break it down. Now he really has a product on film where we can grade it and get better from it."

Scott likely would have been a factor in Tennessee's backfield earlier than the season's fifth game if not for a couple of injuries. He missed a few of the Vols' first preseason practices with an undisclosed issue, then sat out a few weeks with a foot injury that had him in a walking boot.

Though the Vols kept him mentally engaged by having him take tests with the rest of the running backs, offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian said Scott isn't comfortable with Tennessee's entire playbook.

"There's a probably limited menu you call with him," Bajakian added, "but at the same time, he's only going to learn by doing, so you have to expose him to the whole play book."

As one of the few healthy tailbacks available for Tennessee, Scott figures to get plenty of exposure.

"This will be another jump for him, but I feel better that he has got a few reps," Gillespie said. "I think his confidence has gotten a little better. This week, he'll be in there ready to play again.

"His role will continue to grow throughout the season, because we're gonna need him. We've got a tough three-game stretch here. He's a guy we've got to get some reps to so we can keep other guys healthy."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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