KNOXVILLE -- Even 36 hours later, what happened still stung a couple of Tennessee's top defensive players.
The Volunteers clearly are eager to redeem themselves.
In Saturday night's loss to No. 4 Alabama, Tennessee's SEC-best defense took a hit as the Crimson Tide turned third down into first down on 11 of 15 tries in what Vols coach Butch Jones dubbed the storyline of the game.
"We definitely didn't like that at all," linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said Monday. "We pride ourselves on third downs and getting off the field. Overall as a defense, we didn't do a good job.
"The secondary, the linebackers, the D-linemen, everybody -- we just didn't do a good job of containing the quarterback. We let him get out a little bit and make plays. We've got to stay on that a little bit more."
After entering the Alabama game first in the SEC and eighth in the nation in opponent third-down percentage, the Vols now sit fifth and 26th in those respective rankings.
The Tide averaged less than 6 yards to go on their 15 third downs, and 10 were of 5 yards or less. Quarterback Blake Sims ran for two, most notably a third-and-9 on Alabama's long third-quarter touchdown drive. On that play, Tennessee dropped eight into coverage and had two players in position to tackle Sims, who dived for the conversion.
"Whether it's third-and-1 or third-and-10, it doesn't matter, we've just got to do a better job of getting off the field," Reeves-Maybin said.
Tennessee will try to show that was an aberration against South Carolina, which features the best offense among the Vols' final four opponents.
"We learned from it," cornerback Cam Sutton said. "We moved forward from it. We can't take it back now, but just moving forward we know where to go from now. We're just not going to let it happen again."
'Best five'
Tennessee's maligned offensive line turned in what might have been its best performance of the season against Alabama, as the Vols ran for 181 yards and allowed just two sacks -- without starters Marcus Jackson and Coleman Thomas.
Kyler Kerbyson slid from left tackle to left guard with Jackson out, and Brett Kendrick, who was beaten by Alabama D-end Xzavier Dickson for a first-drive sack and later drew a false-start penalty, started at left tackle with Jacob Gilliam replacing Thomas at right tackle.
Kerbyson is a more natural fit at guard, but Jackson is hard to keep off the field if he's healthy.
"The big thing is getting Marcus Jackson back this week," Jones said. "We fully anticipate getting him back. Now that gives us a little bit of flexibility with Kyler."
Thomas is "ahead of schedule," Jones said, and possibly could be ready for Saturday's game.
"If we can get those two individuals back, that helps immensely," Jones said, "but for us, it's just putting the best five on the field to give us an opportunity to win the game."
Smith still out
Receiver Josh Smith (ankle) will not play at South Carolina, and Jones said a medical redshirt "isn't out of the question" for the sophomore, who suffered the injury at Oklahoma in September.
Because Smith played in only three games, he would be eligible for a medical hardship if he does not return, and the Vols may make that decision if he still isn't healthy enough to play coming out of Tennessee's second open date.
"His body's not healing right now," Jones said. "He's making progress, but he's nowhere where he can play right now. We'll have this week, we'll have the bye week and then we'll again look at him and address his situation."
Defensive tackle Trevarris Saulsberry (knee) will not play against the Gamecocks after leaving the Alabama game in the fourth quarter. He was part of Tennessee's four-man rotation at tackle with Jordan Williams, Danny O'Brien and Owen Williams. Both Williamses are playing through injuries.
Leaving it late
On Alabama's first snap from scrimmage, Tide receiver Chris Black ran on the field with less than 20 seconds left on the play clock, causing confusion among Tennessee's defenders.
The Vols overloaded one side, and Alabama threw a pass in the other flat to Amari Cooper, who took it 80 yards for a touchdown, and Jones said after the game play "should've been held up a little bit" by the umpire, who is supposed to stand over the ball and allow the defense to substitute if the offenses changes its personnel.
"That's not an excuse," Reeves-Maybin said. "We've still got to get lined up to it. (We) just have to do a better job of communication out there. That's the big thing. It's being able to adjust to it. It's nothing we can't handle; we've just got to prepare for it."
Later in the first quarter, the Tide again ran a receiver onto the field with around 20 seconds left on the play clock, but the pass went to the other side of the field after safety Todd Kelly recognized it and the Vols adjusted.
Containing Cooper
The matchup between Cooper and Sutton never really materialized, as the Tide star got most of his program-record 224 yards against Michael Williams and Emmanuel Moseley, the Vols' other corners.
Cooper got behind Sutton for his 41-yard first-quarter touchdown after beating him off the line with a double move.
"I lined up with him a couple of times throughout the course of the game," Sutton said. "Like I said, with that offense, they do a great job of moving him around throughout the slot, with different formations, outside, inside. They work their offense around trying to get him the ball, and they're really good at it."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timespress.com