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Vols prepare for first scrimmage

by UT Sports Information on August 9, 2010

in Tennessee Vols Football

The Tennessee Volunteers installed their two-minute offense and defense on the sixth day of fall practice Monday during another hot afternoon at Haslam Field.

Head coach Derek Dooley said practice had good tempo and energy as the Vols prepared for their first modified scrimmage of fall camp Tuesday.

“Like most first days of two-minutes, it’s four and done, so we have a lot of work to do,” Dooley said. “It was a ‘move the field day,’ a script day, so it was the first time our coaches are off the field and the players have to play. They have to make the calls, and they have to make the checks. Sometimes, you practice so much, and you get reliant on hearing that voice. It showed up a little bit today. We had a couple of busts on the back end.

“Tomorrow, we’ll go out and do it again and see how the players respond.”

Dooley said he typically employs a scrimmage-style practice the seventh day at camp, to let the team “play some ball” and break up the cycle of practice. Tuesday’s practice will be a modified scrimmage, and like Monday, coaches will be working from the sidelines instead of in the huddle.

“It’s just to get people lathered up,” Dooley said. “Let’s go tackle. Let’s let them play a little bit. Then, it’s a good time to catch our breath and evaluate where we are and where we need to go the next few days.”

WELLS TEARS ACL

Tennessee’s sprinting star Evander Wells college football career came to an unfortunate end less than a week into fall camp. Dooley said the 9-time track All-America tore his ACL in practice Sunday.

Wells wrapped up his stellar track and field career for the Vols in the spring before joining the football team. He finished fourth in the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Championships in June. Later that month, he placed fourth in the 200 and seventh in the 100 at the USA Track & Field Championships.

Dooley said Wells could have factored into the Vols’ return game.

POSITION CHANGE

Senior Victor Thomas is changing positions again. This time, he’s moving back to the defensive line.

The coaching staff shifted Thomas from defensive line to center during the spring to add depth to the position, but sophomore junior college transfer Darin Gooch and junior Cody Pope have both been taking most of the snaps from center in the fall. Dooley said James Stone and Carson Anderson have seen action at center as well.

‘ALL YOUR MIGHT’ SHIRTS

The Official 2010 Tennessee Football Shirt presented by Dish Network is now available at the Adidas store inside Neyland Stadium’s Gate 20 or at the UT Bookstore. Fans are being asked to help the Vols create an orange-out for the Sept. 18 Tennessee-Florida game. That’s the Official 2010 Tennessee Football Shirt with the slogan, “All Your Might,” presented by Dish Network.

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