The VOLS wrapped up their first week of Fall practice on Saturday with a full pad practice inside Neyland Stadium. As promised, Freshman got first team reps from the start on Wednesday and some will contribute immediately this season. Although the final depth chart won't be released for a couple weeks, there is still plenty to talk about as players compete for a position. Here is what we are hearing after week 1.
Offensive Line
One of many misconceptions about the VOLS is that the OL will struggle in 2009. As we have seen after the first week, this is not the case and the OL appears to have improved more than any other unit since the first practice. There are depth issues on our OL no doubt, but it is hard to find a more seniored front 5 in the SEC. The four returning seniors have a combined 80 starts under their belt at UT, which includes signifcant playing time in 2007 when they were ranked as the #1 OL in the nation. As many had thought, a lot of UT's struggle on OL in 2008 can be contributed to the "Clawfense."
Jarrod Shaw is one player who could see a significant increase in playing time in 2009. After losing 24 lbs, Shaw has made some plays that have got the coaching staff's attention. In general, it is Lane Kiffin's opionion that the OL was too fat last year and expects all OL to be in better shape in 2009. Aaron Douglas has transitioned from TE to the interior line smoothly and should see major playing time in a reserved role in 2009. At this point, Shaw looks to be the starting tackle opposite of Chris Scott.
Running Backs
It is safe to say that the running game will be UT's bread and butter in 2009. Thus far, RB David Oku has been the most impressive freshman on the offensive side of the ball. Not to say Bryce Brown hasn't been impressive too, for both saw the endzone in Saturday's scrimmage.
Oku isn't backing down from Bryce Brown or anyone else for that matter. Earlier in the week, Oku got into a shoving altercation with a veteran defender after the defender took his time getting off of him after a tackle. Bryce Brown got lit up on Thursday a couple times and might have received a slight concussion. On Saturday, Brown was hit hard behind the line of scrimmage but responded on the next play with a 13 yard run. Brown expects that many teams will try and whoop up on him giving his hype and isn't afraid of physical contact.
However, don't sleep on sophomore RB Taureen Poole or senior Montario Hardesty. Poole has showed up everyday and continues to show he is ready to contribue in 2009. In Saturday's scrimmage, Poole showed he had moves by making safeties miss in the open field twice during the scrimmage. He finished the day with approximately 145 yards and scored twice on runs of 75 and 44 yards. Hardesty continues to be the leader in the locker room and would be ready to play today if the season was to start. Don't be surprised or scared if the two frosh RB's have to play behind the two veterans this season.
Quarterbacks
After struggling most of the week, both Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens looked good in Saturday's scrimmage. Crompton may have had his best practice ever in Saturday's scrimmage. Crompton set the tone early on Saturday, going 11 for 11 and scoring on the first two drives. He hooked up with Gerald Jones for 68 yards on a perfectly thrown ball down the sideline. He finished the day 13 of 16 for 160 yards with 2 TD's and no interceptions. Stephens looked good too, going 9 for 13 for 100 yards and no turnovers. JUCO transfer Nick Lamaison threw the only interception on the day.
Wide Receivers
After transitioning from TE to WR, there is no doubt that junior Brandon Warren has what it takes to excel at the receiver position. Warren showed great hands all week by reeling in some impressive catches and finished the week with a TD on Satuday. Junior Gerald Jones showed toughness playing in a cast all week and appears to have more speed playing at 190 lbs. Jones played without the cast on Saturday and caught a 68 yard pass down the sideline from Crompton. Jones should be ready to play by the opener as long as he doesn't reinjure his wrist that required surgery during the offseason. With Denarious Moore sidelined with a foot injury, expect senior Quintin Hancock to be the third receiver entering the season. At 6'3, Hancock gives UT that big-body receiver that Kiffin was accustomed to at USC.
Freshmen Nu'keese Richardson, Marsalis Teague, and Zach Rogers continue to get work with the first team. Of the three, Nu'keese will likely see the most playing time. Nu'keese is fast as lightening and very hard to tackle. Many thought he would have to be acclimated to the SEC before being a factor in UT's offense. However, Nuke says he has been the smallest player his whole life so don't think for a moment he is scared to play as a frosh in the SEC.
The VOLS will resume practice today and I will have a story up on the defense before the end of the day.
