University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Open Preseason Drills
August 09, 2002 | Football
Aug. 9, 2002
KNOXVILLE (Aug. 9) -- Tennessee debuted its 2002 football edition as two-a-day practices began Friday on the baseball playing surface of Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols worked for 90 minutes in the morning, then another two hours in the late afternoon as Phillip Fulmer and staff got their first looks at the team since spring practice.
?We had a good day, today," Fulmer said. "There was a lot of carry-over from the spring and even though we don?t have that many returning starters, we?re benefiting from having played a lot of people.?
Two of those veteran starters are junior quarterback Casey Clausen and junior fullback Troy Fleming, both of whom caught the eye of their head coach.
?Casey Clausen has come out as sharp as I?ve seen him, and that?s really positive,? Fulmer said. ?And Troy Fleming?s a heck of a leader out here. We just need to maintain that kind of tempo.?
Fulmer likes the shape of his squad coming off the voluntary workouts, adding, ?We?re in good shape. We had a few pulls, which is part of conditioning, but we went through a pretty rugged agility drill at the end and they hung in there nicely.?
Two-a-day practices continue through Aug. 19. Tennessee opens its 2002 season Aug. 31 against Wyoming in Nashville.
Miles Makes Statement
-- Tennessee?s secondary wasted little time showing it meant business heading into the 2002 season. Senior defensive back Willie Miles, who ended spring practice as the starting left corner, picked off a Casey Clausen aerial and returned it for a score during the morning session.
?The big thing is the guys are excited about being out there,? defensive back coach Larry Slade said. ?They?re looking forward to making plays. Willie Miles made an outstanding play today, just went up and got it. Also, they?re sort of penalizing themselves if they drop a ball, and that?s a big thing. They?re concentrating and focusing on making plays and that?s not from the coaches, it?s from the players, and I like that.?
Miles started all 12 games his junior season of 2000 before missing last year with a wrist injury.
Vols Keep Their Cool in Heat
The Vols were greeted by lower humidities in the morning session, but temperatures rose to the upper 80s by the afternoon workout. To battle the heat, Tennessee?s sports medicine staff keeps a close eye on the Volunteers. That includes 10-minute breaks every hour to rehydrate and cool down.
?Basically, these are the same precautionary measures we take during every preseason workout,? said Keith Clements, UT football trainer. ?We make sure the guys stay hydrated, get in some salts, potassium, get in the shade, get the fans on them, the water misters. They lose a lot of electrolytes during the workouts and this is part of the acclimation process.?
The sports medicine staff monitors the heat index on the field every 15 minutes so they can adjust the frequency of stoppages.
Stucky in Attendance
Former UT strength and conditioning coach John Stucky attended the morning session, much to the surprise and delight of several Vols coaches and players. Stucky spent eight years in the position at Tennessee before retiring earlier this summer.
?We were excited to see him out there,? assistant head coach and defensive coordinator John Chavis said. ?He?ll always be a part of this program and we miss seeing him around here on a daily basis. When he was here, he was very popular with the players and they certainly were very glad to see him out there supporting our team.?
Morning Practice Report
KNOXVILLE (Aug. 9) -- Tennessee's full squad had its first practice of preseason drills this morning at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The morning workout is the first of two non-contact practices the Vols will go through today.
The Vols worked for almost two hours in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts as Tennessee prepares for its Aug. 31 opener against Wyoming in Nashville.
Head coach Phillip Fulmer said he thought team had a good tempo for the first day.
"That first group was pretty sharp," Fulmer said. "The second and third teams have a ways to go, but I thought they were excited about being out here. The main thing is to make sure they stay excited throughout two-a-days.
The NCAA mandates that all teams begin with three non-contact days before putting on full pads. Prior to last year, players were not allowed to wear shoulder pads in the non-contact days. Fulmer said he thinks the change has helped the coaches from a teaching standpoint.
"It's a good rule that the NCAA made that they let us put on shoulder pads," Fulmer said. "We used to be out here in shorts and there was not a whole lot we could get done. At least in should pads you can get some things done from a technique and fundamental standpoint. The focus right now is on ourselves and make sure our fundamentals are good."
Fulmer on Carryover From Spring Practice
"We had a good carryover last year with a group of guys coming back. In 2000, we didn't have as much carryover because we did lose a lot of kids and didn't have as many guys that have played.
"Even though you can't count them as returning starters from a technical standpoint, Omari Hand and Constantin Ritzmann could easily be counted as returning starters. Michael Munoz and Jason Respert could be counted as returning starters. There is a lot of experience out there and a lot of issues to resolve in our depth."
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