University of Tennessee Athletics
VOLS HOPING TO PUT PIECES TOGETHER AGAINST IRISH
November 01, 2005 | Football
Nov. 1, 2005
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Tennessee continued preparations for this weekend's trip to Notre Dame with a two-hour practice Tuesday at Haslam Field. Head coach Phillip Fulmer has closed practice to the media but indicated more changes are in store when the Vols reach South Bend.
"As far as our planning for this week, Randy will go to the press box (during the game)," Fulmer said of Randy Sanders, who Monday announced his decision to relinquish the offensive coordinator position. "He and I will share the play-calling duties as we go through. The staff collectively is having input because obviously we're all affected by that.
"We need everybody to really understand that this is a group of very, very prideful men as a staff we're talking about that love the program, love the kids and have worked extremely hard. We just, offensively, haven't been able to get it done quite like we would have liked."
The Vols, 3-4, have dropped three in a row and lost their last two games to Alabama and South Carolina by a combined four points despite allowing only a combined 22 points in those games. Key turnovers and mistakes have proved to be the downfall.
"It gets back to the discipline of being able to manage the football and take care of the football and the discipline of the penalty game," Fulmer said. "Those two areas right there, ball security and the penalty game, are great equalizers in any game where two teams are fairly evenly matched.
"The truth of it be known, we're five or six or seven plays away from having a season that we're all very proud of. But that's not the case."
Notre Dame enters the game at 5-2 with dreams remaining on track for a Bowl Championship Series bid.
"Have we played our best football of the season yet?" Fulmer asked. "No, I don't think that we have. If we put all the pieces together and play really well, we'd certainly hope to go into Notre Dame and turn this thing around."
INJURY REPORT (Notre Dame Week): Probable -- C Richie Gandy (knee), DE Parys Haralson (knee), OT Arron Sears (toe); Questionable -- TB Arian Foster (knee/shoulder), OG Rob Smith (shoulder), TB Ja'Kouri Williams (knee).
