University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Lack Intensity During Pre-Scrimmage Practice
August 12, 2005 | Football
Aug. 12, 2005
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Phillip Fulmer decided it was time to throw a big bucket of cold water on what have been mostly positive early reviews about the Tennessee football team. Friday's 90-minute workout at Lindsey Nelson Stadium did not quite meet the head coach's expectations.
To say the least.
"I think we've got a chance to have a pretty darn good football team but we didn't look like it today," Fulmer said. "We let the sun get to us, I think. We let a mental lapse before a scrimmage get to us, I think, and it wasn't a good day.
"We're all accountable for that."
The Vols held their shortest practice of training camp in preparation for Saturday's first full scrimmage of the season. But the Vols' coach said he saw little good in what practice there was.
"We didn't take a day off but we didn't practice with the intensity we need to practice with to be the kind of team that we're talking about trying to be," he said. "I think it's hot, the heat got to them a little bit, we've got a scrimmage tomorrow, we had a really tough, long hard practice yesterday, probably sore and beat up a little bit.
"It's probably a little human nature kicking in but you've got to fight through that. It didn't bother guys like Parys Haralson and Omar Gaither and Jason Allen. We've just got a lot of young guys who don't know how it's done yet."
Tennessee scrimmages Saturday at Neyland Stadium to wrap up its second week of preseason practice.
The Vols open their 2005 season Sept. 3, hosting UAB at Neyland Stadium. A limited number of tickets remain on sale at the Thompson-Boling Arena ticket office.
ESPN TELECAST OF VOLS' PRACTICE SET FOR WEDNESDAY
ESPN is bringing its college football road crew to Knoxville a little earlier than usual this year.
An army of uplink trucks, camera operators and reporters will be roaming Haslam Field early Wednesday morning during the Vols' practice, taping what will become a one-hour program airing at noon Eastern time that same day on ESPN. Mark May, Jerry Punch and Bill Curry will be dissecting UT's early-season form and speaking with the Tennessee coaching staff during the workout.
Later airings of the Tennessee practice session on ESPNU are (all times Eastern): Wednesday at 8 p.m.; Thursday at 8 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.; Friday at 1:30 a.m., 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Aug. 20 at midnight; and Aug. 25 at 2 p.m.
