University of Tennessee Athletics
FULMER SAYS VOLS WILL HANDLE QUICK TURNAROUND
September 28, 2005 | Football
Sept. 28, 2005
Tennessee made the most of its extended practice time Wednesday, working for two hours at Haslam Field in preparation for Saturday's clash with Mississippi. The Vols were granted four additional hours by the NCAA this week above the normal 20-hour participation limit because of the LSU game postponement from Saturday to Monday.
Tennessee's 30-27 overtime win in Baton Rouge left a good feeling throughout the squad, but turnaround time is short for this weekend's 12:30 p.m. kickoff at Neyland Stadium.
"It's very important for us now to take the maturity and mental toughness we showed in that football game and put it behind us," head coach Phillip Fulmer said. "I think the leadership on this staff and this football team will certainly get that done."
The Vols, 2-1 overall and 1-1 SEC, survived back-to-back September trips to Florida and LSU with a split and kept their place in the conference picture thanks to Monday's 21-point, second-half rally.
"The LSU win becomes much more important if we continue to do what we're capable of doing," Fulmer said. "That's my hope, that we'll be mature enough -- and I believe we are -- to handle this short week, to handle the preparation, to put the LSU game behind us and play a great football game against Ole Miss."
Mississippi enters at 1-2 overall and 0-1 SEC. The Rebels won at Memphis before losing at Vanderbilt and dropping a 24-14 decision last weekend to Wyoming.
"About Mississippi, (former) coach (David) Cutcliffe has recruited well there for them," Fulmer said. "Obviously he left them a good number of talented football players. It's always tough when you play against Mississippi since my time as a player and as an assistant and a head coach here."
The Vols rallied for a 21-17 win last year in Oxford.
INJURY UPDATE (Mississippi Week): Probable -- C/OG Rob Smith (knee); Questionable -- C Richie Gandy (knee), LB Jerod Mayo (knee); Doubtful -- DE Jared Hostetter (knee), DT Turk McBride (ankle); Out -- DB Jarod Parrish (knee).
LSU ISSUES APOLOGY TO TENNESSEE FOR BUS INCIDENT
BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU athletics director Skip Bertman sent a letter of apology to Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton on Wednesday for problems encountered by the Tennessee buses Monday night as they approached Tiger Stadium.
Following is the text of the letter:
Dear Mike,
Congratulations on a great effort by the Tennessee football team on Monday night.
While the football game was exciting, I am especially writing to express my sincere apology and regret to you, your president and all Tennessee fans for the incident which took place on our campus as your team buses were approaching Tiger Stadium.
As you know, there is unfortunately an element in every crowd that does not exhibit good sportsmanship, and when crowds grow to the size of those on a football game day, it takes only a very small percentage of offenders to ruin the day for so many.
As I am sure you are proud of Tennessee's following, we are extremely proud of our fans at LSU. Their enthusiasm and loyalty to our program make our many successes possible, and it is the passionate base of fans in the SEC that makes our league truly unique. I think you will find that an overwhelming majority of LSU fans respect and enjoy healthy competition with fans from other schools.
The offenders you encountered on Monday night are not representative of the many great fans we have at LSU. They are the unfortunate few who do not understand that their embarrassing and insulting behavior reflects poorly on LSU's athletics program and does nothing to lend support to our team.
We are working hard to address the problem presented by the small percentage of people who, by their actions, damage the reputation of an entire University. We will continue to work to make LSU football an enjoyable atmosphere for everyone who attends our athletics events, regardless of the school colors they wear.
Sincerely,
Skip Bertman, LSU Athletics Director
