University of Tennessee Athletics
VOLS PRACTICE TWICE TUESDAY; SPECIAL TEAMS GETTING CLOSE LOOK
August 15, 2006 | Football
Aug. 15, 2006
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Practice Photos
Tennessee completed its first two-a-day practice session Tuesday, working for better than 90 minutes in the morning before returning to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a two-hour afternoon stint.
"We did all right with the heat," head coach Phillip Fulmer said. "We have a good group of guys who know how to work through these kinds of things.
"I think we're in good shape, both the bigger guys and the leaner guys. We pushed them pretty hard today."
Fulmer still wants all hands contributing, something he stressed to both the team and to the media.
"We have a percentage of guys who are fighting and who are tough and want to get things done," he said. "And we.ve got some guys that really don't understand just yet. But that's what practice is for."
The morning workout included a great deal of special teams work, an area of concern for the Vols after last season. UT was no better than fifth in the conference and 31st nationally in any special teams category, including a ranking of dead last in the SEC and 113th in Division I-A punt return defense with an average of 14.4 yards allowed per try.
"It has been an area of emphasis for us to say the least," Fulmer said.
WILHOIT AMONG 30 ON LOU GROZA WATCH LIST
Tennessee senior placekicker James Wilhoit joins all three of last year's finalists on the 2006 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award preseason watch list.
The watch list is comprises preliminary candidates for the 15th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl. The winner is announced Dec. 7 during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Award Show in Orlando, Fla.
Wilhoit, a communications graduate from Hendersonville, stands as the active SEC scoring leader with 229 career points. He is a three-time Academic All-SEC honoree and is coming off his best season as a Vol, having made 14-of-19 field goals last year and leading the team in scoring for the third straight season.
Last year's finalists were Mason Crosby of Colorado, Jad Dean of Clemson and Alexis Serna of Oregon State, with Serna taking home the award.
Also making the list from the SEC were Chris Hetland of Florida and Brandon Coutu of Georgia.
The 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award are announced Nov. 7, followed by the naming of the three finalists Nov. 21.
For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, access lougrozaaward.com or contact Dusty Ann Williams of the Palm Beach County Sports Institute at (561) 233-3122.
