University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Taking Full Advantage of Bye Week
September 25, 2007 | Football
The Tennessee football schedule has its ups and downs, its SEC showdowns and non-conference tune-ups. Much to the delight of players and coaches, the schedule also includes a bye week. The 13-day stint without a game allowed the players time to visit four different Knoxville-area hospitals on Monday, and it will allow them a weekend off beginning Friday.
But Tuesday, the Vols headed back to the practice field seeking to improve in every facet of the game.??
???The open date fell at a very good time for us,??? head coach Philip Fulmer said. ???With the big games we've had to play, one on one coast and one on the other, it gives us a chance to get caught up a little bit from a rest standpoint.
???It???s very good to get the fundamental work done that we've needed to get done. We spent about 15 minutes on tackling today, and that???s exactly what we needed to do. We???re continuing to work to not make the mistakes that beat us.???
The focus of the bye week is not only improving and correcting the mistakes from the first four games, but also?? preparing for the weeks ahead. After playing three non-conference opponents in the first month of the season, Tennessee will see nothing but SEC foes in October.
Those opponents currently have a combined record of 12-4, and three of them are ranked in this week???s AP Top 25. The Vols entertain No. 15 Georgia on Oct. 6, travel to play a 3-1 Mississippi State team on Oct. 13, visit No. 22 Alabama on Oct. 20 and host No. 16 South Carolina on Oct. 27.
???Our team work today was dedicated to Georgia, offensively and defensively,??? Fulmer said. ???We continue to make progress in not beating ourselves. You've got to avoiding losing before you can win, and that is kind of our theme right now, to put ourselves in a position to win football games and not give up plays that lose football games.???
Tennessee worked out for just more than 90 minutes inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center Tuesday. The Vols will practice again on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. The Vols' first junior varsity game in 15 years will take place Thursday night as Tennessee hosts Hargrave Military Academy at 7 p.m. at Neyland Stadium. Admission and parking for the game are free.
The Georgia game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff and will air nationally on CBS. Kickoff times and television selections for Tennessee???s remaining six SEC games have yet to be determined by the conference office.
