University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Energetic in Final Practice Before Weekend Off
October 14, 2009 | Football
Oct. 14, 2009
The Tennessee football team held its final workout before a weekend off Wednesday inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center. The 90-minute practice, much like Tuesday's session, was low on reps for the starters and even lower on assistant coaches as most of Lane Kiffin's staff was on the road recruiting.
"It was a good practice today," Kiffin said. "There was a lot of energy. The guys were pretty fired up, kind of like that spring break feeling. It was the last thing before they get out of here."
The Vols will take the next four days off before beginning preparations for Alabama on Monday. Already six games into the season, Tennessee will play only its second road game on Oct. 24 in Tuscaloosa.
Despite the home-game heavy first half, Kiffin believes his Vols will be prepared for another game vs. a highly-ranked foe in front of 90,000-plus hostile fans. He has reason to feel that way considering UT's performance at No. 1 Florida on Sept. 19.
"It's always about us, not about the crowd or who we are playing," Kiffin said. "I can't imagine there being a much more anticipation for a game than there was for the last time we went on the road. We went and played the No. 1 team in the country and now we play the No. 2 team in the country on the road. It will be a big test for us."
Alabama enters the game ranked no worse than fourth in the Southeastern Conference in any team offensive or defensive category, while the Vols have spent the first half battling injuries on defense and simply trying to find a rhythm on offense.
The two storied programs will be playing for the 92nd time. Kickoff is set for 3:30 ET with television coverage provided by CBS.
