When: Thursday morning and afternoon

Where: Lindsey Nelson Field

Gear: Full pads in the morning. Helmets and shorts in the afternoon.

Weather: Consistent rain during the morning practice...cloudy and cool in the afternoon.

Fulmer on Weather: Head coach Phillip Fulmer said he was pleased with the morning rain so his team could practice in slick conditions. Fulmer has repeatedly voiced concerns over the unseasonably cool temperatures and the adverse effect it might have on conditioning.

Hat Trick: Senior quarterback C.J. Leak threw three consecutive, and nearly identical, 40-yard scoring passes in the afternoon session. Jayson Swain caught one pass by overcoming sophomore Jonathan Wade. C.J. Fayton caught two. One was against junior Brandon Johnson. The other came against freshman Antonio Gaines.

Not Yet: UT’s coaching staff installed some of its two-minute offense in the afternoon session. However, Fulmer decided against including the freshmen quarterbacks: Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge. Fulmer said they weren’t quite ready for complexity of the hurry-up system.

Big Step: Senior center Chuck Prugh said he achieved a major goal by participating in Wednesday’s scrimmage. Prugh played between 10-15 snaps. Prugh said he hasn’t regained all of his upper body strength but is pleased with his lower body. When asked if he felt like a freshman in full contact drills, Prugh said, "No, more like a sophomore." Prugh said he developed an irregular heartbeat in February from his strict workout regimen. He said the condition cleared up in June. The former Maryville High School star is still recovering from a serious viral infection in October.

Snapping to it: Fulmer said he is pleased with his offensive unit’s pace. Fulmer said Randy Sanders’ group is able to run 14 plays in a typical ten-minute period. Fulmer said that is a significant improvement over spring practice.

MIA: Fulmer expressed concern over his growing number of absentees. Several Vols missed practice for a variety of reasons: sophomore wide receiver Bret Smith (sore foot), freshman wide receiver Bill Grimes (sore back), junior defensive tackle Greg Jones (personal and academic), freshman defensive end Jared Hostetter (ankle injury), senior tight end Victor McClure (sprained shoulder), junior tight end Jake Finlayson (sore back), junior linebacker Marvin Mitchell (sore knee). Junior linebacker Kevin Simon was limited due to an abdominal muscle. Simon is expected to participate in Saturday’s scrimmage. Sophomore tailback David Yancey was expected back by Friday. However, Fulmer said Yancey’s mother has taken a "turn for the worse" which will delay his return.

Looking Ahead: UT will hold a light practice on Friday afternoon as they prepare for Saturday’s first full-scale scrimmage.