Meachem expecting he'll take a better route

"I'm not where I want to be as a receiver yet,'' said Meachem, the Vols' leading receiver over the past four games with 13 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns. "I still need to get better as a route runner I'm trying to grow into being one of the best.''

In Thursday's scrimmage, Meachem was quarterback Rick Clausen's go-to guy, catching two touchdown passes and accumulating more than 100 yards receiving.'

UT coach Phillip Fulmer has indicated Meachem will be a pivotal player when the Vols play Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 1.

"Robert is a guy that I believe can go in and change the game,'' Fulmer said. "He just continues to develop.''

A year ago, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound redshirt freshman would have just been happy to practice, much less, play in the bowl game.

A Parade All-American out of Tulsa, Okla., Meachem came to the Vols after Fulmer lured him to Knoxville the final week of the recruiting season.

Meachem, who attended Nike Camp at Texas A&M and was recruited heavily by the Aggies, was thought to be a lock to stay in his home state and play for Oklahoma.

The opportunity to contribute immediately for the Vols swayed his decision. Meachem was off to a fast start in the 2003 preseason drills before suffering a torn lateral meniscus in an Aug. 12 practice. He underwent surgery on Aug. 18, and was forced to take a medical redshirt his true-freshman season.

"I was frustrated and my heart was broken; I just prayed every night,'' Meachem said. "When you have an injury, it's hard to stay focused. Some of the worst days of my life were when I was injured, but I didn't let anyone know it.''

Meachem used the down time to rehabilitate his injury and embrace the weight room.

"Unlike most people, I hated the weight room in high school,'' Meachem said. "I'd have rather been out here (practicing catching the ball) than in the weight room.

"But now, I've learned to like it. When I came here, I could bench press 225 (pounds) one time. Now, I can do it 11 times.''

Meachem said improving his strength and quickness has been only part of the equation in his formula for success.

"You have to learn to work at a different pace, because all of these guys are good,'' Meachem said. "You come here, you're back to zero again. You've got all these veterans around you, and you're still a rookie. Then you get hurt, and you're a rookie again''

Meachem said the most difficult part of his transition to collegiate ball has been fulfilling expectations.

"The toughest part is living up to the hype,'' Meachem said. "Following the old receivers like Cedrick Wilson, Peerless Price and Donte (Stallworth). You're trying to fit into their shoes.

"(But there's) No pressure. If you have pressure on yourself, you're going to mess up.''

Indeed, the only pressure Meachem is feeling is to get tickets for the sold-out Cotton Bowl.

"I've got the six tickets we (players) get, and I've been asking people to give their tickets to me,'' Meachem said. "When I was injured, I always have my tickets away. Now, you have new cousins, new uncles, new aunties wanting tickets.''

It's understandablebecause Meachem is the ticket for the Vols to have a successful passing game in the future.