UT Notebook: December 27

Schaeffer has not played in a game since Oct. 30 when he suffered a broken collarbone against South Carolina. He was cleared to play by UT doctors before bowl practice and participated in team drills held in Knoxville.

Fulmer said it was important that Schaeffer practice Tuesday in order to be available to play in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.

* NFL Or Not: Junior defensive back Jason Allen has not yet received paperwork from the NFL's draft advisory board. Allen is considering forgoing his senior year and entering the NFL draft.

The draft projection was expected Monday, but was delayed and will arrive Tuesday. Allen declined to comment on the impending decision.

UT had several players reviewed for draft status by the NFL. Allen, Cody Douglas, and Parys Haralson all will learn of their draft potential.

The review does not necessarily mean a player is considering leaving school early. A top-three round prediction allows a player to apply for an insurance policy from a premium company.

Any projection lower than top three rounds would force a player to pursue a less desirable insurance policy from another company. UT defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona asked not to be reviewed by the NFL.

* On Track I: Junior offensive guard Cody Douglas said he has been able to do more this week in practice than the entire month before playing approximately 50 snaps against Auburn in the SEC championship game.

Douglas said it's too early in the week to tell if he will regain his starting form before Saturday. Douglas, who is from La Marque, Texas, said his goal is to start in front of the home crowd.

"I've been getting a lot of work with the scout team and doing a lot of team work and individual drills," Douglas said. "I've been getting a lot of good work done. I'm excited about that. I feel more comfortable now than going into that Auburn game."

* On Track II: Allen was taken aback when asked if he was glad to be back in the flow of practice after missing the first week of bowl preparation in Knoxville because of a triceps laceration.

"I've been in the flow of practice," Allen said. "I've been practicing mentally. I'm a workhorse. I'm an energized man. I really didn't run that much (in Knoxville) but I don't feel like I'll miss a beat as far as conditioning."

* Excitement?: Fulmer said his team seems more excited about the Cotton Bowl than they did in previous bowl games.

"We've not done as well in the last couple (bowl games) as we would have liked to," Fulmer said. "More than anything else it was because the people we were playing were more excited about playing us than we were about playing them because our standards.

"I think our team understands this is a very important game for us. You can hear the buzz about how important it is that we finish off the season."

UT lost its previous two bowl games by a combined score of 57-17 to Maryland and Clemson.

* Big D: UT held it's first of five practices this week in Texas Stadium, the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

"It feels good," said wide receiver Robert Meachem. "This is a goal in life. You can visualize yourself out there playing for the Dallas Cowboys."

* Honored: Two former Vols, fullback Andy Kozar and tailback Hank Lauricella, will be inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame as part of the eight-member 2005 class. The class also includes Troy Aikman, Lance Alworth, and Gene Stallings.

* Visitors: Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and director of player personnel Larry Lacewell visited Monday's practice. Lacewell was UT's defensive coordinator 1990-1991. Witten played at UT 2000-2002.

* Vol Notes: UT held a 30-play scrimmage Monday. ... Fulmer said UT would need to lean on its running game to avoid a high-scoring game with the Aggies. ... Sophomore strong safety Corey Campbell said he will start against Texas A&M. Campbell said Allen's absence from practice has benefited fellow safety Robert Boulware thanks to increased practice snaps.

* Roll Call: Mahelona did not practice Monday with flu-like symptoms. Josh Briscoe and Demonte Bolden, two members of UT's 2005 signing class, participated Monday.

Briscoe is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound wide receiver from Lawndale, N.C. Bolden is a 6-5, 285-pound defensive tackle from Chattanooga who signed with UT in February. Bolden spent the past semester completing his academic requirements at Hargrave Academy in Virginia.