Fulmer’s take: "Two good days of excellent energy by our football team," UT head coach Phillip Fulmer said after practice Wednesday. "We had a 25-play scrimmage for our two quarterbacks. We need to get all the snaps we can with those guys at full speed. They did very well. It’s coming together. I like what I’ve seen."



Referring to Rick Clausen and C.J. Leak, Fulmer said UT was lucky to have two backup quarterbacks with significant experience in the program. Clausen is a junior. Leak is a senior.



"He (Clausen) may be able to check more and look for different things a defense is giving us," center Jason Respert said of UT’s new starter. "He may be able to check us out of a bad play and into a good play more so than the freshman coming in."



Fulmer said the Vols will hold a "short and sweet" practice before coaches depart for recruiting this weekend.

Mental reps: UT offensive coordinator Randy Sanders commended Clausen for his mental preparation as a backup quarterback. Sanders said Clausen was adept at "mental reps" meaning he diligently studied the offense even when he wasn’t receiving actual practice reps.



Clausen, now the starter, developed that approach in high school when he backed up his older brother, Casey, until Rick’s senior year.



"I took pride in learning it," the younger Clausen said of his mental preparation as a backup. "If you’re not getting the physical reps and somebody goes down, you’re still expected to go in there and perform just like the first team guy.



"I took that as a challenge to go in there when my number is called and perform to the best of my ability and do the things the first team guy did. That’s something that I’ve had to deal with since high school. It’s a challenge. It’s something that I take a lot of pride in doing."



Rick said he started 14 games in high school. He started on game for LSU.

"I think I‘ve got quite a bit of potential left," Rick said. "The more I play, the more familiar I get. I didn’t play in high school because I was behind Casey but I learned a lot. There’s nothing like game time experience but the fact that I learned so much in high school and college has helped me a lot."

Lock in: Several UT players are planning to stay in Knoxville this weekend. Instead of going home, they will congregate in the film room or on the training table.



"I’m going to stay here this off week and just try to get that timing down," senior wide receiver Tony Brown said. "Rick (Clausen) is going to stay here and we’ll try to get that timing down with him. A lot of guys will stay around. You don’t want to go back home and talk about a loss."

Tired: Sophomore kicker James Wilhoit said fatigue was the root cause of his recent flat kickoffs. Wilhoit said the fatigue caused his technique to slip.



Both Wilhoit and punter Dustin Colquitt will limit their practice time this week to refresh their legs. Colquitt is hampered by a sore groin.



Injuries: Offensive linemen Chuck Prugh (ankle), Jason Respert (ankle), and Cody Douglas (foot) were held out of practice Tuesday.



"I feel good," Respert said. "I feel pretty certain I’ll be back Monday."



Prugh’s status for next week is uncertain. Douglas is expected to return Monday.

Recovering: J.T. Mapu, who played defensive tackle for the Vols in 2002 and 2003, has seen his brother make significant progress after being hit by two vehicles in August 2003. UT fans can follow Daniel’s recovery on danielmapu.com.



Mapu is expected to return to UT in 2006 after his Mormon mission.

Stats: UT safety Jason Allen is third in the NCAA in solo tackles per game (7.33). Linebacker Kevin Burnett is tied for seventh with 6.78. Defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona is tied for fourth in the NCAA with 1.83 tackles-for-loss per game. UT cornerback Roshaun Fellows is 21st in the nation in passes defended (1.33 per game).