Tennessee's Flyin' Hawaiian has been grounded the past two weeks.

Jesse Mahelona, who leads the SEC with 16.5 tackles for loss - sometimes diving through the air to trip up ball carries - has three tackles the past two games, none from behind the line.

Part of Mahelona's drop off has to do with extra attention being paid to him by opposing offensive linemen. Many teams have double-teamed the 305-pounder or rolled out the quarterback to avoid his pass rush.

Mahelona revealed Tuesday his lack of production also has had to do with a lack of focus.

"I had a lot of family problems come up the past two weeks, and that definitely affected my play,'' Mahelona said. "I had couple of relatives that passed away (in Hawaii).

"It's been more of me trying to battle things going on in my head.''

Mahelona said he talked with his father earlier this week about his relatives, and his focus is back in line.

"I wouldn't know how to say it better than I was playing with a heavy heart,'' he said. "Everything is a lot better now.''

Including Mahelona's knee.

He suffered a sprain against Ole Miss on Oct. 16 and was forced to wear a brace in the Alabama and South Carolina games.

Mahelona hasn't worn the brace the past three games, and doesn't plan to wear it against Auburn on Saturday in the SEC_championship.