Line's health will boost running game

With the expected return of the original five starting linemen, the Vols' run game may get a much-needed jumpstart Saturday at South Carolina.

"The first couple of weeks we were all on the same page," said center Jason Respert, who has started all seven games. "We all never changed a position. Now you've got guys flying in and out of the lineup, then that obviously messes up what we had going into the beginning of the season."

Starting right guard Cody Douglas is expected to return Saturday to his starting job at right guard, allowing Arron Sears to move from right guard to his regular job at right tackle. Douglas missed the last two games with a foot injury sustained Oct. 9 at Georgia.

Douglas' return will also allow Albert Toeaina to spell Sears at right tackle, if needed.

Sears played right tackle, right guard, and left tackle against Alabama.

On the left side, Rob Smith has started every game at guard and Michael Munoz every game at tackle.

Offensive line coach Jimmy Ray Stephens says getting Douglas back "would be huge."

"You get him back in his natural position, which he's a heck of a player to start with, and you get Arron Sears back in his natural position," Stephens said, "and then Albert Toeaina is going to continue to play, just maybe not as many plays as he has been playing.

"I think it's important to be able to keep them fresh and rotate them a little bit like that."

Not only has the absence of Douglas hurt the continuity of the line, other linemen have been nicked and missed practice time in recent weeks.

Since the Vols rushed for 347 yards against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 25, the Vols have rushed for 420 yards in four games -- an average of 105 rushing yards the past four games.

Of course, they also took a step up in competition after playing Louisiana Tech. They rushed for 107 yards against Auburn, 127 against Georgia, and 133 against Mississippi and before the season-low rushing game against Alabama.

"I don't know how much of it is actually me not being out there," Douglas said, "but I think it kind of hurt the continuity as far as we had five guys out there that were playing really hard and playing well together, and when one guys goes out you had to kind of shuffle guys around.

"It kind of hurts the continuity a little bit because me and Sears were working really well over there together. We had it pretty much down where we didn't have to make any calls. We were just out there. We knew what to do. Whatever I was thinking, he was thinking.

"When you lose something like that, that's obviously going to hurt the production of the unit."

Stephens says the offensive linemen playing out of position and Douglas' absence are only part of the reason the ground game has been spotty.

"It's been a little bit of everything," Stephens said. "It's offensive line blocking obviously. It's fullback blocking. It's tight end blocking. You've got everybody. It's the runs that the backs make and the cuts and the reads that they make.

"It's everybody combined that puts together a running game. It's wide receivers getting downfield and blocking those safeties. So everybody has to do their share and carry their share of the load."

Tennessee's coaching staff has thought a shakeup in the backfield could send a jolt into the run game.

Jabari Davis, the third-string tailback, started the second half against Alabama, and the Vols also considered trying fourth-string David Yancey against the Tide.

Asked if that bothered him, leading rusher Gerald Riggs paused, then said, "You don't really think about that. You just go out there and you keep playing hard and you keep fighting, you stay focused in the game.

"The coaches' biggest thing is production and that's what they want, so whatever direction they want to go in, that's their decision. Can't really say too much about that."

Freshman Arian Foster, whom the Vols planned to redshirt, may even get a chance. Foster has been moved off the scout team during practices.

"Guys are starting to get healthy again (on the offensive line) and I think things are going to turn around for us," Riggs said.

It won't be the simplest turnaround against a physical Gamecock defense.