UT up for No. 8 Auburn

It took a quarter and a 14-7 deficit for Fulmer's team to figure out the head coach knew what he was talking about.

This week, Fulmer doesn't need to say a word. Everyone in orange and white knows the deal.

"We won't have any trouble getting up for (Auburn),'' Fulmer said Sunday night. "This game is huge.''

The Vols and the Tigers will bring undefeated records and top 10 national rankings into Saturday's 7:45 p.m. ESPN showdown at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee (3-0 overall, 1-0 SEC) boasts the SEC's top-ranked offense, with tailback Cedric Houston ranked third in the conference in yards per game and freshman quarterback Erik Ainge fourth in the nation in passing efficiency.

Defensively, however, Tennessee's Big Orange is decidedly black and blue.

Senior weakside linebacker Kevin Burnett suffered a sprained ankle in the first quarter of the win over Louisiana Tech and left the stadium on crutches. Fulmer said X-rays were negative, but Burnett might not practice until Wednesday.

The linebacker corps was short on scholarship players to start, and things haven't gotten better with Kevin Simon and Marvin Mitchell lost for the season with knee injuries.

It wouldn't seem to bode well against an Auburn running attack that features the best tailback tandem in the South - and perhaps the country - in Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown.

Williams piled up 185 yards on the Vols last season as Auburn steamrolled to a 28-21 win.

Fulmer conceded the best defense would be an offense that can keep the Tigers (4-0, 2-0) off the field.

The Vols would like to think they can count on their resurgent run game. But after last year's contest, who knows?

UT was held to 4 yards rushing at Auburn last season, the lowest total of Fulmer's head coaching tenure.

"I don't think our kids will need any reminders or motivation,'' Fulmer said. "That was tough last year.''

It was so tough that UT players aren't wasting any time getting themselves mentally prepared.

"We started talking about Auburn as soon as we got into the locker room,'' Vols' senior captain Jason Respert said "We know the challenge is on us. If we can run, we can do a lot of things.''

UT junior tailback Gerald Riggs said it was difficult for him to sit out last year's game against the Tigers.

"I wasn't healthy at the time, and I don't think they really trusted me in my pass protections,'' Riggs said. "It was tough watching. I'm looking forward to getting after Auburn. I've been looking forward to this one for a long time.''

Riggs' play has been just one of the improvements to the Vols' run game, which leads the SEC and ranks 10th nationally at 263.3 yards per game.

"The biggest difference in our run game is the play of (fullback) Cory Anderson,'' Fulmer said. "He's done an exceptional job.''

With the 265-pound Anderson paving the way, UT offensive coordinator Randy Sanders is confident the Tigers will see a different ground attack this time around.

"Cory is blocking tremendous,'' Sanders said. "Troy (Fleming) did a nice job last year, but Cory has taken it to another level.

"I don't think there's any comparison to where we're at now and where we were last year,'' Sanders said. "But Auburn and Georgia are defenses on another level than what we've seen this year.''

The Spread: UT started work on a new spread punt formation last spring, and the move is paying dividends.

The Vols rank second nationally in net punting with a 43.75-yard average, just behind Louisville (44.0). UT opponents have fielded nine punts for a cumulative minus-7 yards. Maryland is the other Division IA school to hold an opponent to negative punt return yardage, minus-4 on two returns.

Sick Kicks: The Vols rank 107th in the nation out of 117 teams with a 15.5 kickoff return average, and they rank 89th in the nation in kick return defense, allowing 22.4 yards per return.

The Line: Tennessee opened as two-point favorite according to USA Today oddsmaker Danny Sheridan.