Vols' defense smothers offense in scrimmage

"The defense is being aggressive, flying around, making plays and putting pressure on the quarterbacks,'' said UT coach Phillip Fulmer, who had the Vols run 90 plays on a damp, chilly afternoon.

"To this point,'' Fulmer said, "The defense is on track to progress to their goals to tackle better and not give up big plays.''

Brett Smith turned in the longest play of the afternoon, hauling in a 31-yard pass from Brent Schaeffer.

Schaeffer was the most impressive of the three quarterbacks, finishing 7-of-13 passing for 77 yards.

Schaeffer also had two nifty runs totaling 32 yards and lined up as a receiver five times.

"I think Brent just got bored standing on the sidelines when he wasn't at quarterback,'' offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said. "He asked if he could go out there. He knows we're low on receivers, and he's a competitive young man who loves to play football.''

Fulmer was also impressed with Schaeffer during the live punt return drills.

"If he doesn't win the quarterback job, we want to get him on the field,'' Fulmer said. "But he had the best two drives of the day among the quarterbacks. His mobility brings a dimension that's hard to defend.''

Schaeffer wore a green no-contact jersey and run plays were whistled dead as soon as a defender was in the vicinity, making him a bit easier to defend.

Fullback Cory Anderson was the other noteworthy offensive standout, catching two passes for 15 yards and knocking linebacker Jason Mitchell on his back with a vicious lead block.

Still it was a long day for the offense.

Erik Ainge was 5-of-14 passing for 59 yards, and Rick Clausen was 4-of-10 for 36 yards and an interception.

"I think we're ahead of the game on defense,'' said linebacker Omar Gaither, who got the only turnover of the day when he intercepted a Clausen pass that had glanced off the fingertips of Robert Meachem. "We have a lot of older guys coming back.''

Most of the starters were limited to less than 20 plays in the scrimmage.

Fulmer said that's one reason why he's not concerned by the shutouts.

"Spring is about finding players,'' Fulmer said. "It's not about the scoring or sacks.''

Good thing: the defense recorded six sacks.

"We're feeling good about the push we've been able to get,'' senior defensive end Parys Haralson said. "We know we have to come out and pick it up and play like a veteran defense. We expect to be ahead.''

Throughout the day, the defense intimidated. Even the Vols' much-maligned secondary got their shots in.

Safeties Corey Campbell and Ellix Wilson landed some big hits, and a beefed-up Roshaun Fellows gave Chris Brown a noteworthy shot.

Brown, an H-back, responded with some wild punches that triggered a brief four-player skirmish involving Meachem and Jason Mitchell.

"At safety, you have to play physical,'' said Fellows, who is up to 193 pounds. "We want to be known as a mean, tough, physical defense.''

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