Phillip Fulmer wasn't pleased to be fielding questions about his quarterback situation, once again.

"Here you all go; take it as far as you can" Tennessee's coach replied Tuesday when asked by the media who would start against Alabama -- Rick Clausen or Erik Ainge. "Rick's our quarterback. Erik's going to play if the opportunity presents itself. If we change our mind tomorrow, I'll tell you."

Fulmer was asked about his quarterbacks a day after offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said Ainge would likely play at times in place of senior Rick Clausen, who has started UT's last two games.

"Erik's practiced well," Fulmer said. "I don't know if anybody is saying that he's going to give us a spark or anything like that. He's practiced well and deserves a chance to have a chance in a game.

"Rick's done fine. We're just not doing offensively what we thought we would be able to do. That's not one person's fault."

Ainge said he understands why Clausen was named the starter given his experience. Ainge said, as of Monday, he hadn't been told how much he'd play a week from Saturday against the Crimson Tide.

"I would hope that I would at least get to play a little bit," the sophomore said during an interview Monday. "You never know. I could end up playing the whole game."

"It's a lot easier if you can take one guy and go. That's obviously how I would want it. But it's hard to have someone like Rick Clausen sit on the bench and, I think, it's hard to have someone like me sit on the bench. It's a tough situation."

Tuesday, Ainge offered his first explanation for his interception against LSU that cost him has starting job. Ainge said he was trying to throw the ball back to the line of scrimmage because he was about to be sacked.

Ainge said, as he was slung by an LSU defender, the ball slipped out of his hand and into the air. Ainge said he did not mean to throw the pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown to put the Vols down 21-0.

The play was consistent with the way Ainge has played during his sophomore season.

"I was trying to do too much," Ainge said of his struggles in 2005. "I thought I was farther ahead than I really was."

Clausen declined the News Sentinel's interview request.

The Replacements: Fulmer said freshman defensive back Demetrice Morley is now trying to learn cornerback as well as safety in light of Jason Allen's season-ending hip injury suffered last Saturday against Georgia.

"He's trying to learn anything he can learn," Fulmer said of Morley. "He could play corner for us. No doubt. He played some today."

Fulmer said sophomores Roshaun Fellows and Inky Johnson are vying for Allen's vacated spot.

Fellows started eight games last year before losing the job to junior Jonathan Wade this season.

"It's sad to say but you have to move on," junior Antwan Stewart said of Allen's injury. "Just try to cope with it however you can cope with it."

Stewart said that Allen's loss will be felt far beyond his cornerback skills.

"Jason's always going to be around," Stewart said. "He's going to be around talking trash. He's going to be around trying to get you up, trying to get you hyped to play games.

"He's not going to disappear. He's a leader. Leaders help other people get better."

Stewart said the entire secondary will need to pick up the leadership slack for Allen.

"I'm happy he was there for us," Stewart said. "I don't want to think about him not being there. I just hope he finds a way to get back out there and do what he likes to do and that's play football."

Stewart said Allen's personality will have an impact on this season and many seasons to come.

"He's not gone," Stewart said. "He's still around. He's not dead."

High Profile: Senior wide receiver Chris Hannon jokingly said he was looking for a way to get more attention since UT's wide receivers only seem to get noticed when they drop a pass or fumble.

"I'm going to start acting like T.O.," Hannon said, referring to Philadelphia Eagles star receiver Terrell Owens, who is known for his wild antics and touchdown celebrations.

For the record, Hannon has 15 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown this season.

All kidding aside, Hannon seems as frustrated as any of UT's players that the Vols have struggled offensively.

"It disappoints me," he said, "because we have all this talent on offense and really don't know what to do with it.

Motivation: Fulmer said the Vols have plenty to play for despite likely being out of any championship race with a 3-2 record and two SEC losses.

"We can have a very fine season with what we've got left," Fulmer said. "We've got really good teams down the road to still play.

"Right now, our focus has to be playing a very fine Alabama football team."

Surfing: UT's fans have hit the Internet to voice their displeasure about the Vols disappointing start. Firerandysanders.com is the latest Web site to call for a coach's job.

Practice Notes: Fulmer said UT had a very good practice on Tuesday. ... UT spent extra time on punt coverage and punt return. ... UT will have two practices before taking a three-day break.

Injury Report: Defensive tackle Justin Harrell, defensive lineman Xavier Mitchell and Jason Mitchell were all limited during practice. Freshman tailback LaMarcus Coker did not practice.

Several Vols will be held out of practice this week to nurse minor injuries.