When the chips are down, Tennessee has sometimes played its best football.

Saturday would be a good time to do it again when the Vols play No. 5-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

UT quarterback Rick Clausen doesn’t mind the team being backed against a wall.

"It’s fun," Vols quarterback Rick Clausen said. "I think having your back against the wall, I don’t think it’s a good situation to be in, but at the same time, we understand.

"We’re 3-2. We understand that right now a lot of people are upset. We’re upset. We’re upset at where we’re at right now but we understand that there’s still a lot of football to be played, and we’re going to go out there and just keep playing."

The Vols have had plenty of time to ponder their 27-14 loss at home to Georgia on Oct. 8.

The bar was raised high in the preseason — to the height of national championship aspirations — and the Vols have fallen far short of expectations.

They started the season ranked No. 3 and have dropped to No. 17. There was little margin for error when the season started.

"We didn’t want any margin for error, and I think that next year’s team will have the same M.O.," Clausen said. "They don’t’ want any margin for error. When you come to a school like this, people are upset. When you lose two games, people get very upset.

"So, that’s what it is around here, and you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If we lost two games and people were ecstatic, I would be upset."

Tennessee has responded to adversity before.

After losing at Florida on Sept. 17, the Vols rallied from a 21-0 deficit to beat LSU 30-27 in overtime on Sept. 26.

Last season, they bounced back from a 34-10 loss at home to Auburn and beat third-ranked Georgia 19-14 the next week.

Why the resilience?

"I think it starts with the leadership, from Phillip (Fulmer, head coach)," defensive coordinator John Chavis said. "He’s a tough-minded individual who’s going to refuse to lose, and you’ve got to be able to convey that through your staff and to your players.

"It’s easy to go out and perform and show up when things are going well; but when things aren’t going well, that’s when you’ve got to dig down and that’s when you find out who you are."