Like characters in the movie "Ground Hog Day," the Tennessee football coaches can't escape reliving their 2005 quarterback quandary.

After a couple of weeks in remission, the indecision over whether to go with Rick Clausen or Erik Ainge returned to a full-blown situation in a 16-15 loss to South Carolina on Saturday night.

"We've been there for a while,'' head coach Phillip Fulmer said Sunday night with resignation in his voice. "For different reasons, it hasn't happened for us.''

Clausen started the game, but after throwing an interception that set up a South Carolina touchdown, he was replaced by Ainge midway through the first quarter.

Ainge stayed in the game for his most extensive action since Florida on Sept. 10, but gave way again to Clausen for the fourth quarter.

"Neither guy played exceptionally well,'' Fulmer said.

Which one plays at Notre Dame on Saturday is the real question.

The Vols (3-4) visit the No. 8 Fighting Irish (5-2) in a 2:30 p.m. game (TV: WBIR) at Notre Dame Stadium.

"We're going to sit down and talk about that,'' Fulmer said. "We haven't been able to get together today as a staff to talk about that (Sunday).

"That's been a real tough thing to manage and I don't know that we've done everybody justice the way it's gone. But we've done the best we can.''

Ainge directed a 12-play touchdown drive, UT's only one of the game.

On the next series, he moved the Vols in position for a field goal.

However, in the second half, Ainge connected on only one of seven passes, a 4-yarder.

"I did not like the fact that there were a couple of times when he seemed really hurried and it was unnecessary,'' Fulmer said.

Clausen's best possession was a nine-play, 54-yard drive for a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Both quarterbacks were victimized by dropped passes, hardly a new wrinkle.

"We had some real opportunities to make a big play,'' Fulmer said. "It's not always the quarterback that's not making it happen.''

Ainge's pass-efficiency rating has plummeted from where it was when he earned the starting job as a true freshman.

He had a 135.89 rating when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Notre Dame last November. This week, his rating is 71.45.

Clausen's rating has tailed off slightly, from 130.2 last year to 118.7 in 2005.

The national leader is Louisville sophomore Brian Brohm at 169.8. Brohm picked his hometown school over UT.

For whatever reason, the quarterbacks and receivers have failed to achieve any consistent timing or rhythm.

"We have struggled more than I ever imagined we would,'' Fulmer said.

Staff Evaluation: Asked specifically Sunday night about the possibility of staff reassignments, Fulmer said he has considered "a lot of things" since the ballgame, but wouldn't elaborate.

"It's not one person's fault,'' he said. "It's a combination of a lot of things.''

Addressing another question about any insight offered by close friend and former offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, Fulmer said, "He could say, 'Don't drop balls, don't get penalties and don't fumble.' "

Discipline Woes: Fulmer downplayed any connection between the discipline breakdowns on the field and the off-the-field incidents that earned the Vols national notoriety in 2004 and early 2005.

"No,'' he said, "I don't (see any) but I'm not going to stick my head in the sand and say there might not be some lingering effects.

"I do think off-the-field and on-the-field discipline is correlated, yes I do. ... We haven't had anything (off the field) since April.''

Roll the Tape: Notre Dame had an open date, which gave coach Charlie Weis and his staff a chance to get a head start on preparations for Tennessee.

Fulmer said early Sunday evening he hadn't begun videotape work on Notre Dame: "We've been busy studying ourselves most of the day.''

Injury Report: Guard Rob Smith's shoulder injury will be evaluated today, Fulmer said. Smith suffered bruised ribs in the Alabama game but played against South Carolina until he injured his shoulder in the second half.