Randy Sanders didn't base his decision to start Erik Ainge on scrimmage performances alone. There was the "wow" factor to be considered.

"He's made some throws that not many people in America make at any level," Tennessee's offensive coordinator said about Ainge. "Some of them aren't necessarily the correct decisions, but he still gets it in there and gets it done.

"Every now and then he does something that you just look at each other and say 'wow.' "

The "wow" factor was on limited display during UT's three open scrimmages. Ainge made some impressive throws but, overall, didn't seem as sharp as Rick Clausen as they battled for the top spot.

Ainge, a sophomore, threw for 352 yards and completed 30 of 56 passes (54-percent) with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Clausen, a senior, threw for 430 yards and completed 34 of 44 passes (77-percent) with three touchdowns and one interception.

Ainge averaged 11.7 yards per completion. Clausen averaged 12.6 yards per completion.

Those were the stats. The reality is UT coach Phillip Fulmer named Ainge the starter last week for Saturday's season opener against Alabama-Birmingham at Neyland Stadium. (TV: WVLT, 12:30 p.m.)

Fulmer said Ainge appeared to be pressing during pre-season practice. Sanders said he's not concerned that Ainge might do the same during a game.

"When we got into fall camp, I knew that I was putting more on Erik than he was necessarily going to be able to handle as far as checks and making adjustments," Sanders said. "What we threw on him in camp is more than we'll put on him in a game."

Last season's production proves Sanders' point. As the Vols ran a simplified offense for three first-year starters, Ainge flourished with key throws in big wins over Florida and Georgia.

In nine games, he threw for 1,452 yards with a 55.1-percent completion percentage and 17 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Ainge suffered a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder against Notre Dame on Nov. 6.

Clausen, in seven games, threw for 949 yards, completed 59.6 percent of his passes, and threw eight touchdowns against one interception.

Ainge's passing rating was 135.89. Clausen's was 130.23.

"You've got one that should be a 70 percent completion guy but may average 12 yards a completion," Sanders said.

"You've got another guy that may be 50 to 55 percent but may average 18 yards a completion. They bring different things to the table."

Ainge said he can relax a bit now that he's been named the starter. Clausen said the competition is over and both players will focus on winning football games, not the starting job. Sanders said Clausen will play meaningful snaps against UAB.

Until Clausen's preseason performance, many expected Ainge to win the job easily. After all, Fulmer compared the Oregon native to UT's all-time great quarterback Peyton Manning.

In some ways, Ainge is even ahead of Manning, a sure NFL and college hall of famer.

"He definitely has a stronger arm than Peyton had at this same time," Sanders said. "Peyton was kind of a combination of Erik and Rick.

"Erik, every now and then, makes throws that normal people shouldn't be able to make. It may be 30 yards downfield and the defensive back turns his head and he can snap it on a receiver."

As for Ainge's average scrimmage performances, Sanders said, "There's more to it than that. Sometimes, he may have been a little unsure about a protection call. He's still thinking about that instead of reading his coverages.

"There were also some times that a receiver didn't run the right route. A lot of the stats in the scrimmages were a little bit skewed. They weren't necessarily a result of what Erik was doing."

Sanders said he put pressure on Ainge and Clausen as if they were fifth-year seniors without a strong cast of supporting stars. It was a test, not indicative of the fact that the Vols have plenty of weapons and less pressure to use the entire playbook.

"I threw it all out there on them," Sanders said. "I tried to put them in tough situations. I thought they both handled it well. Rick, with his experience, probably handled it a little bit better.

"If we were going to go into the game and expected a quarterback to do everything we did in fall camp, then Rick may be the guy. But our plans were not to put that much on them from the get-go."

Now, perhaps UT's quarterbacks can relax.

Now, it's for real.