For Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer, there was no comparing Sept. 4, 2004 with Sept. 2, 2005.

Opener eve had a little different feel for the Vols.

"Last year on this day, I think I said you'd like to have 20 more days of practice," Fulmer said after Friday's walk-through practice at Neyland Stadium.

"With this team, where we are with the numbers of guys who have played, and a pretty-experienced and talented team at most positions, I'm ready to play and see where we are."

No. 3-ranked Tennessee kicks off its season at 12:30 p.m. today against Alabama-Birmingham at Neyland Stadium.

"It's just fun to get into game week, get it cracking and get the speed of everything cranked up a little bit," UT sophomore quarterback Erik Ainge said.

As anxious as the Vols are to crank it up, Fulmer made it clear his team can't afford to take the Blazers lightly.

"We've got a very good opponent," he said. "It's not like they're going to let us roll our helmets out there and play dead just because we're Tennessee."

Teamed Up: Senior All-American defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona said he has already begun to ready himself for a season's worth of double teams. The preparation has been more mental than physical.

"I've had a lot of conversations with coach (Dan) Brooks about that," said the Hawaiian native, who led the SEC with 18.5 tackles for loss. "Coach told me what everybody tells me, 'You just have to go out there and play and not worry about it.'

"A lot of times I get frustrated but I'll just have to accept that fact that one guy should be loose and making plays."

Defense Depth: Expect to see a lot of players shuffled in and out when UT is on defense.

Defensive coordinator John Chavis is thrilled with the depth at his disposal.

Turk McBride, Vladimir Richard, Xavier Mitchell, Antonio Reynolds, Demonte Bolden and Matt McGlothlin all could see time in the line.

At linebacker, Chavis said he's almost as comfortable with backups Marvin Mitchell, Jerod Mayo and Ryan Karl as he is with starters Kevin Simon, Omar Gaither and Jason Mitchell.

"I feel very comfortable with this second group being in the ball game at any point," Chavis said. "I think they're that close ... there's not a lot of drop-off with those young guys."

Big Matchup: Whichever UT lineman or tight end is lined up across from UAB defensive end Larry McSwain, he'll have his hands full.

The Blazers' junior was fourth in the nation with 13 sacks a year ago. McSwain is on the Bronco Nagurski Trophy watch list, as are UT's Mahelona and Jason Allen.

Number Changes: Remember, Gerald Riggs Jr. will be wearing No. 21 instead of the No. 31 he wore a year ago. Simon is No. 2 instead of No. 5.

Other number changes include Mayo (No. 7), Ell Ash (No. 63), Britton Colquitt (No. 47), and Anthony Parker (No. 75).

Williams Update: There was no news from the NCAA Clearinghouse as of late Friday afternoon concerning the status of UT freshman defensive end Gerald Williams.

The Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., native was impressive in the first two weeks he was allowed to practice with the team under NCAA rules.

"He could stay here and go as a part-time student, and if he eventually cleared the Clearinghouse, everything would be fine," Fulmer said. "The concern about that is if he stayed here as a part-time student and doesn't clear the Clearinghouse, then he can't play at Tennessee ever."

Prep school would be another option for Williams if not cleared.

Good Works: UT senior defensive end Parys Haralson will be recognized as the SEC Good Works Team player of the week on the Jefferson-Pilot broadcast.

Haralson has accumulated 155 hours of community service, including work with the Tennessee Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Club Camp and Habitat for Humanity.

Comcast Replays: All UT games, except for Notre Dame, will be shown on Comcast Sports Southeast every Monday at noon and 8 p.m. Then, they will be available on Video on Demand as of Tuesday Morning, according to Comcast's Russell Byrd.

Red Cross Reminder: Red Cross fundraisers will be on hand prior to the game in Circle Park and outside the stadium following the game collecting for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Fulmer has had a public service announcement airing urging every fan entering the stadium to give at least $1.