Sometimes an open date is a momentum-killer. Not so this one for Tennessee.

The third-ranked Vols didn't generate any momentum in a 17-10 win over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday.

In fact, they were fortunate to get out unscathed against a 23-point underdog. Now they face an open date before going to Florida on Sept. 17.

"This one's great for us,'' coach Phillip Fulmer said Sunday night. "It gives us a chance to work and improve.''

After months of hearing (and contributing to) hype about his team, Fulmer on Sunday was spinning the close call as a welcome serving of humble pie.

"It could be exactly what we needed,'' he said. "The fact that we had to play hard for four quarters and will have to do that several times down the road.''

After the open date, the road leads to two terribly important destinations. After Florida, there is LSU on Sept. 24 (assuming that game isn't postponed or moved due to the after-affects of Hurricane Katrina).

The Vols didn't play well enough Saturday to beat either one.

Fulmer said he didn't want to "create headlines" but that he "suspected" Rick Clausen had earned the starting quarterback nod after his steady performance in relief of shaky Erik Ainge against UAB.

Ainge was 5-of-14 passing and threw two interceptions. He played only one possession the second half.

"His first couple of drives he looked just fine,'' said Fulmer. "One of (the interceptions) the ball just slipped out of his hand. The other was just a bad play on his part.

"Rick just did a heckuva job.''

Another possible lineup change could see freshman Demetice Morley step in for Antwan Stewart at free safety. Morley played much of the second half against UAB.

Fulmer said Stewart had a couple of alignment problems

"(Morley) is obviously a very athletic guy,'' Fulmer said. "He's somewhat inexperienced but all those safeties are inexperienced right now.''

Secondary Grades: Jason Allen was outstanding at cornerback, Fulmer said. Jonathan Hefney played "very well," Jonathan Wade was "OK" and Roshaun Fellows was "OK" in Fulmer's opinion.

"We've got some work to do there,'' Fulmer said. "Our underneath coverage bothered us. It was mostly playing zone and not breaking to the football.

"We did a good job dropping to the spots we were supposed to be. We've just got to break to the ball better.''

Missed Opportunities: The running game produced a modest 138 yards. Fulmer said Gerald Riggs Jr. missed a couple of cuts that could have gone for big gains.

"He'll see that as he sees more full-speed snaps,'' Fulmer said, alluding to the fact that Riggs was used sparingly in scrimmages. "Several occasions, we didn't finish blocks like we we're capable of doing.

"We ended up with more throws than runs because you're running uphill when they're keeping eight or nine people in the box. We needed to catch some of those (dropped) balls and not overthrow the ball and we would have had a very productive day.''

Injury Watch: Jason Mitchell (ankle), Robert Meachem (ankle) and Ramon Foster (foot) came out of the opener dinged up. All could be available when Florida week preparation begins next Monday.

"Jason looks like a milder sprain than we originally thought,'' Fulmer said. "Maybe we get him back (for Florida). Until he got nicked up, he was having a heck of a ball game.

"Meachem should be back by the end of the week, and Foster should be back as well.''

Return Fizzle: Two kickoff returns went nowhere. The only punt return went nowhere.

"I wasn't real happy with the kickoff return,'' Fulmer said. "It's too early to judge the scheme we're using. It's very sound as we researched it. We just didn't get the production out of it we hoped to.''

Week Ahead: The squad will practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Today the Vols will put in an appearance at West Town Mall (6-7 p.m.) to help raise funds for hurricane relief.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276.