Right or wrong, fair or not, Erik Ainge will take it.

"I'm a lot more relaxed," he said Tuesday, one day after being named Tennessee's starting quarterback once and for all. "I finally feel like a football player again."

The UT sophomore goes to No. 3-ranked LSU on Saturday (TV: ESPN, 7:45 p.m.) knowing he doesn't have to be perfect -- he just has to be better.

A year ago, Ainge had completed 26 of 41 passes for 310 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in his first two games as a Vol.

After two games this year - splitting time with Rick Clausen -- Ainge is 19 of 43 for 204 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.

Ainge admitted UT's quarterback shuffle made it tough for either player to get into any kind of offensive rhythm.

"Yeah, it did," he said. "At the same time, it was kind of necessary. It wouldn't have been fair to just name me the starter and I don't think it would have been fair to name Rick the starter.

"The coaches did the right thing and that's what they get paid the big money to do. They made a good choice."

At times, Ainge has looked sharp. He led UT to scores on his first two drives against UAB. He led the Vols down the field for their lone score in last Saturday's 16-7 loss at Florida.

At other times, including two interceptions against UAB and a shaky second-half against the Gators, he has looked like a wide-eyed, 19-year-old sophomore.

"We broke his rhythm against UAB," UT offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said. "If we don't do that, you don't know what happens. I'd like to think he would have kept on playing the way he had been.

"Against Florida, it was just some of the things that happened in the game."

For example, bad timing with the receivers.

"The receivers have worked hard to get on the same page with them," Sanders said. "But it (having two QBs) has taken away from the reps they get with each one."

Now Ainge, who was 14 of 29 for 147 yards against the Gators, gets the bulk of the reps.

"I feel like I'm back to where I was," he said, "instead of being so much like a robot in the offense."

He can wing it around, find a rhythm and go with it instead of worrying about being benched in favor of Clausen.

Looking over his shoulder isn't in Ainge's playbook this week. It's more a matter of regaining some of old swagger.

"That's the biggest thing some of the coaches were saying, 'Where's Erik? Where did he go?'" Ainge said.

"I think they've always had confidence in me. I think they were just waiting for me to get back to looking like I used to. I think I'm back."

Now it's time to prove it.

Ainge said several teammates have come up to him and showed support. But obviously it has been a tough decision for coaches and players.

"Rick and I are great friends off the field and I feel terrible for him because he worked so hard for the job," center Richie Gandy said. "At the same time, if Coach (Phillip) Fulmer thinks Erik being the starter is best for this team, then we have to accept that.

"We're going to have to go down to LSU and Erik's going to be our guy to lead us. And that's a tough place to play in. We're going to have to rally around him and make sure we all get the job done."

Tight end Chris Brown applauded the choice -- any choice.

"I'm glad they finally made a decision," he said. "Rick's still going to be there regardless if something does go bad, just like he was last year.

"It's great to be settled. I think you'll see the team rally around him (Ainge) more because there's one definite quarterback."

Ainge just had a word of warning for any future UT opponents.

He basically dared the LSU's and Alabama's of the world to play the Vols' like Florida did in UT's loss.

The Vols' passing game looked anemic at times against the Gators' man-to-man press coverage in the secondary.

"That's one good thing," Ainge said. "They're going to flip on that tape and see Florida's corners beating up the receivers and us not getting the ball completed down field. We're a lot better than that.

"If teams are going to think that's the answer, I would predict we're going to have a lot of success."