If you listed Phillip Fulmer's strengths as a coach, you would begin with recruiting. But what would be second?

It might not be as obvious as recruiting, but it's significant. Fulmer's teams -- with the exception of last year -- have been resilient.

You don't have to go back any further than 2003 and 2004 for examples.

In 2003, the Vols lost back-to-back games to Auburn and Georgia. The first loss was close; the second was a blowout. The Vols then responded by winning their last six regularseason games.

In 2004, UT won its first three games before being beaten by Auburn 34-10. A week after the crushing defeat, UT upset Georgia 19-14 in Athens. That led to an SEC East championship.

Even in the mid-1990s when some of UT's best teams lost big game after big game to Florida, the Vols didn't unravel afterward. From 1995 through 1997, UT's regular-season record after losing to Florida was 23-1.

Fulmer deserves much of the credit for that.

Fans often wonder: "Can a coach get his team up for the big game?" They rarely ask: "Can a coach get his team up after it loses the big game?"

Fulmer has done that repeatedly. And whether he can do it again will be a huge factor in the success of his 2006 team.

I started thinking about that after I read a quote from UT offensive tackle Arron Sears at the SEC media days.

Speaking of the season opener against California, Sears said, "A loss for the first game would be devastating to us, especially after last year. "

I can understand why he would say that. I also can understand why Fulmer doesn't want his team thinking that way.

Sure, a season opener against a nationally ranked team will be important, especially after last year. But losing the game doesn't have to be devastating.

And winning it doesn't mean UT is on its way to a national championship

How significant would a non-conference victory over Cal be if UT lost its SEC opener two weeks later to Florida? No matter what happens against Cal, UT still will have to play Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, LSU and Arkansas in the SEC.

After a 5-6 season, UT needs to boost its confidence and regain its edge. And winning the opener would be a step in the right direction. But it's just one step.

Win or lose, the season opener might look altogether different six or seven games later.

Maybe Cal is a bona fide top-10 team ready to challenge Southern Cal for the Pac-10 championship. Or maybe it's as overrated as UT was last year. You won't know for sure on the first Saturday of September.

Imagine how confident UAB must have felt after the 2005 season opener at Neyland Stadium. It lost by only seven points to a UT team expected to challenge for the national championship. Imagine how differently it must have felt about that game after UT finished the season 5-6.

In 2003, Auburn was expected to contend for national title. Consequently, its season opener against Southern Cal was portrayed as one of the biggest in school history. Not only did Auburn lose the game 23-0, it lost the following week to Georgia Tech 17-3.

The Tigers then reeled off five consecutive victories. But after suffering their first SEC loss, they lost their next two conference games as well.

Fulmer's teams have handled adversity considerably better for the most part.

Never mind last year. In Fulmer's previous 12 seasons as head coach, UT lost back-to-back games only four times. In nine of those seasons, it lost at least one of its first four games. Yet four of those nine teams finished in the top 10.

Now, the challenge for the Vols is to bounce back from not just a bad game, but a bad season. One Saturday, no matter how good or bad, shouldn't make or break them.